Daybreak SL-Series Blend

About the Coffee

Daybreak is a seasonal blend built around two specific coffee varieties: SL-28 and SL-34. Both originate from Kenya, where they were developed in the 1930s by Scott Laboratories (the "SL" in the name) through a program aimed at identifying high-yielding, drought-resistant trees. What the researchers also found was that these varieties produce coffee with unusually pronounced acidity and red fruit character. Pilot sources SL-series beans from two separate farms, one in Kenya and one in Costa Rica, bringing together the same genetic material grown in very different climates and soils.

Blending SL varieties across East Africa and Central America is not common. Kenya's high-altitude growing regions, which sit between 1,400 and 2,100 meters on volcanic soils around Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Range, give SL coffees their signature brightness. Costa Rica's growing regions, particularly those in the Central Valley and Tarrazú, add a different dimension: the cooler nights and consistent rainfall there slow cherry development and build sweetness. By sourcing from both, Pilot is working with the same variety shaped by two distinct environments.

Pilot uses direct trade to source the beans in this blend, building ongoing relationships with the producers rather than buying through intermediaries. That approach means they can revisit the same farms each season, adjust based on what the harvest produces, and keep the blend consistent in character even as the specific lots change year to year.

About Pilot Coffee Roasters

Andy Wilkin and Jessie Holmes opened Te Aro Roasted in May 2009 in Toronto's Leslieville neighbourhood, starting in a converted car garage. Andy had recently earned his Q Grader certification (a standardized sensory qualification for evaluating coffee quality) and named the cafe after Te Aro, the Wellington, New Zealand neighbourhood where he grew up around the kind of coffee culture he wanted to bring to Toronto. By 2013, the operation had grown enough to move roasting to a dedicated facility at 50 Wagstaff Drive, and the name became Pilot Coffee Roasters.

Pilot's sourcing is built around long-term producer relationships. Rather than buying on the commodity market, they work directly with farms and return to the same partners over multiple harvests. Daybreak is a good example of how that plays out: it is a blend that requires consistent access to specific SL-series lots from two countries, which is only possible when the relationships with those producers are stable year to year.