Uganda AA Bugisu Growing Region | Flavors of Arabica Wet-Processed Fermented Beans?

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Uganda AA Bugisu Growing Region | Washed Fermented Arabica Coffee Bean Flavor Profile?

Uganda, located at the source of the Nile River, is a landlocked country in Africa that does not border the sea. Although it shares a long history of coffee production with other East African countries, conflicts caused by ethnic tensions have prevented coffee quality from improving. Most high-quality coffee is grown in regions bordering Kenya, and some fine coffee beans were transported to Kenya and mixed with Kenyan coffee for sale. It wasn't until 15 years ago when the war stopped that Uganda emerged as a country with rapidly developing coffee production.

Uganda is a country with dense green forests, lakes, wetlands, and abundant water resources from rivers. Coffee is Uganda's largest agricultural crop, earning the most foreign exchange. About 500,000 coffee farms are engaged in coffee-related agriculture, accounting for 25% of the total population. Coffee trees are mostly robust, robusta coffee varieties, accounting for about 94%, with only 6% being traditional Arabica varieties. These rare coffee beans grow in tropical rainforests and are mostly exported to countries around the world.

Washed Coffee Processing Method

This system produces washed coffee, particularly suitable for coffee fruits harvested by picking. It includes the following stages: cleaning, pulp removal (mechanically separating pulp from coffee beans through rollers), fermentation (soaking in water for 12/24 hours to remove mucilage), washing (120 liters of water per kilogram), sun-drying for 9-10 days or drying with a dryer, hulling and polishing, and winnowing. This process affects the final color of the coffee beans: Arabica coffee turns blue to green, while robusta coffee turns green to yellow.

Uganda Coffee Grading System

Uganda's coffee grading system is the same as Kenya's, with AA grade being the best. This grading represents coffee beans of uniform size and consistency. However, this grading system varies depending on the evaluation of each estate. For example, Estate A's coffee is superior to Estate B's, so even Estate A's AB beans would be better than Estate B's AA beans. Coffee sales adopt both specialty auction and direct sales channels. If the meticulousness of the processing process is enhanced and defective beans are removed, it is believed that better sales can be achieved in the context of persistently high prices for Kenyan and Ethiopian coffee.

Quality Challenges and Improvements

Ugandan coffee has too many empty shell beans, defective beans, and unsuccessfully fermented coffee beans, preventing quality improvement and resulting in poor harvests and prices. In 2010, a new season introduced AA grade coffee from the Bugisu growing region. The raw coffee beans show deep green color, and from their appearance, they can be identified as traditional Arabica beans, about 18-19 screen size.

Roast Profile and Flavor Characteristics

Light Roast - End of First Crack (City): After grinding, there's a distinct peanut and almond nutty aroma. When brewed, the grass jelly aroma carries fermented notes typical of sun-dried beans. The mouthfeel is thin and not complex, with strong tea-like characteristics. The hawthorn fruit acidity is not strong, with a quick transition from sour to sweet. The aftertaste has fruity sweetness and wheat tea aroma.

Dark Roast - Beginning of Second Crack (Full City): After grinding, there are bitter chocolate and almond aromas. After brewing, the coffee reveals hints of spiced aroma within dark chocolate, with the sweetness of banana and pineapple dried fruit. The mouthfeel is rich and mellow with abundant oils and extremely low acidity. As the coffee cools slightly, the rich and mellow chocolate aftertaste transforms into a distinct sweet brown sugar water sweetness.

Flavor Profile Summary

Uganda AA Bugisu has the characteristics of traditional East African Arabica coffee with fruity sweetness and rich, mellow mouthfeel, but the fermented aroma and low acidity are relatively rare. It's a coffee bean suitable for dark roasting to achieve rich ester characteristics and intensity.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommended Brewing Method:

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 88°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 4

Brewing Technique: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g coffee grounds. First pour 25g water, bloom for 25 seconds. Second pour to 120g water, then stop pouring. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to halfway, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g total water. Extraction time approximately 2:00.

Analysis:

Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and faster drainage speed, stopping the pour can help extend the extraction time.

Important Notice :

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