High Quality Screen 18, fully washed Robusta Coffee from Uganda offers a unique taste experience, direct trade through our Ugandan Coffee Partners, sourced from multiple farms in the region. Enjoy the rich and robust flavour of Ugandan coffee in every sip.
Screen 18 refers to bean size grading. It means the coffee has been sorted so the beans are among the larger sizes, which can support more even roasting and consistency in production.
This coffee is sourced from multiple farms across Uganda It’s presented as a regional, multi-farm lot rather than a single estate.
It’s fully washed. That typically means the coffee cherry is pulped, fermented to break down remaining mucilage, then washed clean before drying, which often results in a cleaner, more structured cup profile.
The variety is SL14, which is commonly associated with Ugandan Robusta cultivation and is used for its performance and consistency.
It’s grown at approximately 1,300 to 2,030 metres above sea level. Altitude can influence density and development, and this range supports a more refined structure than many lower-grown Robustas
Robusta once grew wild along the northern shores of Lake Victoria. The coffee was popular among the Baganda people, whose Buganda Kingdom was dominant in the Lake Victoria region from the 1840s through to the 1890s, when King Mwanga II signed a treaty with Britain establishing Buganda as a protectorate of the British East Africa Company.
Bagandans domesticated wild Robusta and cultivated it in their household gardens. Robusta also held important cultural significance and was mainly used for traditional and cultural ceremonies.
When Europeans arrived in East Africa, they saw the dual potential of Robusta plants and the region’s fertile earth. They endeavored to make all the separate kingdoms and groups governable as a single entity by neutralizing religious and cultural differences. One of the ways they did this was by gradually minimizing the importance of Robusta in Bagandan culture. Colonizers told Bagandans that it was unhealthy to drink coffee or chew the beans. As Robusta lost significance in the culture, the British began commoditizing it.
Coffee from Uganda
Uganda is the native home to one species of Robusta, and commercial coffee production in the country goes back to the beginning of the 20th century.
The bulk of our Ugandan coffee is sourced from the West, near the Rwenzori Mountains. The biggest difference between East (Mount Elgon) and West (Rwenzori) is that Mount Elgon is a more established and competitive market. We are excited to be at the forefront of the drive for enhancing coffee production infrastructure, developing the industry and becoming reliable partners for farmers in the Rwenzori Mountain region.
It is clear to us that the potential in this region might exceed our expectations and even the potential of the popular Mount Elgon region. With an ever-growing demand for high quality Arabicas and a sustained interest from roasters and coffee drinkers in the East African origins, we are very confident that, with diligence and effort, Western Ugandan coffees will be able to take their place alongside the other great East African coffees.