AA
E
The premium screens
AA is screen 17/18, the large flat bean that leads most Kirinyaga catalogues. E — elephant bean — is larger still and separated by hand.
Every outturn is graded on the Union’s own screens and density tables, then roasted and cupped in our laboratory before it reaches the auction floor.
Screens and density tables sort every outturn before it is weighed into lots. These are the Union's own trays, photographed in the laboratory at Kerugoya with the grade cards still standing.
AA is screen 17/18, the large flat bean that leads most Kirinyaga catalogues. E — elephant bean — is larger still and separated by hand.
AB blends screens 15 and 16 and is the volume grade. PB is the single round peaberry, C sits below AB, and T is the light siftings.
TT and HE come off the density tables. UG1 and UG2 are the ungraded fractions kept separate so a clean lot is never diluted.
MBUNI is dried whole cherry rather than washed parchment. MH, ML and SB are the mill's heavy, light and small-bean sorts.
Parchment arrives from the factories in three density classes. What the mill receives sets the ceiling for every grade that leaves it.
Parchment arrives from member factories, weighed and logged per society for full traceability.
The parchment layer is removed to reveal green beans, with minimal breakage.
Density and screen sorting remove defects and foreign matter.
Beans are separated into AA, AB, PB, C and secondary grades by size and density.
Every outturn is sample-roasted and cupped to document its flavour profile.
Lots are bagged, sealed and dispatched to the Nairobi Coffee Exchange or direct buyers.
fairtrade.net
Eligible as certified when sold between FLO-registered operators.
certified lots
Sustainable farming standard; premium per certificate protocol.
quality + ethics
Verified ethical sourcing across many member factories.
premium eligible
Premiums on certified coffee paid per the certificate's protocol.
Sample roasting, grinding and the cupping table at Kerugoya.
The sample roaster
Grinding the sample
On the cupping table