Coffee variety

SL34

A tall Kenyan selection with exceptional cup-quality potential at high altitude and substantial disease susceptibility.

Genetic contextTypica-related genetic background

TypeArabica variety / cultivar record

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

Image placeholder: SL34 coffee plant or cherriesUse a properly licensed botanical or farm image. Prefer a source that identifies the variety.

History

SL34 was selected at the Scott Agricultural Laboratories in Kenya in the late 1930s from a tree at Loresho Estate. Although historical accounts connected it with French Mission Bourbon material, genetic testing places SL34 in the Typica-related group.

Why it matters

The SL34 story illustrates why historical names and modern genetic evidence do not always align. Coffee Knowledge will distinguish documented history from later genetic interpretation.

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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Processing

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All varieties

Return to the Coffee Knowledge variety index.

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