Variety
Ruiru 11
Also called Ruiru Eleven
A compact Kenyan hybrid bred to resist coffee berry disease and leaf rust.
- Species
- Coffea arabica
- Lineage
- Bred at Ruiru, Kenya, from SL28, Rume Sudan, Timor Hybrid and others (released 1985)
- Stature
- Dwarf
- Yield
- High
- Best altitude
- 1,300–2,000 m
- Leaf rust
- Resistant
- Quality
- Good
Where it grows
- Kirinyaga, Kenya
- Embu, Kenya
- Kiambu, Kenya
About
Kenya's Coffee Research Station at Ruiru released Ruiru 11 in 1985, after coffee berry disease had wrecked harvests in the 1960s and 70s. Its short trees let farmers plant more per hectare.
It was long thought to taste plainer than SL28, but carefully grown and processed lots now score well. Seed is made by hand-crossing parent lines, so the trees vary.