Organic Certified | Northern Uganda White Nile Region | Slow-Dried Washed Catimor, SL14

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Organic Certified | White Nile River Region, Northern Uganda | Slow-Dried Washed Catimor, SL14 Flavor Profile

This organic coffee is produced in the high-altitude White Nile River region of northern Uganda. The method: washing and screening out floating unripe beans, followed by an hour of washing and depulping. The beans are then moved to raised beds for two weeks of sun drying, after which they are centrifuge-spun for 36-48 hours until they reach the target moisture content. The White Nile River processing plant even uses volcanic stones to recycle the wastewater generated during washing.

Uganda, independent since 1962, is a North African country short of farmland, with many mountains and lakes within its borders. Most of the population lives in the south, while the Nile basin in the north enjoys a humid, warm climate. Uganda's natural environment - fertile soil and reliable rainfall - supports a population in which 80% of workers are employed in agriculture, and coffee ranks as the third-largest agricultural export after cotton and tea.

Located at the source of the Nile, Uganda is a landlocked African country. Like other East African nations it has a long coffee history, but ethnic conflict and war long prevented steady quality improvement, and much high-quality coffee was grown near the Kenyan border and shipped into Kenya to be sold as Kenyan coffee. Only after the wars ended some 15 years ago did Uganda emerge as a fast-developing coffee nation. Blessed with dense forests, lakes, wetlands, and abundant river water, Uganda counts coffee as its largest agricultural commodity and top earner of foreign exchange: roughly 500,000 coffee farms engage in coffee agriculture, accounting for 25% of the total population. Most coffee trees are robusta - about 94% - with only 6% traditional Arabica. Those rare beans grow in tropical rainforest and are mostly exported worldwide.

Uganda's grading system resembles Kenya's, with AA the top grade, denoting beans uniform in size and consistency. But grades vary with each estate's standing: if Estate A outperforms Estate B, then even Estate A's AB beans may beat Estate B's AA. Coffee is sold through two channels - specialty auctions and direct sales. With more meticulous processing and defect removal, Uganda could surely sell even better despite the persistently high prices of Kenyan and Ethiopian coffee.

Coffee Profile

• Country: Uganda
• Region: White Nile River Region
• Varieties: Catimor (30%), SL14 (70%)
• Altitude: 1450m - 1800m
• Processing Method: Slow-Dried Washed Method
• Certification: Organic Certified
• Tasting Notes: Raisin, spices, chocolate, European pear, excellent body, long sweet aftertaste

FrontStreet Coffee Recommends Brewing:

• Dripper: Hario V60
• Water Temperature: 90°C
• Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 3.5
• Brewing Method: 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio with 15g of coffee. First pour 25g of water for a 25-second bloom. Second pour to 120g, then pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then continue pouring slowly to 225g total. Extraction time approximately 2:00.

Analysis: The three-stage method clearly defines the flavors of the front, middle, and finish. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, pausing mid-pour helps extend extraction time.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If this slow-dried Ugandan lot shows you what careful washing can do, FrontStreet's washed lineup takes the style even further. The Kenya Cherry Tomato is the flagship: from Thika at 1,550-1,750 meters, SL28 and SL34 varieties given Kenya's signature K72 double-wash (72-hour) fermentation, it bursts with cherry tomato, dried plum, pear, black plum, and yellow-sugar flavors - full, juicy acidity, low bitterness, and remarkable clarity when roasted light. The Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Guodingding Cooperative - an independent cooperative of about 300 farmers since 2012 in the Worka district - shows how washing lets a bean's own character shine through: citrus and lemon tones, graceful white florals, and green-tea-and-honey sweetness after a medium-light roast, at home in pour-over, cold brew, or espresso.

For the washed style's most balanced expression, FrontStreet's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 from the historic Clifton Estate offers hazelnut, cream, chocolate, and caramel with flawless poise - no flavor too loud, none missing. Brew any of them on a V60 with 15g of coffee, 90°C water, and a 1:15 ratio in three stages, pausing between pours to let the bed drain.