AvailableSpecialty
Kenya · Kirinyaga
- Species
- Arabica
- Process
- Fully washed with soak
- Grade
- AB
- Screen
- 15/16
- Crop
- 2025/26
- Quantity
- 150 bags
Plum · Tomato leaf · Black tea
Kenya · Grade
Kenya AA Green Coffee
AA is the most requested Kenyan grade and the most over-interpreted. This page is written to make the purchase a deliberate one.
- Species
- Arabica
- Preparation
- Fully washed with soak · Mbuni (natural)
- Harvest
- Main crop October–December; early (fly) crop May–July
Quick answer
Kenya AA is the flat-bean separation retained on approximately screen 17/18 from a Kenyan Arabica outturn. It is produced mechanically at the dry mill and specifies bean size and preparation — not cup quality. An AB from a strong factory routinely outperforms an AA from a weaker one.
Contract on: region · grade · screen · process · crop · moisture · defect tolerance · cup approval.
Request current kenya aa green coffeeWhat AA specifies
- Basis
- Size — screen separation at the dry mill
- Screen
- 17/18, approximately 6.8–7.2 mm
- Species / process
- Arabica, fully washed with soak
- Position
- Below E (elephant), above AB in the size ladder
- Traceability
- Factory name and outturn number
The full ladder — E, AA, AB, PB, C, TT, T and Mbuni MH/ML — is set out on the Kenya coffee grades page.
Why the grade does not tell you about the cup
AA and AB are the same coffee at different widths
Both come from the same cherry, picked on the same day, fermented in the same tank, soaked in the same water and dried on the same beds. The only difference is which screen retained them. Every variable that determines cup quality is identical between them.
There is a real reason to prefer AA, and it is a roasting reason: larger, more uniform beans absorb heat predictably, which matters on a tight profile. That is worth paying for when it applies. What is not supported is the assumption that AA is the better coffee.
The practical test costs nothing: cup the AA and the AB from the same factory side by side before deciding which to buy.
The factory is the variable that matters
A Kenyan lot is identified by factory and outturn number. That is the level at which the cherry selection, the fermentation and the drying were actually managed — and therefore the level at which quality was determined. Two AAs from different factories are two different coffees; two grades from the same factory are two widths of one.
Specifying Kenya AA
- Factory
- Named, with the outturn number recorded
- Region
- Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Murang’a, Embu, Meru, Kiambu or western
- Screen
- Retained on 17, maximum X% passing
- Defects
- Maximum full defects per 300 g; zero primary defects
- Moisture
- Range plus method
- Water activity
- Where storage duration matters
- Crop
- Crop year and whether main or fly crop
- Cup
- Approved sample plus a fault-tolerance clause
- Packaging
- 60 kg jute with hermetic liner
Kenya AA enquiries
Tell us the region and profile. We will send AA and AB from the same factory so you can compare before committing.
Request Current Crop OfferLast reviewed 2 min read
The distinction that matters
What this grade does not tell you
A grade is a preparation class. Everything below is a separate contract field, and every one of them moves independently of the grade name.
What it does fix
Kenya AA Green Coffee encodes
- Bean size, as the screen the parcel is retained on
- Bean shape, for the PB separation
- Density, for the TT and T separations
- Whether the coffee is washed or Mbuni (dried whole cherry)
Use the grade to define the physical deliverable. Use the approved sample to define the cup. Both belong in the contract.
What it does not
Specify these separately
- Cup qualityTwo lots at the same grade from the same mill can cup several points apart. Only cupping tells you.
- Defect countA separate count on a defined sample, against a weighting table that differs by origin.
- MoistureA range plus the measurement method. Two meters on one parcel routinely disagree.
- Crop yearNothing in a grade name distinguishes current crop from a parcel that has been in store a year.
- DensityBulk density in g/L, which drives charge temperature and roast planning.
- Water activityStorage stability. Related to moisture but not derivable from it.
- TraceabilityCountry, station or day lot are different claims. A grade fixes none of them.
- Processing methodWashed, natural and honey can all carry the same grade at most origins.
Availability
Current Kenya AA Green Coffee
Availability moves with the harvest, with milling and with prior commitments. Everything here is confirmed against the current crop on enquiry.
LimitedSpecialty
Kenya · Nyeri
- Species
- Arabica
- Process
- Fully washed with soak
- Grade
- AA
- Screen
- 17/18
- Crop
- 2025/26
- Quantity
- 80 bags
Blackcurrant · Grapefruit · Cane sugar
LimitedSpecialty
Kenya · Murang’a
- Species
- Arabica
- Process
- Fully washed with soak
- Grade
- PB
- Screen
- PB
- Crop
- 2025/26
- Quantity
- 60 bags
Redcurrant · Muscovado · Bergamot
Quality
Quality evaluation
Every parcel runs the same sequence before it is offered and again before it is loaded. What is reported for a given lot depends on what the buyer specifies.
