How is African Uganda Coffee? Introduction to Uganda Coffee Bean Varieties

Coffee Knowledge Exchange

This article is part of our continuing exchange of professional coffee knowledge, shared so that more readers can explore great beans.

FrontStreet Coffee - Uganda Coffee Introduction

If Ethiopia is the birthplace of Arabica, then Uganda is the homeland of Robusta. During the colonial era, and with British encouragement, Uganda began growing Robusta widely at low altitudes. Today the country is the world's second-largest Robusta exporter, and 85% of the coffee grown in Uganda is Robusta.

Although it is primarily a Robusta country, Uganda also produces specialty Arabica, with a cultivation history stretching back a century. Most of that Arabica now grows on the southeastern slopes of Mount Elgon at an altitude of 4,321 meters, with some also planted along the Uganda-Kenya border. Coffee grows alongside bananas and peanuts in a mixed farming system, where tall fruit trees shade the coffee and help secure the harvest.

The SL28 Variety

SL28 is one of Africa's most famous and popular varieties. It spread from its original selection and promotion in Kenya to other parts of Africa - especially the Arabica zones of Uganda - and has since reached Latin America. At the 2017 World Barista Championship (WBC), an SL28 from El Salvador shone brightly, defeating many Geisha lots and helping British barista Dale Harris take the world title.

History and Characteristics of SL28

SL28 was first selected and cultivated in 1935 from a single tree among drought-resistant varieties from Tanganyika. According to historical records, in 1931 coffee breeders at Scott Laboratories, A.D. Trench, were touring Tanganyika (now Tanzania) when they found a variety in the Moduli region that seemed to tolerate drought and pests. They collected seeds and brought them back to Scott Laboratories. After confirming its drought resistance, it was widely planted, until it was replaced by its descendant, SL28.

SL28 suits medium to high altitudes and resists drought, though it is susceptible to common coffee diseases. It is known for its hardiness: a tree can go untended for years, even decades, and still produce fruit. Many parts of Kenya grow SL28, and some trees 60-80 years old are still bearing fruit.

About FrontStreet Coffee

In short, FrontStreet Coffee is a specialty coffee research house that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation to help more friends fall in love with coffee. We also hold three discounted coffee events each month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible prices. That has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past six years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Panama is where Geisha made its name and Ethiopia is where it began, and FrontStreet Coffee's Geisha range covers both. On the Panama side, Hacienda La Esmeralda - the estate that introduced Geisha to the world - divides its Geisha into two grades. The red label, officially "Esmeralda Special," is grown between 1,600 and 1,800 meters, and every lot must cup above 90 points and carry its own number, with all of the beans in a lot coming from a single plot. The green label, "Private Collection," blends several plots to express the estate's signature high-altitude Geisha character and is the better value of the two. For an easy first taste of the famous Geisha profile, FrontStreet Coffee recommends the entry-level Panama Boquete Geisha, which delivers the classic citrus-and-honey character, an oolong tea-like body and fine, layered fruit acidity at a friendly price.

FrontStreet Coffee also carries Geisha from Ethiopia's Gesha Village, a large estate bordering the original Geisha forest. Its gold label is the Gesha 1931 variety, about 10% of total production and the estate's top coffee outside auction, often chosen by competition baristas; the red label is the Gori Gesha variety, about 15% of production, scores 88 or above on the 100-point SCA scale, and comes with full traceability. For an entry point on the Ethiopian side, the Genlana Gesha is picked as fully ripe cherries and dried on raised beds for 14-20 days depending on the weather, then roasted medium-light to give bright citrus acidity, an elegant ginger-flower aroma and ripe-fruit sweetness with a delicate finish. To brew it, FrontStreet Coffee suggests 15g of coffee, a Hario V60, a 1:16 ratio and water at 91 degrees Celsius, with a grind fine enough that about 78% passes a Chinese standard #20 sieve. Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds, pour in stages to 125g and then to 225g, for a total extraction of about 2:10-2:20.