Beverage
SL28
A tier
SL28 is a renowned Coffea arabica cultivar selected by Scott Agricultural Laboratories in Kenya in the 1930s, prized for drought tolerance, deep root systems, and outstanding cup quality despite susceptibility to coffee berry disease and leaf rust. It remains a cornerstone of Kenyan specialty identity and appears in other East African and experimental plantings. The cup is often intensely bright—blackcurrant, tomato vine, citrus, and complex fruit—with juicy acidity and syrupy sweetness when fully ripe and carefully washed. SL28 defines classic Kenyan AA and AB filter profiles and features in espresso when roasters want vivid acidity.
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Characteristics
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Grading systems
Grades are placed along a shared scale so systems can be compared side by side.
History
Scott Labs selected SL28 from Tanganyika drought-resistant materials and local trials.
Kenyan estates adopted SL28 for quality and resilience on dry highland sites.
SL28 and related SL lines underpinned Kenya’s reputation for bright, complex washed coffee.
Disease pressure encouraged mixed plantings with more resistant cultivars while SL28 quality endured.
Specialty buyers specified SL28 lots as benchmarks of Kenyan blackcurrant acidity.
Non-Kenyan origins trialled SL28 for exotic fruit-forward specialty experiments.