Uganda Bugisu Organic

Lower acidity than most East African coffees, Bugisu is deeply flavored, brooding, rich and heavier in body with notes of dark chocolate, molasses and coconut followed by a dry finish. Great at full medium roast but also takes dark roasts very well.

Arrival Date: October 9th, 2020

Acidity & Brightness: Mild Acidity, moderately bright

Balance & Finish: Slightly complex with a lingering, dry finish (think red wine)

Body & Texture: Rich Body, buttery texture

Flavors: Dark chocolate, molasses and coconut

Grade: AA, largest bean size

Certifications: Organic, RFA, and UTZ certified

Processing: Fully Washed, Shade grown, hand picked, sun dried on raised tables

Varietals: Bourbon SL14, SL28, Blue Moutain

Roasting: Start with Full City (Medium) or just as second crack starts.  This is where we prefer this coffee, but it's also great taken a bit darker into Full City + and even Vienna (Medium-Dark). It's a versatile bean and roasts very evenly.

Reminder! This is raw coffee, you must roast it before brewing.

Our Review:

Our Uganda Bugisu AA is 100% Arabica, and although it has been growing Arabica coffee for over 100 years, Uganda is more often associated with Robusta, which is indigenous to the area.  In fact, because of it's large Robusta production, Uganda is the 7th largest coffee producer in the world.  Most Ugandan coffee is grown on small farms.  In traditional households, women assume the responsibility for growing coffee which often provides the family's only source of cash.  Over 60% of Uganda's foreign exchange comes from coffee, and over 30% of Uganda's population is involved with coffee in some manner. 

Uganda is landlocked. Poor infrastructure and unstable politics over the past several years often made it hard for Uganda to move it's coffee crop to port, often causing loads of coffee to sit in steaming containers for extended periods before being shipped.  Needless to say, what may have started out as excellent coffee had deteriorated significantly by the time it reached it's destination. Improvements in both areas recently have helped, and the result is a boon for both us as consumers and the growers in Uganda. Still, careful cupping is required to insure quality. 

Our Bugisu is certified Organic, Rainforest Alliance (RFA) approved, and UTZ certified.  It has more letters after it's name than my doctor.

Bugisu is a region in eastern Uganda and coffee there is grown  at moderately high elevations (1,300 to 2,600 meters) on the slopes of Mount Elgon. This makes it a hard bean, very suitable for darker roasting.  Bugisu coffee has more body than most other East African coffees, and somewhat lower acidity. It seems more reminiscent of a good Sulawesi coffee than a coffee grown in view of neighboring Kenya. Perhaps it is that individualistic quality that drew us to it, this Bugisu coffee is difficult to compare with others. It is African, but it's not. It's Indonesian, but it's not. We think it's just downright good. It's got a rich body with a buttery texture, mild acidity and a dry finish, like a good red wine. We really enjoy the notes of dark chocolate, molasses and coconut.