Regardless of being dominated by its continent siblings, Kenya and Ethiopia, Uganda is one of the coffee exporters acquiring fame. The coffee business employs around 8% of the people. Although there are many top coffee producing countries, Uganda has consistently been well known for its Robusta coffee that actually grows wild in the nation’s rainforests.
Main Features of Ugandan Coffee
The main feature of the Ugandan Coffee beans is low acidic with the flavor of milk chocolate. Additionally, it’s anything but a fruity aroma & a smooth milky flavor. Such a beverage is relevant for children and individuals who don’t care for inordinate strength & astringency.
a) Region: Uganda (Bugisu), East Africa,
b) Growing Altitude: 1,300 – 2,200 meters
c) Profile: Earthy, floral, savory
d) Production: 635 million lbs (3.2% worldwide production)
e) Varieties: 11% Arabica & 89% Robusta
f) Harvest Period: October – February
g) Milling Process: Fully Washed
h) Aroma: Rich, sweet with fruity notes
i) Flavor: Winey, citrus
j) Body: Smooth
k) Acidity: Low
Coffee Growing Regions
Uganda specializes in two types of Coffee production-
- Arabica developed at high altitudes that are running between 1,300-2,300m above ocean level. Mostly, it grows in a high-altitude area of South Eastern & South Western Uganda.
- Robusta developed at lower altitudes going from 900-1,500m above ocean level. The Northern Region involves the Mid-North producing Robusta.
Ugandan Coffee beans are grown in five regions: the Central, Western, South-Western, Northern, & Eastern areas. The Eastern region involves the Busoga areas (Robusta) and the Mountain Elgon district (Arabica). The North-Western region produces both Arabica and Robusta. Also, the Southwestern and Western regions produce both Robusta & Arabica.
Tasting Notes
Ugandan Robusta includes a rich aroma and full-bodied winey flavors. It is only the ideal completion for coffee blends. The natural Arabica is depicted as sweet with fruity notes and has a low acidic feature, whereas the washed Arabica has a rich full body, great aroma & even citrus flavors.
Roasting Notes
Great from medium to dark coffee beans that are not difficult to roast. Medium roasted beans are soft and sweeter, a decent cup to taste on an entire day. Dark coffee beans get thick & strong with firm chocolate and smoky tones – similar to a very perfect Sumatra. The hard Arabica beans introduced from Bugisu are a genuine treasure for dark roasted coffee.
Uganda Bugisu
In the eastern area of Uganda which is Bugisu, where espresso is developed at moderately high rises of (1,300 to 2,600 meters) on the slants of Mount Elgon. Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa imparting boundaries to Rwanda, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Growing Altitude
For Robusta, we have two varieties which are known as the Nganda & Erecta. High-yielding Clonal Robusta Coffee yields four times better than traditional varieties, and are being planted to supplant old and sick trees.
For Arabica, there are various varieties, SL 28 (high height), SL 14 (medium-height), KP 423 (medium), and the conventional Nyasaland grew in the Mountain Elgon area, Rwenzori Region, on the mountains of Zeu in Zombo District.
Coffee Brewing Tips in 2021
Here is the long excursion of a coffee till the time it shows up in your coffee mug.
- When you plant a coffee seed, it takes around 3-4 years to get a fruit called a coffee cherry.
- The entirety of the cherries is peeled off of the branch at one time, either by machine or by hand.
- Then, based on the location temperature, the dry or wet method is done where the seeds are spread all over the ground.
- Hulling machinery eliminates the parchment layer, known as endocarp, from wet-processed coffee. Hulling dry processed coffee means eliminating the whole dried husk — the mesocarp, exocarp, and endocarp — of the dried cherries.
- Polishing is done to eliminate the silver skin from the bean. After that, Uganda Coffee Grading and sorting are done by size and weight making it a perfect-sized bean. The process is otherwise called Milling Coffee Beans.
- The milled beans, also known as green coffee, are stacked onto ships in the shipping containers, or bulk-shipped inside plastic-lined containers.
- After that, coffee is tested for quality & taste. Once the testing is done, coffee is transferred to roasted machines where green coffee is transferred into the aromatic brown beans.
- Last but not the least, the grinding of the coffee beans is done. And, it is ready to serve.
Green Coffee Production
With a normal export of 3 million sacks in the last five years, Uganda is Africa’s second-greatest espresso maker and the continent’s largest Robusta exporter. Uganda has a hundred years old tradition of coffee production. The harvesting is done by smallholder ranchers in the majority of the country, with a special case of the parched North-East. It is assessed that 33% of every rural family, or generally 1.2 million families, are engaged with producing coffee.
The process of Green Coffee Beans export at Coffee Beans Africa passes through three key stages: Sourcing, Processing, and Exporting.
