Kenya · Grade
Kenya AB Green Coffee
- Species
- Arabica
- Preparation
- Fully washed with soak · Mbuni (natural)
- Harvest
- Main crop October–December; early (fly) crop May–July
Quick answer
Kenya AB is the combined A (screen 16) and B (screen 15) separations and is normally the largest single block in an outturn. Because it comes from the same cherry and processing as the AA alongside it, it is frequently the best purchase on a cup-per-dollar basis.
Contract on: region · grade · screen · process · crop · moisture · defect tolerance · cup approval.
Request current kenya ab green coffeeWhat AB is
- Basis
- Combined size separations A (screen 16) and B (screen 15)
- Screen
- Approximately 15–16, or 6.0–6.8 mm
- Position
- Usually the largest single block in an outturn
- Species / process
- Arabica, fully washed with soak
- Traceability
- Factory name and outturn number, as for AA
The value argument
AB and AA are separated from the same milled parcel. The cherry, the picking day, the fermentation tank, the soak, the drying beds and the storage are identical. The screens differ.
AA attracts a differential because the size class is scarce. AB does not, because it is abundant. The gap between them in price is therefore usually larger than the gap in the cup — which is the whole value argument, and it is a strong one.
Where AB fits
- Volume single origin — enough available from a good factory to support a continuous offering.
- Blend component — Kenyan structure and acidity at a workable price.
- Espresso — the density and acidity carry well through milk.
- Programme supply — the block is large enough to contract across a season.
Specifying Kenya AB
- Factory
- Named, with the outturn number recorded
- Screen
- Stated range with a permitted percentage passing
- Defects
- Maximum full defects per 300 g; zero primary defects
- Moisture
- Range plus method
- 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 AB enquiries
Tell us the region, profile and volume. AB supports programme contracts across a season.
Request Current Crop OfferThe 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 AB 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.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is Kenya AB coffee?
Is AB worse than AA?
Why do people say AB is better value?
Keep reading
Related to Kenya AB Green Coffee
- Kenya Coffee GradesKenya’s grading terminology explained — E, AA, AB, PB, C, TT, T and Mbuni MH/ML — what each separation is, and why bean size does not determine cup quality.
- Screen 16 — size, grades and contract termsCoffee screen size chart with mm conversion, how sizing tolerances work, what screens 15–18 mean in East African grades, and how bean size affects roasting.
- Bean size, uniformity and roast behaviourCoffee screen size chart with mm conversion, how sizing tolerances work, what screens 15–18 mean in East African grades, and how bean size affects roasting.
- Kenya AA Green CoffeeKenya AA green coffee: what the grade actually specifies, why size does not determine cup quality, what it costs in outturn, and how to write the specification.
- Kenya ArabicaKenyan Arabica: SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11 and Batian, the cooperative factory system, soak processing, growing regions and harvest timing.
- Commercial Green CoffeeCommercial green coffee from six East African origins: the volume grades by origin, how programme contracts are written, and how consistency is held across a season.
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.