Bugisu AA and A: washed Arabica from Mount Elgon

What Bugisu is

Bugisu (also spelled Bugishu) is the sub-region on the western and southern slopes of Mount Elgon, an extinct volcano on Uganda's border with Kenya. Coffee has been grown and washed here for a century, and “Bugisu” became the trade name for the region's washed Arabica. Grading follows the Uganda export standard: AA is the top screen grade, with about 90 percent of beans retained above screen 17 and a low defect count; A follows; B and PB (peaberry) complete the range.

Where it grows

Smallholder gardens between roughly 1,600 and 2,000 metres in Mbale, Sironko, Bududa, Kapchorwa and Kween districts, on deep volcanic soils under banana and shade trees. Higher up, around Sipi Falls and Kapchorwa, the coffee is often marketed under the Sipi name. Read the regional guide: Mount Elgon, Bugisu and Sipi Falls.

How it is processed

Cherry is delivered to cooperative or private washing stations, pulped the same day, fermented for 24–48 hours, washed and graded in channels and dried slowly on raised beds. Dry parchment is hulled, screen-graded, density-sorted and hand- or machine-sorted at a grading factory before export. See processing.

Cup

A classic washed East African profile: bright citric to winey acidity, medium-to-heavy body, blackcurrant and dark fruit, cocoa in the finish. It roasts well across a range and is used both as a single origin and as the acidity component in blends. Descriptors and scores published on lot pages come from cupping reports for that lot.

Buying Bugisu AA

Fresh-crop Bugisu is available from about January. Specialty roasters usually buy in pallet quantities; commercial roasters and importers take containers. An evaluation sample (300 g) is the first step, followed by a pre-shipment sample from the prepared lot once contracted.

Standard specification — Bugisu AA and A

Species / varieties

Coffea arabica; SL14, SL28, Nyasaland and KP types predominate (variety stated per lot where verified)

Grade AA

Screen 17 and above, approximately 90% retention; defect tolerance up to about 5% by the Uganda export standard (measured value per lot)

Grade A

Screen 15 and above; slightly wider defect tolerance

Process

Fully washed: pulped at washing stations, fermented, washed, dried on raised beds as parchment, hulled and graded

Altitude

Roughly 1,600–2,000 m (stated per lot where verified)

Harvest

October – February; fresh crop shipping from about January

Moisture

Maximum 12.5%; measured value per lot

Cup

Citric to winey acidity, medium-to-heavy body, blackcurrant, dark chocolate, long finish in good lots; lot-specific descriptors from the cupping report

Packaging

60 kg jute with hermetic liner; pallet or container quantities

Incoterms

FOB Mombasa standard; FCA Kampala; delivery via importer partners on request

Reported export unit values, December 2025: Bugisu AA US$7.75/kg; Bugisu AB US$6.50/kg; Mount Elgon A+ US$8.24/kg (MAAIF export report). Historical reference only.