SL34 Natural Mystic

Luis Alberto Balladarez comes from a long legacy of coffee farming in northern Nicaragua. While several millers and exporters are based in Ocotal, the main town of Nueva Segovia, Luis Alberto’s Beneficio Las Segovias clearly stands out for its focus on specialty coffees and microlots. One of the things that makes Luis Alberto unique among mill owners is that he owns and manages several of his own farms. The success he has had with these farms is one of the reasons why many other farmers trust him to process their coffees. Luis Alberto knows quality and is obsessed with every detail in every step of his coffee, from nursery to dry mill.

SL34 is adapted to high altitude areas with good rainfall. It is characterized by leaning plants with dark bronze shoots with a few green-tipped stems. The laterals have a semi-erect growth tendency, which tend to lean over the older primary branches.

SL34 was originally selected in Kenya in the late 1930s at the Scott Agricultural Laboratories (for more information on Scott Laboratories see SL28). Single tree selections made at Scott Laboratories in Kenya during the period 1935-1939 were prefixed with "SL". SL34 was selected from a single tree at the Loresho Estate in Kabete, Kenya, as research at Scott Laboratories was often conducted in cooperation with local private estate owners. The tree was labelled "French Mission". French missionaries known as the Spiritans established a mission in 1893 at Bura (Taita Hills, Kenya), at which Bourbon coffee seeds originating from Réunion Island were planted. Bura seedlings were taken to another French mission at Saint Austin (near Nairobi) in 1899, and from there seeds were distributed to settlers willing to grow coffee. This is the origin of the so-called French Mission coffee. Due to the historical movement of coffee seeds directly from Reunion Island via French missionaries, it is widely understood that French Mission is another name for Bourbon. However, recent genetic testing has indicated that SL34 is related to the Typica genetic group. It is possible that the original story about SL34 being selected from a French Mission population is incorrect.

STEP 1
To arms, soldier!

STEP 2
First, fold the side of the paper filter so that it fits snugly inside your V60. Pour hot water over the filter, soaking it thoroughly to remove papery flavors and allow the ceramic and carafe to warm up.

STEP 3
Pour off the water from the jug. Weigh and grind 12g of coffee and place them evenly into the V60. It's time to tare your scale with the jug and V60 on top.

STEP 4
Start the stopwatch and pour the first 50g of water at 94ºC slowly and evenly, trying to wet all the coffee. This first step is known as “Blooming”.

STEP 5
At 0:30, pour in the next 50g of water in a slow, circular motion and pour in the last 100g again when your stopwatch reads 01:00.

STEP 6
The total time for this recipe should be around 2:00. If the time is shorter, you should try grinding your coffee finer, and if it is longer, try grinding it coarser.

STEP 7
Enjoy your coffee! And don't get tired of playing until you find your favorite recipe 🙂