Best Kenyan Coffee Brands For True Coffee Connoisseurs

Coffee from Kenya is regarded by many experts as among the best coffee in the world – if not the best. It is defined by robust flavors, a full body, and a vibrant wine-like acidity. If you consider yourself a serious coffee drinker, you owe it to yourself to explore this fascinating coffee region. And we’re here to help!

Here are our picks for the best Kenyan coffee beans this year, each offering a unique taste of Kenya. Whether you fancy a bright light roast or something darkly compelling, we’ve got a quality coffee for you.

HOW WE TESTED THESE COFFEES

The 6 Best Kenya Coffee Beans

image	product	details
Best Overall Best Overall	Coffee Bros. Kenya Gondo	Light-medium roast Sugary plum, chocolate, lemon notes Whole bean
Best Dark Roast Best Dark Roast	Cooper’s Cask Kenya AA	Medium-dark roast Peach, bittersweet chocolate, molasses notes Ground or whole bean
Best Medium Roast Best Medium Roast	Equator Kenya Kamwangi	Medium roast Blackcurrant, rhubarb, caramel notes Whole bean
BEST LIGHT ROAST BEST LIGHT ROAST	Volcanica Kenya AA	Medium roast Raspberry, cranberry, redwood, florals notes Ground or whole bean
Best For Cold Brew Best For Cold Brew	Out Of The Grey Kenya AA	Medium-dark roast Blackcurrant, fennel, black tea, florals notes Ground or whole bean
Budget Pick Budget Pick	Peet’s Kenya Auction Lot	Medium-dark roast Citrus, brown sugar, cassis notes Ground or whole bean

Kenyan beans’ reputation as some of the best African coffees means that they are readily available. There’s even a Starbucks Kenya coffee. But to enjoy this specialty coffee at its best, I recommend finding a local roaster or choosing an online purveyor that grinds and roasts to order. 

After extensive testing, our editorial team curated this list of the best Kenyan coffee brands you can find online.

Best Overall

Coffee Bros offers a small and rotating selection of specialty coffees. This relatively new coffee roaster has quickly become a Home Grounds favorite due to their commitment to quality sourcing and respect for the seasonality of coffee (1).

Right now, that means this exceptional Kenya Gondo coffee. Get your hands on a bag before it’s too late! (Though we’re willing to bet whatever Kenyans they roast next will be equally high quality.)

These beans come from the Muranga region of Kenya, collected from various small farmers all belonging to the New Kiriti Farmers Co-op. They’re a blend of four of the most renowned Kenyan Arabica types – the Batian, SL-28, Ruiri 11, and SL-34 coffee varieties.

I was astounded by the full body of this coffee, a rarity for a roast this light. It has a rich and syrupy mouthfeel, while still maintaining an overall bright character. This brew is a study in contrasts in the best possible way. I tasted sweet stone fruit, milk chocolate, and bright acidity, some tasters described it as lemon and others thought it was closer to tart green apple.

Best Dark Roast

2. Cooper’s Cask Kenya AA

• Roast level: Medium-dark

• Tasting notes: Peach, bittersweet chocolate, molasses
• Ground or whole bean: Either
• Processing method: n/a

Home Grounds doesn’t often advise buying coffee from Amazon because it is so rarely as fresh as it should be. But Cooper’s Cask is one exception; they source the best Kenya AA coffee roast in small batches. Every bag I’ve sampled has tasted fresh and flavorful, and it’s hard to beat the affordable price.

I thought this coffee was closer to a medium-dark than a true dark roast, which our team preferred versus the darker roasts we sampled. It allows the more unique Kenyan characteristics to shine while still delivering the super-sweet, full-bodied coffee you expect from a long roast. The flavors were more molasses and dark chocolate as opposed to toasted nuts of smokiness, and they were well-balanced by brighter notes of honey and peach.

Cooper’s Cask Kenyan coffee beans are very versatile, and I enjoyed every brew method we sampled. This dark Kenya AA coffee makes a particularly fine espresso thanks to its heavy body and creamy mouthfeel.

