A review I found online of the coffee from the Mount Elgon area, and I have highlighted the phrases within it that reflect the coffee taste or production methods that are unique to the coffee from this area.
Uganda Bugisu AA Double Picked
Our Review
Ugandan coffee doesn't tend to sell well for us, yet we continue to persist in offerring because we think it's one of the "best kept secrets" of the specialty coffee trade. It's just that almost nobody thinks of Uganda when they think about great coffee. We hope to change that.
Our 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.
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. One cupper describes it as having "rustic fruit tones, deep huskiness and mild earthiness". So this Bugisu coffee is difficult to compare with others. It is African, but it's not. It's Indonesian, but it's not. The dry processing makes for an uneven roast, but a most complex cup.
Coffee processed using the "dry" method means that the fruit is allowed to dry on the bean instead of being removed quickly after picking. This is very risky--the beans have to be constantly raked to insure that mold doesn't form (that can give the coffee a medicinal or metallic flavor) and that the coffee dries as evenly and quickly as possible. One rain shower at the wrong time can ruin everything. But when it works, the results can be wonderful. The fruit flavors are layered, tend to be more intense, and there seems to be a continually changing array of flavors as the cup cools. Some people may find this distracting and prefer a more straight forward cup. Others (like me) relish the complexity of aromas and flavors that seem to bounce all over your pallate.
We think this is another coffee that will make an extraordinary single origin espresso.
And the Double Picked? That simply means the coffee went through two sortings for defects instead of the usual one time. Under/over ripe beans, defective beans, and debris were more carefully picked out. The result is a clearer taste profile, sort of like the clean, clear peal of a well made bell.
Arrival Date: October 7. 2013
Attributes: Rich body, lingering finish. moderate acidity
Bean Size: Average
Chaff Content: Low
Dominant Cup Characteristic: Rich earthy complex flavor layers
Environmental Factors: Organic
Flavor Traits: Plum/prune, deep red wine tones
Growing Conditions: Shade grown, hand picked, sun dried on raised tables
Hardness of the Bean: Very dense and hard
Processing: Dry The fruit is allowed to dry on the bean and is then mechanically removed
Roasting: To begin, try a Full City + or just barely into the second crack. We enjoy this coffee roasted a bit darker than most East African coffees. Darker roasting brings out the sweet prune and bitter-sweet baker chocolate tones. Adjust subsequent roasts as your personal tastes dictate.
Recommendation: For people who enjoy a bold, dark, slightly adventurous and complex coffee that isn't too crisp. We think it goes well with rich chocolate desserts and performs very well if you like to add cream to your cup.
