Kenyan Koffee
on A Serendipitous Journey (Kenya), 20/Jul/2009 11:08, 34 days ago
I must confess...I'm addicted to coffee!When we first arrived in Kenya, my roommate and I were puzzled about how we could be living in one of the most well known coffee growing countries in Africa, yet couldn't find a place to get a could cup of coffee. However, after several months of living here we've found all of the good places to go and have tested them more than several times each. Despite the fact that it's on the total opposite side of the city,I frequent one Nairobi Java House coffee shop so often that I'm on a first name basis with at least 3 of the staff.It's become an indulgence and habit which definitely isn't supported by my VSO allowance. (Thank goodness for savings!)With the exception of the Swahili culture in Coast province, for the most part Kenya doesn't have a coffee drinking culture. Outside of dedicated coffee houses in upscale neighbourhoods, if you ask for a cup of coffee you'll usually find yourself presented with a can of instant coffee and a cup of boiling water.Instead tea is the preferred drink, presumably partially due to the fact that tea is much more affordable.However it appears that a coffee drinking culture is emerging, if the number of coffee houses popping up in upscale neighbourhoods and the central business district is anything to go by, even if it's something reserved for the middle and upper income earners.Buying a mug of coffee from a coffee house (such as the ones I frequent) costs between Ksh 90 and Ksh 250, which almost ten times higher than in most downtown cafes and is out of reach for the majority of Kenyans.Buying coffee off the shelves is also considered a luxury: a medium sized package of high grade coffee retails for no less than Ksh 400, whereas tea can retails for as little as Sh20 for a packet.