Uganda is the world’s # 8 coffee producer and, after Vietnam the largest exporter of Robusta Kahawa – coffee in Swaheli
- Robusta originally comes from Uganda and is growing wild.
- Arabica Coffee has been cultivated at 1,300 – 2,300 m altidude since the 20th century in Bugisu on Mount Elgon and Ruwenzori Mountains.
- The distribution is as follows: 80% Robusta coffee and 20% Arabica.
- The cultivation is done by 90% of small farmers.
- Robusta coffee grows mainly in the regions of Lake Victoria Basin and West Nile at altitudes of up to 1,500 m and is only wet-processed.
- According to Ethiopia Uganda is the 2nd largest coffee exporter in Africa with up to 2.5% of the world harvest.
- However, the climate change could soon mean the end of the Robusta cultivation, since it becomes too hot.
- Tastefully, the Ugandan Arabica coffee is stronger and more intense compared to other African, but still with fresh fruit notes.
- Robusta has a very spicy flavour, a full aroma with only light acidity and is thus very digestible.
- In 2013, the Uganda Coffee Farmers Alliance (UCFA) – an association of 54,000 small farmers – began to capture and manage their coffee deliveries with a smartphone app. This makes the kahawa production more transparent and efficient, which benefits the farmers.
Traditional Preparation of Coffee (Kahawa) in Uganda
Kahawa
- Ingredients: 250 ml of water, seeds of 2 cardamom capsules, 3 tsp of coffee, (optionally 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom and 1/4 ground ginger)
- Method 1: Bring all the ingredients together to the boil in a cooking pot. Reduce heat and allow 10 to 15 min. cooking.
- Method 2. Bring water and cardamom seeds to the boil. Cook 10 min. Add coffee. Simmer further 5 min. Then add the optional spices.
- Then pour through a strainer into a coffee pot and serve hot.
!!!Attention to the purchase of coffee: the world’s largest raw coffee group Neumann Group, Hamburg is to have been involved in 2001, expel over 2,000 people.