Kenya Maakiou Estate AA

This fully washed coffee is a fine example of how a classic Kenyan coffee tastes. The fresh, citrusy opening transitions into a full-bodied and powerful finish with a well-balanced and sweet, slightly tannic finish. The coffee is characterized by relatively low acidity and complex, nuanced flavors, which makes it unique in the Kenyan coffee landscape.

Maakiou Estate, divided by the Kiou and Riara rivers and covering a total of 340 hectares, is one of the oldest preserved farms near Nairobi. Its location is so central that the property extends across both Kiambu and Nairobi City Counties. It is so old that it is classified as dating from the pre-colonial era. The farm was originally founded by a Greek couple, Mammatas and Apostolos, and is now owned by a local group called Mawara. Maakiou Estate has withstood the extensive real estate boom around Nairobi by consistently focusing on quality.

THE PROCESS

Red, fully ripe coffee cherries are carefully picked by hand by trained pickers and delivered daily to the processing station before 3 p.m. for further processing. Upon arrival, the cherries are carefully sorted to remove unripe and overripe fruits.

The beans are then peeled in a three-disc pulping machine, which also acts as an initial density sorter, separating lighter beans from heavier ones. The beans, which are still in their sugary parchment shells, are soaked overnight to break down any remaining sugars.

The next morning, they undergo further sorting based on density, and only the densest beans are classified as export quality. These are then transferred to raised drying beds where they are allowed to dry slowly to the optimum moisture content. During the hottest hours of the day, the parchment is covered to prevent cracking and ensure even and controlled drying.

MORE ABOUT THE COFFEE CLASSIFICATION OF COFFEE IN KENYA

• Kenya AA – the largest beans, measuring 17/18 (over 7.2 mm). Only AA beans are used in this coffee.

• Kenya AB - slightly smaller beans, 15/16 in size

• Kenya PB (Peaberry) where only one round bean developed in the cherry instead of two flat ones

This careful management at every stage - from variety selection to processing - is a key explanation for why coffee from Kenya, and especially from facilities like Kahindu, is considered some of the world's best.

COFFEE IN KENYA

Though coffee growing had a relatively late start in Kenya, the industry has gained and maintained a impressive reputation and is now recognised by its very high quality, meticulous preparation and exquisite flavors.

More than 600,000 small-scale farmers, each with less than five hectares of land, account for 99% of Kenya's coffee production. Together, they cultivate over 75% of the country's total coffee area and produce nearly 70% of Kenyan coffee. These farmers are organised into hundreds of Farmers' Cooperative Societies (FCS), each of which operates at least one washing station. The remainder of production comes from small, medium and large estates, most of which have their own washing facilities (such as Maakiou Estate).