Monday’s Standard reports that Kenya is only consuming 5% of its own coffee production, terming this a risk to the success of the sector.
The Kenyan government’s lack of appreciation for the value of the cachet of Kenyan coffee was brought home to me quite quickly upon my arrival in Nairobi as director for the International Republican Institute. Calling on the Minister of Trade and Industry, we were served the usual choice of tea or instant Nescafe, as in the various other offices of high government officials and politicians. When the Trade Minister of a country with a reputation for growing some of the world’s finest coffee is serving Nescafe to his visitors, there is an obvious disconnect somewhere.
A local coffee house in New Orleans sells what it calls a Kenyan Press for brewing coffee. It appears to be quite the same as what the rest of us would call a “French Press”–basically a simple glass cylinder with a lid with a plunger with a screen to filter the brewed grounds and hold them at the bottom when the coffee is poured. Obviously the label “Kenyan” has market value to coffee drinkers. From my experience, it was in fact very hard (and unduly expensive) to actually buy a French Press in Nairobi.
It would be great to see Kenyans taking pride in the reputation of the quality of their coffee production and to see the government paying attention to promoting the market (rather, than, perhaps, being too distracted by worrying about who is going to win the next election).
Addendum: Turns out I have a picture of the coffee maker in New Orleans, a Bodum “Kenya Coffee Maker” that is also labeled in smaller print “French Press”:
Here is a link to more information and reviews from “dooyoo”. “Cafetiere (the French for coffee pot) has become the established description in Britain but ‘French Press’, or ‘Coffee Plunger’ is used in other parts of the world,” says reviewer “suehome”.
A couple in Jacksonville, Florida, who are originally from Kenya, have come up with a new way that could change the way American drinks coffee.
Kenyan coffee is one of the highest rated coffees in the world and it is known for its fruity flavor and aroma. It also has a bright acidity and medium body, with a lot of blueberry and chocolate hints. Martin Kabaki and Purity Gikunju, who grew up poor on coffee farms in Kenya before moving to the US, have come up with a new and innovative idea of blending their organically grown Kenyan coffee with a USDA organic certified finely ground extract from Reishi mushrooms that are grown right here in the United States. They have named this unique blend Kenyan Reishi Coffee and it comes with a list of several health benefits.
Reishi, also called Ganoderma, is a rare red mushroom that has been used as a traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine for over 5, 000 years! A US company in Nevada has figured how to grow the reishi mushrooms in the US. The fine powder from the reishi mushroom extract is then mixed with the top quality organic certified Kenyan coffee to give you not only a good tasting cup of coffee but also an endless list of health benefits, all inside a great tasting cup of coffee.
You can now enjoy your usual cup of coffee while boosting your immune system at the same time. Medical experts say that reishi coffee will improve your liver function, lower your blood pressure and lower your cholesterol among others. This new coffee also comes with good news for previous smokers since it counters the accumulated side effects of smoking for years by restoring the damage done to the lungs by cigarette smoking. Medical experts also say that this new and unique blend of coffee can reduce joint pains caused by arthritis and it is great for diabetes, respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Reishi extract in your coffee will also boost your stamina and increase your energy and vigor. If you are on a weight loss program, you need a cup of Kenyan Reishi coffee to help you manage your weight.
The couple’s company, Growers Alliance Coffee is also Fair Trade certified which means that the coffee growers back in Kenya are getting a decent wage for their coffee crop and their labor. In additional to this, Martin and Purity also donate 10% of the revenue from every bag that they sell to fund projects back in their Kenyan villages which include their recent projects like putting a roof on school, digging water wells, etc
To learn more about the Kenyan Reishi Coffee and to reserve your order, you can go to http://www.kickstarter.com and type Reishi on the search bar. You are guaranteed to enjoy the rich and smooth cup of Kenyan organic coffee mixed with the reishi extract that not only takes care of your body but also helps to improve the living standard of the poor coffee growers back in Kenya.
For more info, contact: Martin Kabaki, Tel: 904 371 7869 Email: info@growersalliancecoffee.com