Uganda Micro-Batch Natural Bean Mt. Elgon Region Kawahibi/ Kabeywa Sipi Kabeywa SL

Flavor Characteristics of Uganda Micro-Lot Natural Process Coffee: Sipi Kabeywa SL14 from the Mount Elgon Region

This coffee from Uganda, Sipi Kabeywa, is of the SL14 variety, a premium specialty variety the Ugandan government has been vigorously promoting in recent years. Undoubtedly, this is the most impressive Ugandan coffee we have encountered to date. On one hand, Sipi is an exceptionally high-level organic processing facility, and this is a rare micro-lot natural process coffee from Uganda. The Kawacom Cooperative was the first organization in Africa to take part in organic sustainability programs. The "Sipi Organic Plan" was launched in 2002, making it the first coffee in Africa to receive UTZ CERTIFIED certification. Compost is used for fertilization, and the shade is well maintained. Kawacom's washing station features first-class equipment, centrally processing cherries delivered by farmers, with mechanical depulping performed the same day under strict washing protocols. Kawacom collects fresh cherries from nearby farmers at nine locations, naming them by different altitudes and collection points. The champion coffee from this season's Kawacom was collected at "Kabeywa," with the runner-up also from Kawacom, collected at Masira. In fact, different batches from Kawacom's 2017 new season secured seven of the top ten places in the TOH competition, including the top three, all different batches of "Sipi Kabeywa": truly remarkable.

Each year, the major coffee-producing countries of Africa hold national green bean competitions called "The Taste of Harvest" (TOH), similar to the Cup of Excellence in Central and South America. TOH has become the arena for discovering the best coffees from Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Congo.

In the 2017 Taste of Harvest competition held in Uganda, "Kawacom/Kabeywa" took the championship, with Fisher Coffee from Qingdao, China, successfully bidding for it.

Many people assume that Uganda produces only Robusta, but in the Mount Elgon region of Uganda's eastern Kapchorwa province, bordering Kenya, the coffee is as exceptional as specialty Kenyan coffee. The championship-winning "Kawacom Farmers' Group" is located in Mount Elgon, established in 2000 with 5,000 farmers initially and expanding to over 10,000 participating farmers today. Individual farmers operate on a very small scale, owning between 200 and 500 coffee trees, intercropped with other crops such as bananas and soybeans, with an average farm area of only 0.5 hectares. In the past, farmers tended to process fresh cherries themselves with simple depulping machines. After Kawacom built first-class washing stations, it strongly encouraged farmers to deliver cherries to central processing facilities to improve quality.

The varieties grown by Ugandan farmers are SL14 and SL28. The SL varieties come from research and selection by Scott Laboratories. Kenyan coffee became world-famous for SL28 and SL34, and thus the Ugandan government vigorously promoted and distributed SL seeds to farmers. Among them, SL14 not only offers excellent flavor but also possesses drought resistance and can be harvested just two years after planting, quite suitable for farmers' needs.

Mount Elgon is an extinct volcano. It is said to have once been Africa's highest peak. Local people believe deities reside on the summit, far beyond mortal reach. When the deities are pleased, there is abundant rain and dew, benefiting the entire mountainside, where everything flourishes in lush greenery. The coffee gardens of Kawacom members are scattered throughout Mount Elgon. After volcanic activity ceased, a massive crater formed at the summit, which then filled with water to become a lake. Streams flowing down from the lake irrigate the crops on the mountainside. During the rainy season the streams swell dramatically, forming spectacular waterfalls, among which Sipi Falls is the largest, with water cascading down 200 meters.

Starting in 2015, Kawacom not only processes washed coffee but also produces micro-lot natural process coffee. After removing unqualified floaters, the cherries undergo three weeks of natural sun-drying, during which they are constantly turned to avoid fermentation or mold, achieving a very clean and rich flavor profile.

This Uganda TOH championship coffee was grown by farmers near Kabeywa, naturally processed at Kawacom's washing station, and successfully bid for by Fisher Coffee from Qingdao, China. Fisher's head roaster Zhang Rong has particularly deep feelings about this coffee:

"This coffee completely changed my perspective on Ugandan coffee. Compared to Ethiopian and Kenyan origins, Ugandan coffee is like a rising star of specialty coffee on the African continent. In today's popular natural process trend, elegant natural flavors combined with the unique characteristics of the origin: this type of natural coffee is what fascinates me most. This Ugandan coffee is the first coffee of this new season that truly excited me. During the roasting stage, I used a smaller initial heat and a slower roasting rhythm to express the multi-layered flavors of this coffee."

Coffee Details

Country of Origin: Uganda

Region: Mount Elgon; Kapchorwa Province; Eastern Uganda

Farm: Kawacom Farmer's Group, Sipi Project

Producer: Small farmers near the Kabeywa collection point

Altitude: 1,700-2,000 meters

Variety: SL14

Processing Method: Natural Process

Awards: 2017 Uganda Taste of Harvest Champion

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing

Dripper: KONO dripper

Water Temperature: 88°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 4

Brewing Method: 1:14 coffee-to-water ratio, 17 g of grounds. First pour 25 g of water for a 30s bloom, then continue pouring to 238 g total. Extraction time around 2:30 minutes.

Analysis: The KONO dripper has few ribs at the bottom, so the filter paper fits tightly against the wall, restricting airflow. This lets water and grounds stay in contact and steep longer in the dripper, ensuring adequate extraction time and rate for a coarse grind. The grounds are then fully extracted, enhancing the rich, mellow mouthfeel and concentrating the flavor.

Flavor: Well-balanced and clean, with a thick, solid mouthfeel and a persistent dark chocolate aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

To explore this clean, richly fruity style of natural process coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's Sun-Dried Red Cherry from Yirgacheffe is a rewarding choice. Yirgacheffe Red Cherry uses a full-red-cherry natural process: only fully ripe, sound fruit is picked, given a first sorting at the mill, then spread directly on raised beds to dry. In the first few days the cherries are turned every two to three hours to prevent uneven heating and over-fermentation; after three to five weeks of sun-drying, the outer fruit is scraped off by machine and the beans are moved to storage. Because the fruit dries on the bean, it carries both the classic Yirgacheffe character and the tropical fruit of a natural process, showing citrus acidity, a berry-juice quality, honeyed sweetness, and a creamy smoothness.

FrontStreet Coffee's Washed Yirgacheffe, meanwhile, is the classic introduction to the region, known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a tea-like body. Its clean, tea-like clarity offers a fine counterpoint to a natural-process cup like the Uganda Sipi Kabeywa above, and it is friendly enough for anyone just starting to explore Ethiopia.