Uganda Mt Eglon - Black Honey SL14/SL28

Origin: Uganda
Region: Mt. Elgon
Producer: Various Smallholder Farmers, Kyagalanyi Coffee
Elevation: 1,600–1,800 MASL
Variety: SL14, SL28
Process: Black Honey
Harvest: August–January
Tasting Notes
Dark Chocolate • Golden Raisin • Cranberry • Rose
 
About This Coffee
Mt. Elgon Black Honey offers a vibrant expression of Ugandan specialty coffee, combining the richness of dark chocolate with layers of golden raisin, bright cranberry, and delicate floral notes of rose. The Black Honey process creates a syrupy sweetness and creamy body while preserving the clarity and balance that make this coffee exceptionally approachable.
The result is a cup with remarkable complexity—fruit-forward without overwhelming brightness, chocolatey without feeling heavy, and floral enough to keep every sip interesting. Whether brewed as a pour over or espresso, it showcases the exciting direction of Uganda's growing specialty coffee industry.
 
About the Farm
This coffee is produced by smallholder farmers on the fertile slopes of Mt. Elgon, an ancient extinct volcano that straddles the Uganda–Kenya border. Growing between 1,600 and 1,800 meters above sea level, the combination of volcanic soils, cool mountain temperatures, abundant rainfall, and natural shade creates ideal conditions for slowly ripening Arabica cherries that develop exceptional sweetness and density.
The coffee is processed by Kyagalanyi Coffee, one of Uganda's longest-established specialty coffee exporters and a leader in quality improvement throughout the country. Working with more than 26,000 farming households, Kyagalanyi provides agronomic training, sustainability education, improved market access, and premium pricing for high-quality ripe cherries. Through the Volcafe Way sustainability program, the organization has helped producers increase yields, improve coffee quality, and strengthen household incomes while promoting environmentally responsible farming practices.
The Black Honey process begins by removing the coffee cherry's skin while intentionally leaving nearly all of the sticky fruit mucilage intact. The coffee is then dried slowly on raised beds, allowing the remaining sugars to caramelize naturally around the bean. This careful process enhances sweetness, body, and fruit complexity, producing a cup that bridges the clean structure of a washed coffee with many of the rich, fruit-driven characteristics of a natural process.
Today, coffees from Mt. Elgon represent the rapid evolution of Uganda's specialty coffee sector. Through continued investment in producer education, modern processing techniques, and sustainable farming, the region has earned a reputation for producing distinctive, high-quality coffees that rival some of East Africa's most celebrated origins.