Uganda Bugisu

Uganda Bugisu is a specialty whole bean coffee from the Bugisu region of eastern Uganda, grown on the volcanic slopes of Mount Elgon and washed processed. The SL28 variety, a score of 83 points on the SCA scale and a medium roast give a cup with full body, low acidity and a clearly nutty, chocolatey character. We donate all the profit from sales of this coffee to the AKIIKI Foundation, which is building a medical school in Uganda.

All profit goes to the AKIIKI Foundation

The AKIIKI Foundation is building a medical school in Uganda. We donate all the profit from this coffee to that project, so every bag you buy helps fund education in the country these beans come from.

This is the only coffee in our range on which we give up our margin entirely. We did not pick it at random: it comes from a region where coffee farming is the livelihood of several thousand families.

Bugisu: coffee from the slopes of an extinct volcano

Bugisu lies in eastern Uganda, on the slopes of Mount Elgon near the border with Kenya. Elgon is an extinct volcano with a huge base, and its weathered lava has left a mineral-rich soil that is hard to imitate with irrigation or fertiliser.

The farms here sit between 1,250 and 1,900 m a.s.l. At this altitude the nights are cool, the fruit ripens more slowly and the bean has time to develop more sugars. The region is humid, with primary forest, rivers and the Sipi Falls, which today are one of the calling cards of Ugandan agriculture.

The coffee here is grown by the Bagisu people, and the trade name Bugisu, used for washed Arabica from this area, comes from their name.

Uganda Bugisu in the cup: hazelnut, coconut, caramel and chocolate

African coffees are usually associated with high, citrusy acidity. Bugisu goes the other way: it has heavier body and noticeably lower acidity than a typical Ethiopian or Kenyan coffee, while keeping a clean cup.

You will taste hazelnut and coconut, with caramel and chocolate in the background. These are natural sensory associations that come from the variety, the terroir and the roast, not added flavourings. The bag contains nothing but roasted Arabica.

A score of 83 points on the SCA scale places this coffee in the specialty segment, with a profile that is more classic than experimental. If you are looking for a low-acidity coffee that is not flat, this is a good place to start.

SL28 and washed processing

SL28 is a variety selected in the 1930s at Scott Laboratories in Kenya, valued for its cup quality and drought resistance.

Washed processing means the fruit pulp is removed before drying, and the bean is fermented and rinsed with water. The result is a clean, predictable profile in which you taste the variety and the soil rather than the fermentation. With naturals it is often the other way round.

8,914 farms averaging 1.89 hectares

This coffee comes from 8,914 smallholder farmers, and the average farm covers 1.89 hectares. That is typical for Uganda: there are no large plantations here, just a network of small plots around people’s homes.

Kawacom (U) Ltd buys the coffee and prepares the lots. The company works on the quality and consistency of Ugandan coffees. Processing together allows smallholders to sell their beans at an export standard they could not reach on their own.

What Uganda Bugisu works best for

The medium roast and full body make this coffee a natural fit for espresso, bean-to-cup machines and the moka pot. Its low acidity means it handles milk well: in a cappuccino or latte the nutty, chocolatey base does not get lost, it turns dessert-like.

In a bean-to-cup machine it works without fiddling with the settings, because the profile is forgiving. A starting point for espresso: 18 g dose, 36 g in the cup, 26 to 30 seconds. For a moka pot, grind a little coarser and take it off the heat before it starts to sputter.

Roast profile

We roast this coffee to a medium level to bring out the sweetness of caramel and chocolate without tipping into the bitterness of over-roasted beans. This profile keeps the nutty character of Bugisu and holds acidity low, which is the goal here, not a compromise.

Roasted on 9 Sept 2026.