Kenya Coffee: From Kenya's Central Highlands to your Hand
I went into Starbucks the other day for my usual caffeine fix. After ordering, I took a copy of the “Swoop Magazine”, Starbucks monthly newsletter. As I was browsing through, I read this small passage written by Naomi Cable, the Starbucks regional coffee master; “I absolutely love African coffee – the Kenyan one being my favourite. It was the one I had the Aha! moment with. It was the first time I really understood the different flavours when I paired it grapefruit and discovered that I could find the fruit in the coffee.” Well, its no hidden secret – the best coffee in the world is grown between the Tropics of Capricon and Cancer. This is because the rich soil, temperature and rainfall contribute to the perfect coffee growth environment. We have a farm in the Central Highlands of Kenya, quite close to Mt Kenya actually. We grow coffee and its an interesting crop to have. The berries grow on shrubs that are bout 6 feet tall. They tend to ripen at certain times of the year, especially in December. We harvest them and put them through a pulping machine in the farm. This takes the skin off the berries leaving a wet white-ish inner bean. They are then dried and put in large sacks and taken to the closest mill. All Kenya coffee is sold at the government auction in the capital city, Nairobi. Once we deliver the sacks to the mills, we wait for the auction process and are compensated a few months after. There are 7 grades sold at the auction. AA is the richest and most expensive grade. At the auction, many buyers from around the world or their local agents tend to bid for the different grades and then blend it in their own way to create a variety of unique great tastes for you to enjoy. 
|
