Mambo Leo team
If you have browsed an offer list for Kenyan coffee, you have seen the letters: AA, AB, PB and C. They are Kenya’s export grades, and they tell you how big the beans are. Understanding them makes it much easier to choose the right lot for your roastery.
Grades are about size
Kenyan green coffee is sorted through screens with holes of different sizes. Larger beans stay on the bigger screens, smaller ones fall through. The result is a set of grades where every bean in a bag is close in size, which helps the coffee roast evenly.
It is worth remembering that grade describes size, not flavour on its own. Cup quality is judged separately, by cupping. A well-grown AB can outshine an average AA, which is why every lot we ship is cupped and must score 82 or above.
The four grades we supply
AA: the benchmark
The largest screen size, usually screen 17 and 18. AA is the grade most roasters associate with Kenya: full-bodied, intensely bright, often with blackcurrant and citrus. It is the lot to build a headline single origin around.
AB: balanced and versatile
The next size down, around screen 15 and 16. AB offers sweet, balanced acidity and good body at a sharper price than AA. It works well as a single origin and is a dependable backbone for blends.
PB: peaberry
Most coffee cherries hold two flat-sided beans. Occasionally only one bean develops, and it grows small, round and dense. These peaberries are separated out as PB. They roast evenly thanks to their shape and often taste concentrated and vibrant. Volumes are limited.
C: clean commercial grade
A smaller screen size with the same traceable sourcing. C grade is an approachable Kenyan component for blends and larger-volume roasting, where you want Kenyan character at an everyday price.
Roasting notes
High-grown Kenyan coffee is dense, so it can usually take a confident amount of heat early in the roast. Peaberries, being small and round, roll evenly in the drum and may develop faster than a flat bean of the same weight. As always, start with a conservative profile on a sample roaster and adjust from your cupping notes.
Which grade is right for you?
- A standout single origin for filter or a special espresso: AA or PB.
- A reliable single origin at a better price: AB.
- Kenyan brightness inside a blend: AB or C.
- Higher volumes with consistent character: C.
Order samples and compare
The quickest way to decide is to roast the grades side by side. Request samples per grade and we will include the current offer list and a traceability sheet for each lot. Orders start at 1,000 kg, packed in 60 kg jute bags, with hermetic and vacuum-sealed options available.
