A single-origin smooth and full in flavor, dominated by the sweetness of fruit and the freshness of citrus.
Single-origin Uganda Rwenzori is an Arabica quality coffee, certified Specialty coffee.
Grown at an altitude between 2000-2200asl.
The drupes, containing the kernels, are harvested by the picking method, then by hand, selecting only the cherries that are ripe at the right point. After that they are processed by the washed method, which imparts greater acidity and aromaticity to the extracted beverage. At the end of the process, the stripped grains are dried in the sun.
Once extracted there are intense aromas of hazelnuts and caramel that overwhelm you, immediately inviting you to taste.
Different aromas show up on the palate from time to time: immediately there is a sweetness given by the aromatic notes that peach in syrup, blackberry and caramel. Balancing the more sugary side is the acidity, expressed by the bergamot aroma. On the finish, however, there is a delicate and pleasant bitterness reminiscent of bitter cocoa.
Suitable for
Chi cerca un monorigine bilanciato tra dolcezza e acidità, con una ridotta amarezza ed intensamente aromatico
Data sheet
Aromatic notes
Peach syrup, blackberries, caramel, hazelnuts and bergamot.
Intensity
7,5/10
Body
5/9
Sweetness
6,5/9
Bitterness
1,5/9
Acidity
7,5/9
Aroma intensity
7/9
Roasting
Media
Suitable for
Those seeking a single-origin balanced between sweetness and acidity, with reduced bitterness and intensely aromatic
Origins
Uganda
Location
Kasese Region, Rwenzori
Altitude
2000-2200m asl
Type of crop
Picking
Type of processing
Washed
Score
83,5/100
Thanks to medium roasting, the carefully selected raw coffee bean can express itself to the fullest, releasing every natural aroma and never being overly bitter. Try it even without sugar, it will be amazing!
The coffee is stored inside a sealed bag, self-protected with a one-way valve, which allows the coffee to degas, without letting in oxygen, which would oxidize it. This makes it possible to keep the coffee beans fresh and aromatic even after several months.
Notes for the 250g bean package:
Roasted coffee beans
Packaged in food grade nitrogen protective atmosphere with one-way valve
250 gr net weight and
Notes for 250g ground package:
Coffee roasted in beans and then grounded
Packaged in food grade nitrogen protective atmosphere with one-way valve
250 gr net weight and
Coffee history
Today we travel to Uganda, an East African state surrounded by Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, home of prized Robusta and Arabica beans.
Officially the Republic of Uganda, it covers 241,000 square meters, with a population of 46 million. The official language is English and Swhaili, an idiom that I personally find immensely fascinating, and the currency is the Ugandan Shilling.
Uganda is the leading producer of Robusta coffee in Africa and the second largest producer of Arabica after Ethiopia.
Coffee is now the main export crop and consequently a key pillar of the local economy. Coffee prices, after about two decades of slowdown and crisis, have also improved, encouraging more small farmers to invest time and effort in growing Ugandan coffee.
Birth of coffee in Uganda
The climate is largely responsible for producing Uganda’s best coffee: rainfall is abundant and the soil is enriched by volcanoes in the east of the country, of which Mount Elgon is the most prominent.
In Uganda there are no myths or legends about the arrival of the first raw grains, as it is precisely the birthplace of Canephora, commonly called Robusta. In fact, 80 percent of production is Robusta.
A big boom in coffee production in the 1970s had laid the groundwork for a promising future, but rampant smuggling in Kenya and incessant armed conflicts in the 1990s led to market stagnation.
This, combined also with the low value of the Ugandan currency, meant that local farmers could not compete in any way with the global market.
However, the 2000s saw the emergence of many new initiatives to promote coffee cultivation while generating awareness and increasing funding.
In recent decades, Ugandan coffee has become world famous.
Robusta coffee grown in Uganda is also one of the best in the world, with remarkable tasting scores and a preservation of aroma not seen in other Canephora crops.
Caffeine zones
There are 5 main coffee growing areas in Uganda:
Central
Northern
Eastern
Southwestern
Western
A plateau of about 1,000 meters in elevation along with the Rwenzori mountain range, also called the “Mountains of the Moon,” has mountains that also exceed 4,000 meters. They are covered by rainforest and offer a year-round humid climate, perfect for growing this plant. In fact, much of the Arabica species coffee is grown here, bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The area is home to many coffee farmers. These include the Bazonko tribe, coffee farmers who work manually and gather the whole family together to process cherries.
This is the home of our single-origin Uganda Rwenzori Specialty coffee!
While Robusta is more widespread in the Lake Victoria basin, at an altitude of 900 to 1,200 meters, an altitude that is already quite high for the canephora species, which is achievable due to the country’s warm-humid tropical climate.
In addition to this area, the other areas of robusta coffee production, at lower altitudes, are located in the north central part of the country.
Typically Arabica coffees, such as our Rwenzori, have aromatic notes of citrus and fruit, with an acidity that can almost resemble that of wine, a fragrant aroma and a smooth body.
Both washed and natural processed beans are produced, which each time enhance the unique characteristics of Uganda coffee.
The harvest season for Robusta goes on year-round, while Arabica runs from October to February.
Another tidbit in the state is that most coffee plantations practice intercropping, that is, other tall trees are grown along with the coffee plants to provide shade for the former and thus better ripening of the cherries.
While tasting our Uganda Rwenzori, I can feel the warmth of the people who live these red lands, the scents of the fruit trees surrounding the coffee plants, and I imagine myself right on the mountainside taking a trek immersed in the wildest and most unspoiled nature.
If you want to find out how to best prepare it with all the different tools, click here!
Find out all the features of the coffee in the product description and data sheet.
Have a good trip!
Curiosities
Organic farming is on the agenda. Despite this, costly and often prohibitive membership fees to certifying bodies have locked in certified sustainable coffee in Uganda at only 3 percent.
