Imbalu. Uganda. Nyasaland, SL14 & SL28. Natural. 

Every bean has a story
This is our second coffee from Uganda - this year the crop has been delightful!

It comes from the Coffee Gardens who are supporting farmer Norman Mukuru and his team to bring his coffees to the EU.

NORMAN MUKURU

Norman Mukuru is a coffee guru with decades of experience. In the flatlands approaching the foothills of Mt. Elgon he has established The Coffee Yard, a huge centre for coffee drying with a formidable reputation for high quality naturals with a diverse range of cup profiles curated for individual clients' specific preferences.

Based in the foothills of Mount Elgon souring coffee from the districts of Sironko, Mbale, Bulambuli and Kapchorwa Norman established The Coffee Yard which is a huge center for receiving and drying coffee. Norman has extensive experience in coffee working for nearly 20 years in the in and he has been producing naturals since 2018 often tweaking his processes to find the profiles that his clients have been looking for.

For the past several years, The Coffee Gardens and Norman Mukuru have been working closely together to raise the quality of coffees from Mt. Elgon.

PROCESSING

In Eastern Uganda, the harvest is between August and January. In the lowlands, the harvest runs between August and October, while in the higher altitudes, it’s from September until January.

There are six stages involved:

• Floating cherries on arrival


• Sorting out unwanted cherries


• Dripping cherries to reduce moisture


• Separating cherries by moisture and colour (grading) to ensure evenness


• Fermentation


• Slow drying on African raised beds and tarpaulins for at least 21 days until dry

These steps ensure a uniform and clean cup, with variations in time of dripping and fermentation delivering distinct profiles based on clients’ preferences.

If you are not a fan of Uganda, just check other origins here.