• New

Uganda

Mzungu Project, 24/25 Crop

Cup Notes: Elderflower, Pineapple, Raspberry, Red Apple, Chocolate

A triumphant return of our most beloved coffee! Bursting with intensity and vibrant fruit notes thanks to its special proprietary fermentation, this cup delights with a clean, bold flavour and a beautifully balanced acidity that makes it truly one of a kind – unmatched and unforgettable.

Suggested for espresso and filter

when we roast

We freshly roast to order all coffees on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (excluding national holidays), and ship the same day! Cut-off time is 11:59pm (UTC+1) of the day before the roast day. *We only ship whole beans*

Details

Producer
Francis Kipsang
Country
Uganda
Terroir
Sipi Falls
Altitude
1900-2000 masl
Process
Gardelli Red
Arabica cultivar
SL28
Picked in
November 2024
Arrived in
April 2025
Shipped in
Jute + GrainPro
Roast profile by
Rubens Gardelli
Roasted on
Customised solid-drum roaster

Suggested brewing recipe

To help you make the best out of your coffee, Rubens has crafted recipes for brewing this particular lot in filter.

There are two recipes: one for conical brewer (think V60) and one for flat-bottom brewer (think Kalita), however you can surely brew our coffees with any other brewing device, such as immersion brewers.

Please remember that these recipes are intended as starting points and may require further adjustments if the equipment you use is not identical to the one in the recipe; the characteristics of water used can also make a big difference in brewing.

Finally, the recipes suited specifically to Rubens’ roasting style, hence we do not guarantee that they will work as a universal reference.

Have fun brewing!

V60 STYLE
Coffee:
17g
Grind:
Comandante 15 clicks (medium)
Water:
250g (40tds) at 94 Celsius
Filter model:
Cafec Abaca+
Time:
2:05
Brew strenght:
1,35 tds
FLATBED
Coffee:
17g
Grind:
Comandante 13 clicks (medium)
Water:
250g (40tds) at 94 Celsius
Filter model:
Stagg [X], Fellow
Time:
2:20
Brew strenght:
1,29 tds

THE STORY BEHIND

Rubens initiated the Mzungu Project in Uganda, a nation often overlooked in the specialty coffee scene. Initially, he committed to supporting an unknown and relatively small coffee farmer, Francis Kipsang, by purchasing his entire harvest - a gesture that had a positive impact on the farmer’s life. Rubens paid the price significantly higher than the industry standards, offering a substantial base premium and an additional bonus based on the coffee’s quality.

To ensure the quality of the coffee he would receive, Rubens has personally developed a special fermentation process called “Gardelli Red”, which enhances naturally present flavours and a well-rounded profile of the coffee. During his visits to Uganda, Rubens also shared the best practices for sorting, selection, fermentation, and drying with local farmers. He actively encouraged the participation of women and girls in production. This approach led to a remarkable improvement in the quality of the coffee produced. The

Mzungu Project has radically changed the approach to coffee cultivation in the Sipi Falls region - Uganda, providing well-being to both farmers and consumers and establishing a partnership destined to flourish. Francis Kipsang saw his dreams come true thanks to this partnership. With the earnings from the sale of his coffee, roasted by Rubens, Francis managed to build a new home for his family and to enrol his son in university, thus opening him a door to a promising future.

But Rubens’ vision doesn’t stop there. His longtime dream is to construct a new school for the children in Sipi Falls. This school will serve as a beacon of hope and opportunity for the younger generation, offering them a high-quality education and a chance to pursue their dreams.

This extraordinary collaboration between Rubens Gardelli and local Ugandan coffee producers is an example of how the business world can have a positive impact on the lives of communities and individuals. It’s a success story that illustrates how coffee can be more than just a delicious beverage - it can also be a vehicle of hope and change.

The SL28 variety is grown at 1900 masl and processed using a proprietary natural method which is unique to Uganda!⁠⁠
This rare coffee lot has astonishing and complex flavours profile you will not easily forget.⁠⁠
This coffee was presented for the first time by Rubens Gardelli during his 2017 Italy Brewers Cup (video here) and it was brewed by Michael Manhart during his 2017 World Brewers Cup performance... after all national champion presentation (open service) Michael and Mzungu were at the first place in the World!

THE VARIETY

SL28 was bred by Scott Laboratories in 1931 from Tanganyika D.R. It has become very popular throughout Kenya and is recognised as a variety of exceptional cup quality. It has wide leaves with coppery tips, and the beans are wide. At the same time, the productivity of SL28 is comparatively low. Though there is no sufficient proof, some sources claim that Scott Labs crossed mutations of French Mission, Mocha and Yemen Typica to produce SL 28. Whatever the exact genetic composition, their original goal almost certainly was to create a plant with high quality, reasonable productivity and great drought resistance.

THE FERMENTATION PROCESS

Francis’ staff are instructed to pick only perfectly ripe cherries for this lot. Given that coffee cherries do not all mature simultaneously, pickers can gather cherries from the very same tree several times, giving the less ripe ones time to reach maturity.

After picking, the cherries are manually sorted and placed to ferment with the special "Gardelli Red" protocol that imparts a warm, reddish hue to the beans, enhances their flavor notes, and results in a well-rounded taste.

Following fermentation, they are slowly dried over raised beds for more than 25 days.