Coffee variety

SL28

A famous Kenyan selection with drought tolerance and very good cup-quality potential, but susceptibility to major coffee diseases.

Genetic contextBourbon-related genetic background

TypeArabica variety / cultivar record

Important reminderVariety influences potential; it does not dictate a single flavour.

Image placeholder: SL28 coffee plant or cherriesUse a properly licensed botanical or farm image. Prefer a source that identifies the variety.

History

SL28 was selected at the former Scott Agricultural Laboratories in Kenya in the 1930s from material associated with Tanganyika Drought Resistant. It became one of the best-known Kenyan Arabica selections and has spread beyond Kenya.

Why it matters

SL28 is a useful example of the trade-offs involved in plant breeding: a variety can have valuable traits such as drought tolerance and cup potential while remaining vulnerable to important diseases.

Variety is only one part of the cup

The final coffee is shaped by genotype together with altitude, temperature, rainfall, soil, shade, plant health, harvesting, post-harvest processing, storage, roasting and brewing. A variety page should therefore be read as a genetic and agricultural reference—not as a promise of a particular tasting profile.

Related guides

Origins

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Coffee origins →

Processing

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All varieties

Return to the Coffee Knowledge variety index.

Variety index →

Editorial source basis: World Coffee Research's Coffee Varieties Catalog. Coffee Knowledge summarises and contextualises the catalog rather than reproducing it.