Kenya Thageini, Natural

We all love our Kenyan coffees, but what are these SL varieties? The colonial British government established the Scott Agricultural Laboratories in Kenya in 1922. The lab personnel gave Kenyan farmers training and technical advice on coffee farming. But they were most noted to this day as a research organisation based in Kenya that developed multiple cultivars under contract between 1934 and 1963. Scott Labs developed various SL varieties, mostly based on Moka and Bourbon types brought by the Scotch and French missions to Kenya to cultivate. Some of the more successful SL (Scott Labs) varieties are still widely grown in Kenya today. However, SL28 and SL34 are the most relevant for specialty coffee. It is important to note that by 'developed', we mean that the varieties below were 'selected' by Scott Labs over time. They are not 'hybrids' although they were technically 'developed' in a 'lab'.

The Thageini mill the second largest in terms of member producers (around 350 men and 100 women). The whole Aguthi Co-op has around 2,000 producer members. Once wet milling occurs, the parchment is dried and delivered to the Sagana Coffee dry mill. Most of the coffees from Nyeri develop and mature slowly, producing extra-hard beans.