Uganda Jukia 72h Natural Anaerobic

Uganda Jukia 72h Natural Anaerobic is an unusual specialty coffee from the Zombo region that shows a completely different side of Ugandan coffee. High-altitude farms, hand-picked ripe cherries and 72 hours of anaerobic fermentation produce a coffee with high sweetness, juicy fruit and full body. It is for people who like coffees that are bold, aromatic and far from obvious.

Uganda Zombo: a new face of African coffee

For years Uganda stayed in the shadow of better-known African producers such as Kenya, Ethiopia and Rwanda. More and more attention, however, is going to coffees from less obvious parts of the country. One of them is Zombo District in north-west Uganda, on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The coffee comes from farms at around 1,500-2,000 m a.s.l. Fertile volcanic soils, warm days and cooler nights slow down the ripening of the fruit. This gives the cherries time to build up more sugars and the compounds responsible for complex aroma.

The lot was prepared by Zombo Coffee Partners, an organisation that works with local producers. Only hand-picked, ripe red coffee cherries were used.

72 hours of anaerobic fermentation

What sets this coffee apart most is the way it is processed. After hand-picking and sorting, the cherries go into sealed tanks, where they undergo controlled fermentation without oxygen.

The process lasts 72 hours. Limiting oxygen changes the course of fermentation and brings greater aromatic complexity and a distinctive fruity sweetness. The whole cherries are then dried naturally on raised African beds.

Combining anaerobic fermentation with natural processing means the coffee keeps the intense character of the fruit while still giving a clean, well-balanced cup.

Tasting notes: blueberry, cherry and jam

Uganda Jukia is a coffee with clear sweetness and full body. Depending on how you brew it, you can find ripe blueberries, cherries, plums, red grapes and forest fruits.

In the background there are notes of honey, fruit jam and cherry liqueur, which give the coffee a dessert-like character. The acidity is juicy and lively, but it sits well with the sweetness and full body. The finish is long and sweet.

This coffee is a particularly good example of what the modern fermentation methods used in specialty coffee can do.

How to brew Uganda Jukia

Pour-over methods are the best choice, as they bring out the fruit and complexity of the beans. Uganda Jukia works well in a V60, Origami, Kalita, Chemex and AeroPress.

You can also use it for espresso. In that case, expect a more intense, sweet and fruity profile than you would get from classic espresso coffees.

Who is Uganda Jukia for?

This is a coffee for people who want to go beyond classic chocolate and nut profiles. If you like fruit, high sweetness, fermented coffees and more experimental sensory profiles, Jukia will be a very interesting choice.

An SCA score of 86.0 confirms its specialty character and the high quality of the green coffee.