Bugisu is a name for washed Arabica coffee produced in Eastern Uganda. Produced on the volcanic slopes of Mt. Elgon, Bugisu is in high demand for its winey, fruity, traditionally East African cupping notes.
COFFEE GRADE: AA | FARM/COOP/STATION: Various | VARIETAL: Bourbon, SL28 | PROCESSING: Fully washed | ALTITUDE: 1,300 to 2,600 meters above sea level | SUBREGION/TOWN: Various | REGION: Eastern Uganda | FARM SIZE: <2 hectares on average
Cultivation
The farm structure in Uganda is like Ethiopia and Kenya. Since 85% of all coffee grown is cultivated by smallholders with fewer than 2.5 hectares, Uganda has an immense potential to produce high-quality, small-lot specialty coffees.
Most producers are small and cultivate fewer than 2.5 hectares. Like Ethiopia, Ugandan smallholders typically intercrop their coffee with traditional food crops. Banana trees provide both shade for coffee trees and food for families.
Coffee flowers an average of twice per year.
Due to their small size, almost all labour is done by the family. Farming families selectively handpick ripe cherry and pulp it with hand pulpers. New initiatives are underway to make eco-friendly integrated pulping systems more widely available. Coffee is fermented and then washed in clean water. Parchment is then laid to dry on patios or raised beds.
In Uganda, AA refers to both bean size and quality. AA means that 90% of the beans in a lot are above screen 17, or 6.75 millimetres. AA also means that there is a 5% defect tolerance.