Country: Uganda
Region: Bulambuli, Mbale
Varietal: SL14, SL28, KP162, KP423
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1,500 - 2,020 MASL
Cupping Notes: Bakers Chocolate, Earl Grey, Walnut
Recommended Roast:City+ to Full City
Good For: Auto-Drip, Pour Over, Espresso, Full Immersion

Description: Bulambuli is a district in Eastern Uganda near the Kenyan border, at the foot of Mt. Elgon. It’s a region with tremendous potential and has been a focus for Ibero, a Uganda based production and export group. In 2022, Ibero built the Bulambuli Washing Station: a brand new site for washing, pulping, drying and fermenting coffees. Silverback was produced there by the Bulambuli Kwigaite cooperative, which has 1,098 members. Throughout the harvest season, these members delivered their coffee cherries to the washing station. The cherries were assessed to meet quality standards and weighed. Next, they were floated to remove any low-density or damaged beans from the lot, as well as sticks or leaves. Those designed for a washed process were then machine pulped, fermented for between 12 and 72 hours, and washed. Finally, they were moved to raised beds, where they were dried for between 21 and 28 days, depending on the weather.

The farms of Bulambuli Cooperative members are around 0.45 acres, on average. They grow SL14, KP162, SL28 and KP423 varieties between 1,500 and 2,050 meters above sea level. Those at lower attitudes begin harvesting in September, while the higher-altitude regions begin in November and continue through February.

The name for this coffee comes from Ibero and “was inspired by Uganda’s most imposing yet gentle inhabitants, the Silverback gorillas. These majestic creatures display remarkable intelligence, as evidenced by their use of tools, complex communication skills and social problem-solving abilities. They’re also known for their learning capabilities, which includes the use of sign language, their strong memory skills, great capacity for empathy, deep family bonds and emotional complexity.”