Variety
SL28
Also called SL34 (sister selection)
Kenya's signature drought-tolerant selection, known for blackcurrant and savoury tomato notes.
- Species
- Coffea arabica
- Lineage
- Bourbon-related, Scott Agricultural Laboratories, Kenya, 1930s
- Stature
- Tall
- Yield
- Medium
- Best altitude
- 1,400–2,000 m
- Leaf rust
- Very susceptible
- Quality
- Exceptional
Where it grows
- Nyeri, Kenya
- Kirinyaga, Kenya
- Mount Elgon, Uganda
- Chimanimani, Zimbabwe
About
Scott Agricultural Laboratories (later the National Agricultural Laboratories) selected SL28 from drought-resistant trees in Tanganyika. Its sister SL34 copes better with heavy rain at high altitude.
Together they give Kenyan coffee its intense, juicy acidity. Both are vulnerable to rust and coffee berry disease, which led to the resistant Ruiru 11 and Batian cultivars.