Filter · Washed · Cherry, dark chocolate, complex
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SL-28 is known from Kenya, but this one grows in Colombia. The SL-28 variety is known for its vibrant acidity and intense fruitiness. At Quebraditas Coffee Farm in Huila, Edison Argote cultivates it at 1,850 meters, washed with a thermoshock process. The result: sweet cherry, dark chocolate, and a clarity rarely found in filter coffee. Score 87.5.
Filter coffee. V60, Hario Switch, Origami or Chemex.
Especially good with the Hario Switch: 2 min. immersion, then drain. The combination of immersion and percolation brings out the cherry and clarity best in this coffee.
After harvesting, the cherries are washed and depulped. In the thermoshock process, the beans undergo a controlled temperature change after fermentation: this precisely stops the fermentation and fixes the aroma profile. The result is a particularly clear, defined cup in which the fruity cherry notes remain present without being over-emphasized by fermentation.
The SL-28 variety was originally selected in Kenya and is one of the most important specialty varieties there. In Colombia, it is cultivated only in very small quantities: the plant is demanding, and the yield is low. Edison Argote cultivates it on the Quebraditas Coffee Farm in Huila, the same farm from which our Tropical Lulo also originates.
At an altitude of 1,850 meters, the cherry ripens slowly and develops the fruitiness and acid structure typical of SL-28. Together with the thermoshock process, this results in a filter coffee that combines clarity and intensity, without the complexity of an experimental process, but with a character that classic Colombian varieties rarely achieve. Freshly roasted in Berlin.
SL-28 is an Arabica variety that was selected in the 1930s at the Scott Agricultural Laboratories in Kenya (hence the name SL = Scott Laboratories). It belongs to the Bourbon family and is today one of the most famous Kenyan specialty varieties. SL-28 is renowned for its vibrant acidity, intense fruitiness (often cherry, blackcurrant, wine), and its wine-like complexity. In Colombia, it is rarely cultivated: the plant is demanding, susceptible to diseases, and yields low harvests.
Kenyan SL-28 classically exhibits a very intense acidity, blackcurrant notes, and a winey depth, shaped by the Kenyan terroir and the typical washed processing in Kenya. In Colombia, on the Quebraditas Coffee Farm in Huila, SL-28 develops its own profile: sweeter cherry, softer acid structure, dark chocolate. The Colombian terroir and the thermoshock process characterize the coffee. It is not "the Kenyan SL-28," but its own interpretation of the variety, with a Colombian signature.
Thermoshock is a controlled temperature shock technique applied after fermentation. The beans are deliberately subjected to a rapid temperature change (from warm to cold or vice versa), which stops the fermentation enzymes. This fixes the aroma profile at a precise moment and prevents the fermentation from over-emphasizing the coffee. The result is a particularly clear, defined cup in which the characteristics of the variety (here: the fruitiness of the SL-28) are paramount.
Filter coffee. The Hario Switch is particularly recommended: 2 minutes of immersion with the valve closed, then open the valve and drain. The combination of immersion (for sweetness and body) and percolation (for clarity) brings out the cherry and defined acidity in SL-28 particularly well. V60, Origami, or Chemex also work very well. Medium-fine grind, 1:16 ratio, 93 °C temperature, brewing time about 2:30 minutes. Espresso is not recommended: the profile is designed for filter.
Both are rare African varieties grown in Colombia. Wush Wush originally comes from Ethiopia (Keffa region) and exhibits a floral, tea-like profile: jasmine, bergamot, a very clear cup. SL-28 comes from Kenya and shows a fruitier profile: cherry, dark chocolate, vibrant acidity with depth. Wush Wush is the more elegant, ethereal cup, SL-28 is the more intense, fruit-forward one. Both are high-scoring specialty coffees and come from different regions of Colombia: Wush Wush from Tolima (Finca El Sinsonte, 2,200 m), SL-28 from Huila (Quebraditas, 1,850 m).