Origin: Uganda
Farm/Region: Bukhanakwa/ Mt Elgon National Park
Tasting Notes: Rooibos tea, cola, and chocolate jelly babies.
Producer: Zukuka Bora
Varietal: SL14 & SL28
Processing: Washed
Altitude: 2000 MASL
High on the Ridge: Perched up on the ridgeline overlooking Bududa, the small community of Bukhanakwa has a pretty incredible view--and now, a much easier way to sell their coffee.
Before Zukuka Bora: Not too long ago, local coffee producers had to carry their harvest down the mountain to the east, hoping to sell to large commodity exporters. It was a long, tiring journey with no guarantee of a good price.
That’s all changed now, with Zukuka Bora travelling up to the ridge to buy coffee directly from the community. It’s a game-changer for farmers and their families with less stress, better prices, and employment opportunities. People from the area benefit from seasonal jobs, earning money transporting coffee down the western slope to the Wanale processing site.
Diverse and healthy: Cherry from Bukhanakwa is selectively picked and picked throughout most of the harvest season. Bukhanakwa sits right on the edge of Mt Elgon National Park. Here, it benefits from rich biodiversity, fewer people passing through, and a bit of extra elevation--all that adds up to an extra tasty cup!
The final credits: Rodgers, the site manager at Wanale, has been with Zukuka Bora for years. These days, he’s leading a team handling everything from recording producer data to managing logistics and processing coffee at the facility. His spreadsheet must be getting pretty large, but specialty coffee is a game of variables; the more they understand about a producer, a farm, a varietal, and a lot, the better they can understand what makes select microlots exceptional.
Rodgers works closely with Moses and Richard, the regional chairman of Bukhanakwa. Together, they focus on keeping the relationship strong between producers and Zukuka Bora, making sure expectations are known, communication is good, and trust is high.
Washed from Bukhanakwa: First up, the experienced Zukuka Bora team visually inspect selectively picked coffee with additional sorting taking place as required. Next, the sorted cherry is density floated, pulling out anything too dense or not dense enough. The cherry is then pulped and soaked for 48 hours. The fermentation taking place within the tank allows enzymes to break down the remaining mucilage (sticky fruit pectin layer), leaving the green beans clean in both appearance and flavour--nothing too wild and funky going on here! Next up, the washed coffee passes through water and gravity-fed sorting channels for a rinse and further density sorting.
Lastly, the coffee is slow-dried over 20-25 days and turned regularly for consistent, even drying. Consistent drying means stable coffee--consistent moisture, means consistent roasting, means consistent extraction. Yum yum!