Best Medium Roast

3. Equator Kenya Kamwangi

• Roast level: Medium

• Tasting notes: Blackcurrant, rhubarb, caramel
• Ground or whole bean: Whole bean
• Processing method: Washed

This delicious coffee from Equator is the ideal introduction to Kenya coffee – and, honestly, to specialty single-origin coffee in general. These medium roast coffee beans ride a perfect line between crowd-pleasing and exotic, with recognizable flavors that are just a little more complex than your basic brew.

It’s a wonderfully sweet coffee. I tasted dominant notes of blackcurrant and caramel balanced by a medium body and bold acidity, which our other tasters described variously as grapefruit, rhubarb, or lime. The aroma is wonderfully fragrant, with prominent floral and berry notes.

The beans are harvested in Kirinyaga County, a famous coffee growing region on the slopes of Mount Kenya, and processed at the Kamwangi washing station. Kamwangi is known for its strict quality control, accepting only the best coffee cherries, and is rated among the top 5 mills in the country. It’s equipped with electricity, solar dryers, and abundant water from a nearby river – all of which contribute to consistently high-quality exports.

Best Light Roast

This Kenyan AA Coffee from Volcanica is sourced from the Nyeri Hill Estate, a region that is widely considered to be among the best in the world. This Rainforest Alliance certified coffee has been carefully harvested and selected from some of the largest, best-shaped, and densest East African coffee beans.

Volcanica’s Kenya AA beans are sun-dried and wet-processed, delivering an absolute smorgasbord of flavors. I couldn’t get enough of the sweet and savory nature of this brew, with a cranberry, and raspberry tartness and a delicately profound woody resonance. This is one of the more acidic coffees we tasted – something to keep in mind if you’re prone to heartburn.

We love ordering from Volcanica because they wait until after you’ve ordered to roast and grind your beans, guaranteeing peak flavor upon arrival at your doorstep. You can even specify the grind size to suit your favorite brewing method.

Best For Cold Brew

5. Out Of The Grey Kenya AA

• Roast level: Medium-dark

• Tasting notes: Blackcurrant, fennel, black tea, florals
• Ground or whole bean: Either
• Processing method: Natural

Out Of The Grey’s Kenya AA whole bean coffee is a fascinatingly complex brew that divided our tasting team. Some found the complex flavors overwhelming – this is not a shy coffee – while others couldn’t get enough of the unique profile. The one thing we all agreed upon? It makes a stunningly good cold brew.

Most coffee in Kenya is washed, so this is a rare opportunity to sample naturally processed beans. The dry processing lends this coffee a robust sweetness, full body, and syrupy mouthfeel.

I tasted notes of black tea and fennel that took it just to the edge of bitterness. But I’d say a balance was maintained by juicy sweet blackcurrant, delicate florals, and a hint of menthol. It had a vibrant acidity that surprised us all for such a dark roast. Brewing cold quieted the acidity and bitter notes, producing a super-smooth and sweet drink.

Like Volcanica, Out Of The Grey roasts to order, so you’re guaranteed fresh roasted coffee at the peak of its flavor.

Budget Pick

6. Peet’s Kenya Auction Lot

• Roast level: Medium-dark

• Tasting notes: Citrus, brown sugar, cassis
• Ground or whole bean: Either
• Processing method: Washed

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Peet’s Coffee works directly with the auction system in Kenya to secure some of the best quality beans available. The brand has a buyer on-site that bids only on single lots, never blends, so that you can trace the coffee back to the source. 

Though the precise lot and flavor profile varies with the season, you can trust Peet’s Kenya Auction Lot will always be a delightful showcase of the famous flavors of Kenyan single-origin coffee.

Unusually for Kenyan beans, these have been treated to quite a dark roast. The juicy fruit flavors and bright acidity that you would expect from the country’s coffee have been maintained, but the longer roast time has allowed notes of brown sugar to develop. I loved the heavy body and rich dark berry flavors in this one. 

Try brewing it with a French press to bring out the full flavor profile.

How We Tested These Coffees

We ordered, brewed, and tasted over a dozen Kenyans when compiling this list. We prepared each using a minimum of two brewing methods (French press and pour over) and tasted by at least three team members. If we thought a coffee seemed particularly suited to another method (cold brew, iced coffee, espresso, etc.), we also sampled that in order to offer you brewing suggestions.

Every taster completed a survey beforehand, clarifying their coffee experience and preferences. During the tasting, everyone was given the same form to fill out regarding tastes, aromas, body, mouthfeel, and freshness.