- 01Physical gradePreparation class against the origin’s own system
- 02Screen distributionRetention plus the percentage passing
- 03Defect analysisFull defects per 300 g on a stated weighting table
- 04MoistureRange plus the measurement method and instrument
- 05Water activityWhere the buyer specifies it, for storage stability
- 06DensityBulk density in g/L, for roast planning
- 07Sample roastTo a cupping profile, not a commercial roast
- 08CuppingMultiple cups, against the approved sample
- 09Buyer approvalThe retained sample the shipment is measured against
Crop
Kenya crop calendar
Flowering, harvest, processing, milling and the export window. Regional cycles differ, so this is not one universal season.
Main crop — central highlands and Mount Kenya
Crop year commonly quoted October–September
Stage
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
FloweringLong rains
Cherry development
Harvest
Processing & drying
Dry milling & grading
Main export window
- Flowering: Feb–Apr. Long rains
- Cherry development: Apr–Sep
- Harvest: Oct–Dec
- Processing & drying: Oct–Jan
- Dry milling & grading: Nov–Feb
- Main export window: Dec–Jun
The main crop carries the majority of volume and the tightest factory separations.
Early / fly crop
Crop year commonly quoted October–September
Stage
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
FloweringShort rains
Cherry development
Harvest
Processing & drying
Dry milling & grading
Main export window
- Flowering: Oct–Nov. Short rains
- Cherry development: Nov–Apr
- Harvest: May–Jul
- Processing & drying: May–Aug
- Dry milling & grading: Jun–Sep
- Main export window: Jul–Oct
Smaller and more variable than the main crop; useful for bridging supply mid-year.
Export
Packing and export
- Ports of loading
- Mombasa
- Bag standard
- 60 kg jute; GrainPro or equivalent liners common on specialty lots
- Export window
- December–June for main crop, with early-crop shipments from August
- Incoterms
- FOB · CFR · CIF
Compare
Against the other East African origins
Grade designations do not translate between origins, and harvest windows barely overlap. This is how the region compares at a glance.
| Origin | Species | Main preparation | Representative grades | Harvest | Ports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanzania | Arabica · Robusta | Fully washed · Natural | AA · A · AB · B | June–October in the south; July–December in the north | Dar es Salaam · Tanga |
| Uganda | Robusta · Arabica | Natural (Robusta) · Washed Arabica (WUGAR) | Screen 18 · Screen 17 · Screen 15 · FAQ | Robusta main crop November–February with a fly crop April–July; Elgon Arabica October–February | Mombasa (Northern Corridor) · Dar es Salaam (Central Corridor) |
| Ethiopia | Arabica | Fully washed · Natural (sun-dried) | Grade 1 · Grade 2 · Grade 3 · Grade 4 | October–January, varying by region and altitude | Djibouti (primary transit port) |
| Rwanda | Arabica | Fully washed · Natural (growing) | Grade 1 (fully washed) · Grade 2 · Screen 15+ · Screen 16+ | March–July, with the peak in April and May | Mombasa (Northern Corridor) · Dar es Salaam (Central Corridor) |
| Burundi | Arabica | Fully washed with soak · Natural (limited) | Grade A · Grade B · Screen 15+ · Screen 16+ | March–July | Dar es Salaam (Central Corridor) · Mombasa (Northern Corridor) |
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is Kenya AA coffee?
The flat-bean separation retained on approximately screen 17/18 from a Kenyan Arabica outturn, produced mechanically at the dry mill. It specifies bean size and preparation, not cup quality.
Is Kenya AA the highest quality Kenyan coffee?
It is the largest size class below elephant beans. Quality comes from the factory, the cherry and the processing — not from the screen. An AB from a strong factory routinely outperforms an AA from a weaker one.
Why is Kenya AA more expensive than AB?
Because it is scarcer. AA is the top of the size distribution and a minority of any outturn, and the differential reflects that scarcity rather than a measured quality difference.
Should I specify a factory as well as a grade?
Yes. The factory is where quality was determined and is the level at which Kenyan lots are identified. Recording the outturn number as well makes a repeat purchase or a later query answerable.
Request an offer
Tell us the Kenya coffee you need
Region, process, grade, screen, moisture, defect tolerance, crop year, packaging and destination. Send what you know and we will confirm what Kenya realistically supports for the current crop.