The grade names
Uganda's Arabica grading scheme separates coffee by process and region. Bugisu is washed Arabica from Mount Elgon graded AA, A, B and PB. Everything else is either Wugar — washed Uganda Arabica — or Drugar — dry (natural) Uganda Arabica. The names are trade shorthand rather than quality tiers: a Wugar lot from a good Rwenzori washing station can cup as well as a Bugisu AA, and a well-prepared Drugar is a sought-after espresso component.
Drugar: natural Uganda Arabica
Ripe cherry is sun-dried whole on tarpaulins or raised beds, then hulled. The result is a heavy-bodied, sweet, fruit-forward coffee with lower acidity than washed lots — dried fruit, cocoa and a syrupy mouthfeel in good preparations. Drugar comes mainly from the Rwenzori mountains and West Nile, where smallholders traditionally dry cherry at home. Quality varies with drying discipline, so defect count and moisture matter; we publish both per lot. Drugar is widely used in espresso blends for sweetness and body and, in well-sorted lots, as a natural-process single origin.
Wugar: washed Uganda Arabica
Cherry delivered to a washing station is pulped, fermented, washed and dried as parchment — the same route as Bugisu, but from Rwenzori, West Nile or other regions outside the Bugisu grading scheme. Wugar cups cleaner and brighter than Drugar, with citric acidity and a medium body; the best Rwenzori washed lots are marketed separately as Rwenzori AA and commanded a reported export value of US$13.34 per kilogram in December 2025 (MAAIF).
How they compare with Bugisu
| Bugisu AA | Wugar | Drugar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Process | Washed | Washed | Natural |
| Region | Mount Elgon | Rwenzori, West Nile, other | Rwenzori, West Nile |
| Cup | Winey acidity, blackcurrant, medium-heavy body | Citric acidity, clean, medium body | Sweet, heavy, dried fruit, low acidity |
| Typical use | Single origin, blends | Single origin, blends | Espresso blends, natural single origin |
| Harvest | Oct – Feb | Two windows | Two windows |
Uses and buyers
Roasters buy Drugar for the body and sweetness it brings to espresso blends; specialty roasters look for clean, well-sorted natural lots to feature. Wugar is bought as a value alternative to Bugisu or, in the case of Rwenzori AA, as a premium washed single origin. Importers carry both as part of a Uganda Arabica offer.
Standard specification — Drugar and Wugar
- Drugar
- Dry Uganda Arabica: ripe cherry sun-dried whole, hulled; heavy body, sweet, fruit-forward; graded by screen and defects; reported export value US$7.13/kg in Dec 2025
- Wugar
- Washed Uganda Arabica: pulped, fermented, washed, dried as parchment; cleaner, brighter cup; reported export value US$7.93/kg in Dec 2025
- Varieties
- SL14, SL28, Nyasaland, KP and local selections (stated per lot where verified)
- Altitude
- Roughly 1,400–2,200 m (stated per lot where verified)
- Harvest
- Two windows in Rwenzori and West Nile: roughly March – June and October – December
- Moisture
- Maximum 12.5%; measured value per lot
- Defects
- Counted per 300 g at grading; measured value per lot
- Packaging
- 60 kg jute with hermetic liner; pallet or container quantities
- Incoterms
- FOB Mombasa standard; FCA Kampala; delivery via importer partners on request
Export values are Uganda's reported unit values for December 2025 (MAAIF export report) — historical reference, not our prices.
Current offer list
Available lots in this grade
No lots are published on the site right now. We publish a lot only once it has been graded and a specification exists, so the list is accurate rather than long.
Tell us the grade, quantity and shipment window you are working to and we will reply with what is available or expected from the current harvest.
Frequently asked questions
What does Drugar stand for?
Drugar is the Uganda trade grade for dry-processed (natural) Arabica — the name compresses “dry Uganda Arabica”. Ripe cherry is sun-dried whole and then hulled.
What does Wugar stand for?
Wugar is the trade grade for washed Uganda Arabica produced outside the Bugisu (Mount Elgon) grading scheme — “washed Uganda Arabica”. It comes mainly from the Rwenzori mountains and West Nile.
Is Drugar good for espresso?
Yes. Its heavy body, sweetness and low acidity make Drugar a common component of espresso blends, where it adds weight and dried-fruit sweetness. Well-sorted lots also work as a natural-process single origin.
Which is better, Drugar or Wugar?
Neither — they are different processes for different uses. Wugar is cleaner and brighter; Drugar is sweeter and heavier. Quality within each depends on the lot, which is why we publish measured moisture, defects and cupping data per lot.
When are Drugar and Wugar available?
Rwenzori and West Nile have two harvest windows, roughly March to June and October to December, so fresh lots arrive twice a year. Ask for the current availability.