​In Kenya, after a certain lot has been processed, it will be delivered to the Marketing Agent (MA) in parchment by the producer or cooperative. The MA then, will mill and grade the lot by shape and size, and give this lot an unique "Outturn Number" (ON), before delivering a sample to the Nairobi Coffee Exchange. This ON will be crucial to provide transparency and traceability to the system.

The lot now has a unique ON, but many different grades that can range from:
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E (Screen 20)
AA (Screen 18/19),
AB (Screen 16/17),
PB (peaberries),
C (screen 14-15),
HE, MH, ML, T, TT, UG1, UG2 (Undergrades)

The system assumes that the bigger the bean, the better the cup. However, that is not always correct.

Considering the great number of samples and the limited time we have, we focus only in the AA, AB, and PB grades. Through that focused research, the centralized system of the Nairobi Coffee Exchange allows us, to discover some hidden jewels from very remote areas of the country, that it would have been impossible to find just travelling around.
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In simple words the Nairobi Coffee Exchange works as a weekly Cup of Excellence, stimulating competition and prices for the best lots.

1. What is memory?

Memory is the process through which we obtain, store, retain and access information. Human beings are capable of perceiving reality through experiences, which we classify and store. This process allow us to survive, cause if we were not able to access past experiences to decode the new ones, we would be living each day in a constant chaotic state of wonder, terror, happiness or stress. Memory in simple words, simplifies our life and balances our central nervous system.

There are three types of memory, according to professors Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968, Multi Model of Human Memory) these are:

- Sensory Memory
- Short Term Memory
- Long Term Memory

Sensory memory is the very first stage and refers to the process of storage of information that we take with our senses from the environment. Unfortunately, most of it can't be processed by our brains, since it lasts for very short periods of time and just a small portion of it is transferred to the second and third stages of memory, short and long term respectively, the rest is quickly forgotten.

Humans are visual creatures, through evolution, this is the sense that we have developed the most. In fact, 90% of the information that we pass to our brain is visual. Perhaps this is the main reason why developing sensory memory through taste and smell is such a difficult task that requires a lot of training and hard work, and even many people are not physiologically capable of achieving it, since they do not have the appropriate sensory receptors to make use of it.
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2. We are all the same, but different.

Each human being is unique and unmatched. The composition of our bodies is such that there will never be anyone exactly the same. Although we all have a brain, a heart and two lungs, etc; brains have different capacities, there are healthier hearts than others, and lungs have different sizes, among other differences. In addition to our bodies, the composition of our life experiences is also unique, although we all live more or less the same script (we are born, we grow, we age and then we die), it is in the detail where the difference is found and what transforms us into unique beings.

For evolutionary reasons, our senses of taste and smell have been relegated to a second place. The dominance of vision has caused us to lose the ability to perceive and communicate taste and olfactory sensations. Humans in average have 12 million olfactory receptors, which can detect 10,000 different smells. But we don't all have the same number of receptors, nor do they have the same sensitivity. There are people who can perceive more aromas and flavours than others, and therefore, have a greater potential to communicate and memorize (retain, store and later access) this information or sensations.

In addition to our physiological limitations, our experiences are not the same either. We all live unique lives with experiences that are non-transferable. This is another fundamental aspect in the development of sensory memory. The environment where we live and its culture play a determining role in the way we see the world and what we can absorb from it. Then it’s only through language that we are able to share our experiences and express our emotions.

The environment is the stage, culture is the plot, our senses are the actors and language is the script, of this movie called sensory memory.
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3. The Flavour of Coffee

As we have already seen in previous posts, memory is a process that allows us to obtain, process, store and access information collected from our environment. And we also know that the possibility of access and communication of such information will be determined by a physiological factor (the unique composition of our bodies) and a cultural factor (the unique composition of our lives).

When we drink coffee, we have what is known as a multisensory experience. A cup of coffee contains a wide range of flavours and aromas, which are affected by many factors such as: the variety of the bean, process, roast profile, method of preparation, etc. Approximately 850 volatile compounds associated with coffee flavour have been identified. However, a small proportion of these (approximately 40 volatile compounds) are known to be the main contributors to the aroma and flavour of coffee.

Aroma is defined as an odour that is detected through the nose and retronasal, and also through the back of the mouth, where the nasal and oral cavities are interconnected. Taste is the sense experienced by the tongue and describes sensations of salinity, sweetness, acidity, bitterness or umami. Flavour is defined as a combination of aroma and taste.

