Harmony Coffee Roaster
MARCOS HERRERA SL28
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Marcos Herrera - Peru Natural SL28
A super sweet SL28 from Mamaruntu, a Peruvian farm owned by Marcos Herrera, with flavours akin to summer berries.
Suitable for: Espresso & Filter Brewing
Best As: Filter (Black), Espresso (Black / Milk)
Flavour Characteristics
Blueberry Juice, Cape Gooseberry, Cacao, Chewy Body
Origin & Producer Details
Producer: Marcos Herrera
Farm: Mamaruntu
Region: Lonya Grande, Peru
Variety: SL28
Process: Extended Anaerobic Natural
Sourced via: Khipu
Recommended Rest
For the best tasting brew, we recommend enjoying this coffee between 24–40 days off roast. You can read more about resting coffee here.
About This Coffee
Marcos Herrera is a producer from the village of Rodríguez Tafur, located at 1,700 masl in the district of Lonya Grande, Amazonas. Known locally and nationally as one of Peru’s most skilled specialty coffee growers, he placed 2nd at the Lonya Grande regional competition in 2023 and has been cultivating coffee since childhood.
Since 2014, Marcos has invested heavily in planting Geisha, Bourbon, and the exceptionally rare SL28 variety. In 2024, he achieved 14th place at the Cup of Excellence with his Natural Geisha.
About Peruvian Coffee Cultivation
Peru is often still treated as an underdog within the specialty coffee scene, despite being the 11th-largest producer of coffee and the 5th-largest producer of Arabica in the world. The country is home to a wide range of landscapes, elevations and microclimates, creating diverse and distinctive flavour profiles.
Most coffee in Peru is grown by smallholder farmers at elevations between 1,000–2,000 metres above sea level. At higher elevations around 1,800 MASL and above, cooler temperatures slow cherry maturation, resulting in denser beans with greater complexity, acidity and sweetness.
Northern Peru, which borders Ecuador and Colombia, is often associated with brighter profiles featuring tropical fruit, citrus and floral characteristics. Peru is also increasingly becoming known for producing exceptional lots from exotic varieties such as Gesha, Sidra, SL28 and SL-09.
One of the major challenges facing Peruvian coffee producers is heavy and unpredictable rainfall, which can encourage fungal diseases such as coffee leaf rust. For this reason, much of Peru’s coffee is shade-grown and cultivated using organic farming methods, with Peru now considered one of the world’s leading producers of organic-certified coffee.
If you'd like to learn much more about Peruvian coffee cultivation, check out our guide on Peru.
About the SL-28 Coffee Variety
SL28 is a high-quality Arabica coffee variety most commonly associated with Kenya. Today, it is known for producing cups of exceptional quality, which has led to it being grown in a wide range of countries, especially in Latin America.
Much like Gesha, SL28 is one of those varieties that carries a recognisable hallmark regardless of where it is grown. In the case of SL28, that hallmark is often plump, juicy notes of blackcurrant, blackberry, strawberry and bright citrus notes of lemon or lime. It tends to be a well-structured cup with a fuller, sometimes syrupy, mouthfeel.
Because of its potential to deliver high cup quality, SL28 is now grown in many other countries, including Costa Rica, Guatemala and Peru, where it is more commonly available as a single-variety lot.
SL28 grows best at high altitudes between 1,500 and 2,200 metres above sea level. Growing this variety in a cool climate allows the cherries to have a longer maturation time, which helps the coffee build sugars and develop more complex flavours.
To learn more about SL-28, check out our in-depth guide to this coffee variety.
About Marcos and Mamaruntu
Marcos inherited his father’s farm, originally called Oso Perdido (“Lost Bear”), a nickname given to his father who would walk the countryside alone tending to the land. Today, Marcos runs the farm with his wife, Kary Yoany Guevara Guevara, and their son, Marko Aurelio, continuing a family lineage rooted in coffee.
The farm is now known as Mamaruntu, named after a legendary Chachapoyas princess who captured the heart of Inca Tupac Yupanqui — a fitting symbol for a farm whose coffees often stand out with elegance and strength.
This SL28 lot comes from the west side of the property, near the farm’s entrance, producing 120 kg of green coffee in 2025 from approximately 0.5 hectares planted with 1,600 SL28 trees.
How was this SL28 coffee processed?
Harvesting begins with strict selective picking of red and wine-red cherries. After sorting by size and removing defects through flotation and manual selection, the cherries are washed and fermented in sealed containers fitted with CO₂-release valves for 60 hours.
Fermentation temperature: 15°C (day), 8°C (night)
pH change: from 6.0 → 4.0–3.5
The coffee is then dried in solar tents for 25+ days until reaching 10–11% moisture, at temperatures of 20–30°C. After drying, parchment is rested for 20+ days in GrainPro or Ecotac bags inside polypropylene sacks to stabilise and integrate the final cup profile.
How Marcos acquired this SL28
SL28 is exceptionally rare in Peru. Marcos obtained his seed through a unique opportunity: in 2016, a representative from Mercanta visited his farm and proposed bringing SL28 from Kenya, calling it one of the world’s greatest varieties. He returned in 2017 with the seed, and Marcos began cultivating a small number of plants. After seeing how well they adapted — and recognising the remarkable cup quality — he expanded the plot and began reproducing more trees.
Marcos describes this SL28 as a robust, well-adapted tree that produces uniform, high-quality cherries with excellent physical performance. Cuppers locally consistently praise its complexity and distinctiveness, and Marcos views it as one of the most exciting coffees on his farm. When we cupped it, we also found it vibrant, structured, and unusually expressive, a standout example of what SL28 can become in the Peruvian Andes.
How to Brew This Coffee
Dial in with accuracy
Because this coffee is expressive and fruit-forward, accurate dose and yield help you hit the sweet spot. We strongly recommend using a reliable scale — see our guide, The Best Coffee Scales, and our bench favourite, the Felicita Parallel.
Brewing tips
- Rest window: Follow the recommended 24–40 days off roast for best clarity and balance.
- Filter brewing: Start with a 1:16–1:17 ratio and a medium-fine grind, adjusting to balance florals and citrus intensity.
- Espresso: Start with a longer ratio, such as 1:2.2–1:2.4, to showcase tropical characteristics.
- Best recipe: Orea v4, 15.5g coffee, 250g water, 2:20 brew time.
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