Kenya | Thiriku Area, Rumukia Cooperative, Songori Processing Station TOP PB SL34/SL28

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Kenya | Thiriku Area, Rumukia Cooperative, Songori Processing Station TOP PB SL34/SL28: What Does It Taste Like?

Kenya sits in East Africa and ranks among the world's major coffee-producing countries, with roughly six million people working across the national coffee industry, most of them smallholders organized into cooperatives. Kenyan coffee trees are usually grown between 1,400 and 2,000 meters above sea level, across regions such as Ruiri, Thika, Kirinyaga, Mt. Kenya West, Nyeri, Kiambu and Muranga, mainly on the foothills of Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Range. Many Kenyan growing regions work hard to preserve their native forest ecosystems, protect natural gene banks, support the reproduction of wild coffee varieties and nurture a diverse mix of coffee trees.

In 1930, Kenya's signature varieties SL28 and SL34, bred and named by Scott Laboratories, were born under exactly these favorable conditions. According to the botanists at the SL laboratory, SL28 and SL34 are genetic variants. SL28 has a mixed lineage of French Mission, Mocha and Yemen Typica. The original goal in developing SL28 was to mass-produce beans that combined high quality with resistance to disease and pests. Although SL28 never yielded as abundantly as hoped, its copper-colored leaves and broad, bean-shaped seeds deliver wonderful sweetness, balance and complex, layered flavors, along with distinctive citrus and black plum notes. SL34, meanwhile, shows flavors similar to SL28 but with a heavier, richer and cleaner mouthfeel. Beyond its complex, layered acidity and lovely sweet aftertaste, SL34 carries more French Mission, Bourbon and Typica lineage. Its beans look much like SL28, yet it adapts better to sudden heavy rainfall, offering powerful, rich fruit acidity, a full body and beautiful balance.

Flavor Description

Passion fruit juice, cranberries and the sweet-tart snap of lemon, with a hibiscus aroma that emerges through the middle and later stages. The overall profile is delicate, clean and well balanced.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Method

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji grinder setting 3.5

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, using 15g of coffee grounds. First pour 25g of water for a 25-second bloom. Second pour up to 120g, then pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops by half before continuing to pour slowly until reaching 225g. Extraction time is around 2:00.

Analysis

A three-stage pour is used to clearly separate the front, middle and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, pausing the pour helps extend the extraction time.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If this Kenyan profile appeals to you, FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Cherry Tomato is a natural next step. It comes from Kenya's Thika region, grown at 1,550-1,750 meters with the classic SL28 and SL34 varieties, and processed with Kenya's signature 72-hour double washed fermentation. FrontStreet roasts it light to preserve the lively acidity and layered fruit. The dry aroma already shows concentrated dried cherry tomato and floral notes; the cup opens with clear cherry tomato and dark plum, a bright, solid acidity as full as freshly squeezed juice, and a sweet mid-palate threaded with pear and black plum.

The finish is clean and long, carrying brown sugar sweetness and a faint green tea note, with the sweet-tart balance that makes this bean so recognizable. Brew it as a pour-over to keep that juicy, vivid character intact.