El Salvador - Diego Baraona - SL28 Black Honey

When I first visited Diego's father, Gilberto, in 2019 he proudly showed me the recently planted SL28. "This is the future, he said". Six years later, we are indeed in the future and can now pick the fruits of that effort. 

The SL28 cultivar originates from Scottish Laboratories (SL) in Kenya where it was developed in the 1930s. Initially the goal of the lab was to breed varieties that would be well adapted to Kenya's dry growing climate. Different typica and bourbon varieties were studied and then selected for their drought-resistance, yield and cup quality. This processes is repeated many times over decades to stabilise the genetics.

With the rise of specialty coffee, Kenyan coffee became very popular and known for it's juicy and berry-like flavour profile. It was clear that the SL28 variety had an important role to play in this surging popularity. It was introduced to SL28 through informal channels such as travelling coffee buyers and quickly garnered popularity.  

This lot underwent the black honey processing. In this process the seeds are removed from the cherry very gentle in a dedicated depulper that does not use water. This way all the mucilage, the honey like sweet substance attached to the seeds, remains in tact. Coffee is fermented in the sun for two days in thick piles, promoting fermentation and slowly drying out the mucilage. Afterwards the sticky parchment is transferred to shaded drying beds where the coffee can gently dry for up to forty days. In this period the mucilage firmly sticks to the parchment of the beans creating it's signature black colour. 

The combination of this unique cultivar and outstanding processing makes for a fantastic bright and juicy cup of coffee. We used a fast and light roast to really highlight the acidity in this coffee. The black honey processing adds a lot of sweetness that balances out this cup with notes of honey and peach.