Ugandan specialty coffee was historically a rarity, owing to the fact that the majority of its exported coffee has consisted of Robusta lots, usually intended for dark-roasted blends. Despite this trend, Uganda’s climate offers the same ideal growing conditions for high quality lots of coffee as its African neighbours like Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi. Mineral-rich soils and ample year-round rainfall make the Rwenzori Mountains of Western Uganda a fantastic site for cultivating high quality coffee crops. 

Before arriving at the Nyabirongo Central Mill, smallholder farmers within the Rwenzori’s handpick ripe coffee cherries and deliver their harvests to local collection centres in Buzira and Kalingwe. Coffee collective Agri Evolve then brings the cherry to Nyabirongo to be sorted by hand, and by flotation, before being dried on raised African beds. Agri Evolve then packages and exports the green parchment for international specialty markets. 

Due to this rarity of specialty lots, we are always excited to see a new Ugandan coffee on our shelves, and it seems they are steadily gaining greater prominence. In fact, this is Cedar’s second Ugandan release; some may remember their delicious Wahata Natural. The Woodstock roasting duo, Leigh and Winston, are no strangers to expertly roasting great-tasting coffee sourced from Zuka Green Traders, and this naturally-processed Ugandan coffee is no exception.

Phaedon's tasting notes

"Have you tried Nyabirongo yet?!" I'm hearing that from a lot of customers and coffee professionals these days and I'm not in the least bit surprised after having tasted it. Then again, we're all kind of surprised at just how good Ugandan specialty coffee can taste. If you have any doubts, this lot should put them to rest. It's absolutely bursting with fruity sweetness, particularly stone fruit notes, perfectly balanced by some bright acidity which reminded me of grapefruit. There's also a syrupy quality to the fruity flavours. It brought back memories for me of the syrup leftover in a can of fruit - that perfect combination of tangy and sweet. This coffee is stellar in all filtered brew methods, at least to my palate.

Cedar’s notes

“This coffee immediately stood out to us for its vibrant tropical profile. On filter you can expect notes of peach and soft tropical fruit. On espresso, you get more of those tropical fruit notes, think sweet melon and pineapple with a juicy mouthfeel. On milk it transforms into caramel ice cream with a smooth mouthfeel and lingering finish.”

• Cup Profile: Tropical Fruits, Peach, Caramel Ice Cream

Coffee details from Cedar

“This is our second year sourcing and showcasing Uganda specialty lots. Our first one was Wahata, which was quite a crowd-pleaser last time out. This time we get the opportunity to showcase a Nyabirongo Natural, which feels quite similar to Wahata. 

“There’s a familiar brightness and fruit clarity here, but with a slightly more rounded sweetness. It carries that same sense of excitement we felt when we first explored Ugandan coffees, expressive, versatile, and full of character.”

• Country: Uganda
• Farm: Nyabirongo Community
• Producer: 32 Smallholder Farmers
• Region: Kalingwe & Buzira, Rwenzori
• Process: Natural
• Altitude: 1600 - 2200 masl
• Variety: SL14, SL28