This multi-sensory experience encompasses all the senses to provide the complete coffee experience and allows you to judge the quality and pleasure of the coffee. Drinking a cup of coffee without one of the sensory signals (for example, without feeling the aroma of coffee) will reduce the impact of the other senses, the overall experience and the pleasure derived from a good cup of coffee.
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​The taste of people has been built with the course of history, and some events have strongly contributed to shape it. Like for example, the arrival in Europe of sugar or spices during the medieval era. Throughout history some flavors appears and others, like bitterness, go out of fashion.

​Taste today, is strongly influenced by current times. In a connected, interdependent and frenetic world, we depend on our socio-historical condition to appreciate the flavor. 

Aroma, taste and flavor are closely related concepts, however, they have different definitions. Taste and aroma are closely associated with each other, and both are perceived by processes within the areas of the limbic system, which deal with emotions, memories and stimulation.

The aroma is defined as an odor, perceived through the nose and retronasally, and also through the back of the mouth, where the nasal and buccal cavities are interconnected. Taste is the sense experienced by the tongue and describes sensations of saltiness, sweetness, acidity, bitterness or umami. Flavor is defined as a combination of aroma and flavor.

​A microlot is a term that designates not only a small volume of coffee production, but also designates a selectively hand-picked coffee, from a particular cultivar, in a specific farm or micro-region, within a certain altitude range and processed separately; or at least a combination of some of the above. In summary, it's the result of some concerted effort to separate and carefully prepare a quantity of coffee that will have special characteristics.

​It also implies some experimenting or research contribution by the producer, importer/roaster or all of them working together. In addition, it requires the control, the cupping and the qualitative selection of the best lots, in a proactive relationship between the producer and the buyer.

Many coffees today are promoted as "Microlots" and they do not meet any of the standards mentioned above; and end up being abused just as cheap marketing words, or as an easy way to sell more expensive.

​Each year we are receiving more and more samples from producers and cooperatives in many origins around the world. This is very exciting, but also represents a challenge in terms of time and resources we need to dedicate to analyze and evaluate each of them fairly and effectively.

​Finally, evaluation through blind cupping allows us to judge the potential, identify the defects and select the best samples. It is the most influential tool when deciding which coffees will be travelling to our warehouse and going into your roasters very soon.

Enjoy your Burundi coffee!

​Kenya is divided into 47 counties, and in only 18 coffee is produced.

Nyeri and Kirinyaga are definitely the most popular counties for traders and roasters in origin. As a consequence of the above, they are also the ones that obtain the highest prices in the auctions of the Nairobi Coffee Exchange.

​So the million dollar question is: why Kiambu does not have the same relevance as its neighbors in the specialty coffee market?

And the answer is not as obvious as you might think.

​If we analyze the type of cultivars used in the three counties, we find that the most common cultivated varietes (between 90 and 95%) are SL28 and SL34, which are as we have said, the ones that produce the best quality in the cup.

Let's look at the altitude, the average range of altitude in the cultivated areas is higher in Kiambu with 1860masl, followed by Nyeri with 1760m and Kirinyaga with 1605m.

Rain patterns. In the three counties are also similar, there are bimodal rain patterns which brings two wet seasons a year (therefore 2 flowerings and two harvests a year), with annual rainfall averages of 953 mm for Nyeri, 1098 mm for Kiambu and 1518 mm for Kirinyaga .

The composition of the soils is similar in all three counties. They are all red volcanic soils, rich in nutrients and organic matter.

And the processing method, exactly the same, fully washed process with double fermentation and sundried on African beds.

​The only fundamental difference lies in the annual production of smallholders (who are the ones that produce the microlots we are all seeking for) and their respective cooperatives. Nyeri being the first of the country with 6630 Tons., which represents 21% of the total production, second is Kirinyaga with 5870 Tons., representing an 18.5% and sixth is Kiambu with 2560 Tons., representing a 8% of the total country. (Statistics provided by the Kenya Coffee Board for 2012)

From the above we can conclude that the success of the "trademark" Nyeri and Kirinyaga in detriment of Kiambu, is due exclusively to a matter of quantity and therefore overexposure in international markets, and not to the potential to produce quality. From a macro perspective, the various factors influencing high quality production are virtually identical in all three counties.

To finish, just say that it is undeniable that in Nyeri and Kirinyaga there are exceptional lots, but they are also in Kiambu; It's just a matter of seek, discover and blind cupping!

Enjoy your coffee ... from Kiambu