China Ruru - SL28 - Natural

The SL28 varietal is celebrated globally for its Kenyan heritage and is notoriously difficult to cultivate outside of specific African climates. However, the Ruru Estate in Yunnan, China, provides a pristine, high-altitude microclimate that allows this delicate plant to thrive. For specialty filter coffee lovers, this Natural process SL28 offers a totally unique opportunity to experience a world-class, highly sought-after varietal shaped by an entirely new and emerging Chinese terroir.

The SL28 varietal is celebrated globally for its Kenyan heritage and is incredibly rare to find cultivated in China. We source this exclusive China Ruru Estate SL28 Natural from Yunnan and roast it fresh at our Melbourne specialty coffee roastery. For local filter coffee lovers, this offers a unique opportunity to buy a world-class, highly sought-after varietal without relying on overseas importers, ensuring you get peak freshness right here in Australia.

A major frustration for Australian filter coffee drinkers is buying a premium Natural process bean, only to brew a cup at home that tastes heavy, muddy, or unpleasantly sour. The secret to solving this and unlocking the crisp dried apricot and creamy white chocolate notes in the China Ruru SL28 lies in your water temperature and brew speed. Using boiling water on dense Natural coffees over-extracts the fruit sugars, creating bitterness and muddying the cup. Keep your water at a strict 93°C and use a 1:15 ratio (20g of medium-fine coffee to 300g of water). Aim for a brisk 2:30-minute draw-down on your V60. This specific parameter set prevents over-extraction, ensuring a vibrant, juicy, and perfectly clean pour-over every single time.