REGION: Tangwen, Sipi, Mount Elgon
ALTITUDE: 1900 - 2050 MASL
VARIETAL: SL28 & SL34
PROCESS: Natural Passionfruit Coferment

This experimental microlot comes from a small community of producers in Tangwen, in Uganda’s Sipi region on the slopes of Mount Elgon. Known for consistently producing some of the finest coffees on the mountain, the Tangwen farmer group continues to push boundaries in processing and quality.

For this lot, ripe cherries are carefully hand-picked and sorted by density using a floatation method, with lower-quality cherries removed. The selected cherries then undergo an extended anaerobic fermentation in sealed tanks—with the addition of fresh passionfruit pulp - lasting up to 60 hours. Once fermentation is complete, the coffee is slow-dried on shaded raised beds for up to 30 days, allowing complex fruit notes to develop naturally.

After drying, the coffee rests for about a month before being dry milled, sorted, and prepared for export in GrainPro/Ecotact bags to preserve its unique character.

Mount Elgon, an ancient extinct volcano straddling the border with Kenya, provides a remarkable terroir for arabica coffee. Rich volcanic soils, high altitudes (1,200–2,200masl), consistent rainfall, and plentiful sunshine create ideal growing conditions. Coffee has been cultivated here for over a century, Tangwen sits in the very micro-region where arabica was first planted in Uganda around 1920, using stock brought from Kenya.

Though the region is steeped in coffee history, it’s producers like those in Tangwen, working with partners like Zukuka Bora, who are helping shape the future of Ugandan specialty coffee through innovation, community, and exceptional cup quality.