A Quick Note On Coffees That Didn’t Make The List

At Home Grounds, we pride ourselves on recommending truly great coffee beans – not just the ones on Amazon that net us a nice commission. That’s why this list doesn’t include options you might see from others, like Chiru Coffee Connection, Henry’s House of Coffee, Gevalia Special Reserve Kenya, or Green Mountain Coffee Kenya K-Cups. We dutifully ordered and sampled these coffees, but they simply weren’t fresh enough to be among our top picks.

How To Choose The Best Kenya Coffee

Kenya is the world’s 16th largest coffee producer, so there is no shortage of excellent beans on the market. Which ones should you try? Ideally, as many as possible. But just in case your coffee budget isn’t astronomical, here are a few guidelines for narrowing down your options. 

Learn more about all these factors in our complete guide to Kenya coffee production.

What Coffee Flavors Do You Enjoy?

Kenyan coffee is known for its big, bold flavors. So it’s worth figuring out what flavor notes you enjoy. Not every Kenyan bean is likely to be to your taste, but when you find the right one, you’re really going to love it.

Roast Levels

Aside from reading the tasting notes on the package and trying the coffee yourself, the roast level is the best indicator of what to expect from your bag of beans. Thanks to the Kenyans’ universally high quality, you’ll find fantastic options at every roast level (2).

Kenya light roasts showcase a brighter citrus acidity and expose the inherent flavors of the origin. Medium roasts bring in more sweetness and tropical fruit flavors. Roasts in the darker range are sweeter still due to the caramelization that occurs in the roasting process, often with juicy berry acidity and notes of caramel, fruit, and milk chocolate. 

The roast level also influences the body. In general, darker roasts have a fuller body and heavier mouthfeel.

Processing Methods

Most of the country’s coffee is wet processed, which results in a clean cup that puts all the subtle and not-so-subtle flavors on display. Dry processed coffee is rare, but there are some fine examples – like the option from Out of the Grey on this list. These coffees tend to be more fruit-forward, with a sweeter flavor profile and syrupy body (3).

How Do You Brew Coffee At Home?

You don’t necessarily need to cater your bean choice to your brewing method, but some types of coffee are definitely easier to enjoy from specific brewers.

• If you brew with a pour over dripper, consider trying a lighter roast. Pour overs offer a wonderful opportunity to fully extract a dense light roast coffee, allowing you to experience the complete complex flavor profile of a single origin. 
• If you prefer an espresso maker or Moka pot, it is easier to extract a darker roast during the shorter brew time. Plus, the higher brewing pressure enhances the naturally heavy body of darker roasts.
• With an Aeropress or French press, you have the versatility to successfully brew all roast levels. This is also true of a good quality drip machine, but beware cheaper coffee machines, which often don’t brew hot enough to properly extract light roasts. 

If you don’t have a grinder, ensure you order from a brand that grinds to order to avoid stale coffee. And check that the grind size available is compatible with your brewing method of choice. Standard medium ground coffee won’t cut it in your espresso machine or French press.

An Aside: Kenya Coffee Grades

Kenyan coffee beans are graded based on the size of the green coffee bean before roasting. While it is not universally true that larger beans are better quality, it is largely true of Kenya beans (4).

There are currently eight grades –  Kenya Elephant (E), Kenya Peaberry (PB), Kenya AA, Kenya AB, Kenya C, Kenya TT, Kenya T, Kenya MH/ML – but only three of these are readily available.

Certified Kenya AA coffee beans are generally considered the best coffee in Kenya. Kenya AB beans are slightly smaller than AA but still very high quality; some coffee connoisseurs even insist AB coffee offers better flavor profiles. Kenya Peaberry coffee results from a rare mutation in the coffee plant (5). These smaller beans deliver a vibrantly acidic brew that coffee lovers either adore or hate.

The Verdict

Welcome to the world of Kenyan coffee, where flavor knows no limits! This list features our top six picks for the country’s best beans on the market this year. 

Each of these coffees is a delicious way to experience the bold complexity of a Kenyan brew. But if you can only choose one, try the Best Overall Coffee Bros Kenya Gondo. This exclusive light-medium roast features notes of sweet plums, chocolate, and a vibrant lemon acidity.