Wanale
‘Juicy Filter’ by Uganda
Milk Chocolate, Caramel, Raisin, Apple
Ready for a juice bomb in your mouth? Think of a buzzball, but without the alcohol. Extremely juicy. Extremely quaffable. Extremely Ugandan.
Provenance
Country: Uganda
Region: Bududa
Altitude: 1300-1600masl
Region: Nyasaland, SL14, SL28
Process: Washed
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Tasting Notes
Aroma: Warming, Floral, Spices
Acidity: Crisp Apple
Body: Medium, Sweet, rounded
Flavour: Milk Chocolate, Caramel, Raisin, Apple
Finish: Rounded, syrupy
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Music Breakdown
Genre: Jazz
Tempo: 60bpm
Melody: Just pure jazz, man.
Bass, Mid, Trebble: The balance is quite something in this one; no one tops another, but the treble of the trumpet really sparkles.
Mood: Make a batch. Drink it. Repeat.
A Little Deeper - Wanale
At the foothills of Mount Elgon in Eastern Uganda lies The Coffee Yard, a large coffee drying centre established by Norman Mukuru. A highly regarded coffee professional with decades of experience and expertise, Norman works with lead farmers from the surrounding communities of Mt. Elgon to produce high-quality washed & naturals with a diverse range of cup profiles. Wanale, the prominent peak of this mountain which overlooks Mbale City, is where this coffee gets its name. Grown at elevations between 1,300 and 1,600 metres above sea level, the source of the coffee comes from several areas of Mt. Elgon: Bududa (59%), Mbale (19%), Kapchorwa (14%), Sironko (7%), and Bulambuli (1%).
As this coffee is washed, the lead farmers are responsible for pulping, fermenting and drying the beans, leaving them in parchment form. The Coffee Yard then purchases the coffee at this stage, typically at moisture levels of 13-15%, where each lot is first evaluated through defect and sensory analysis. Only those that have passed this rigorous inspection and match the desired profiles are selected to undergo final drying, categorisation and cupping process to ensure consistency and quality before milling and final sorting.
Established in 2018, The Coffee Yard works closely with lead farmers in the region and surrounding areas. These lead farmers are highly trusted, business-minded individuals within their communities who shoulder the majority of responsibility for purchasing parchment locally, helping maintain quality control right at the source. Working with over 3,500 smallholder farmers, The Coffee Yard is a women-led, impact-driven company with sustainability at its heart. Norman and his team have trained this network of farmers to meet various internationally recognised standards, including Rainforest Alliance certification.
As for the coffee itself, we cannot get enough of just how juicy this coffee is. Opening the bag, you are hit with a wall of orchard fruit: smells of apples, plums, cherries all seep their way into the back of your nose. Yet, not one part of this coffee is overpowering; none of the notes tries to make themselves the star of the show, but instead all work together in harmony to create a gorgeous balance of acidity, sweetness and mouthfeel. Upon tasting, there is a clear, crisp apple brightness which sits alongside a rich dried fruit sweetness. This is then rounded out by creamy milk chocolate and smooth caramel notes, creating a rounded, mellow and truly quaffable cup. Loud and proud but never cocky, bright horns are the signature of this coffee.
