Organic Uganda Kisabasi Natural

About the Producer

Uganda stands as a rising star among global coffee producers. Despite an annual output exceeding six hundred million pounds, sourcing exceptional Ugandan coffee remains a challenge due to its scarcity in the specialty market.

Similar to its East African counterparts Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, and Kenya, Uganda relies heavily on smallholder farmers. These dedicated individuals, often managing just two acres of land, cultivate limited quantities of coffee. Consequently, the process of assembling export-worthy batches necessitates the aggregation of beans from numerous farms delivering to localized washing stations. Yet, transforming the traditional coffee culture, which historically yielded lower-quality commercial blends, proves to be an ongoing challenge. Nonetheless, recent years have witnessed a shift toward higher-grade coffee production in Uganda, with select offerings garnering significant attention.

This year, our team has sourced a singular selection from Uganda that highlights the nation's finest quality. Hailing from the county of Kisabasi nestled on the slopes of Mount Elgon, the oldest volcano in East Africa. This coffee represents the collective efforts of a select 10 farmers, whose farms sit at elevations around 2100 meters, the highest in the country. 

Traditionally, exportable quantities of coffee from Uganda may contain coffee from as many as 1000 individual farms. By selecting only 10 farms from a single community, you can taste a one-of-a-kind, completely unique, and genuine expression of terroir, or “taste of place.” There’s no other coffee in the world quite like this! 

About the Coffee

This specific lot was created using the sun-dried natural method of processing. The farmers of Kisabasi deliver ripe coffee cherries to the local washing station. From there, the cherries are further hand-sorted, leaving only the absolute ripest cherries for fermentation. The coffee is then dried slowly and evenly on raised beds for upwards of 30 days. As with most sun-dried natural coffees, this selection from Kisabisa exhibits fresh fruit notes alongside spice and chocolate tones in the aromas. 

In this region, heirloom varieties such as SL14, SL34, and Bourbon, similar to those cultivated in neighboring Kenya, provide these beans with richness and complexity characteristic of East African coffees. Though this selection displays a softer acidity than similar coffees in Burundi and Kenya, it boasts an elegant sweetness and structure that speak to the quality control and diligence of the team at the Kawacom Sipi Falls Washing Station. This coffee is a testament to the ongoing guidance and training provided by organizations like Kawacom who are committed to guiding smallholder coffee farmers toward excellence.

What We Love

We're thrilled to showcase Uganda, an emerging powerhouse in the coffee industry, on our menu. At Wonderstate, we immediately recognized the potential of Uganda's small organic farms to produce exceptional quality. Working with Atlantic Specialty and Kawacom, we had the amazing opportunity to highlight a small group of farmers from the highest elevations in the nation, alongside exceptional processing that allows the most genuine flavors to shine in the cup. 

This sundried natural selection from the Kisabasi county is sweet and fruited, creating an ultimately charming flavor experience that captures the distinct terroir of the highest farms in Uganda. In the cup, expect fruited tones of fleshy red plum, alongside subtle papaya and a vanilla-caramel finish that reminds us of stroopwafel.