September 2026

Bujuku Valley is a stunning high altitude glacial valley in the Rwenzori Mountains of western Uganda, just north of Lake George. The Kasese region has some of the best conditions in the country for producing specialty Arabica coffee, with high elevations, rich volcanic soils, and plenty of rainfall.

For a long time, though, the area hasn’t been able to fully realise its coffee potential. Widespread poverty, limited infrastructure, and decades of political instability and underinvestment have all made it difficult for farmers to access specialty markets. That’s slowly changing. More specialty coffee producers are now working directly with smallholder farmers across the Rwenzori Mountains to improve quality, increase yields, and build a more sustainable and fair coffee industry in the region.

This lot comes from a group of smallholder farmers in Kasese, where farms sit between 1,200 and 2,000 metres above sea level. They grow Nyasaland, one of the oldest Arabica varieties found in East Africa, alongside well known varieties such as SL14 and SL28.

The coffee is processed using Uganda’s traditional natural method, known as DRUGAR (Dried Uganda Arabica). After the cherries are hand picked, they’re sorted for quality. The freshly harvested cherries are usually placed in water tanks, where low density, under ripe, and damaged cherries float and are removed, leaving the best fruit behind.

The remaining cherries are then dried on African raised beds. During drying, workers regularly turn and agitate the cherries to ensure they dry evenly. Once the coffee reaches the target moisture level, it’s hulled to remove the dried fruit from the bean before being prepared for export.

Natural processing typically produces a coffee with a fuller body, a sweeter, more fruit forward character, and plenty of intensity in the cup. This lot is a great example of that style and works particularly well as an espresso.

This coffee comes from smallholder farmers in Uganda’s high-altitude Rwenzori Mountains, where fertile volcanic soils and abundant rainfall create ideal growing conditions. Naturally processed using the traditional DRUGAR method, it offers a rich body, bright fruit sweetness, and a bold, expressive cup, with notes of dark chocolate, cranberry, and cinnamon.

Concepción de Ataco, in the Ahuachapán department of western El Salvador, is one of the country’s most recognised coffee growing areas. It sits within the Apaneca Mountain Range, a region well known for producing some of El Salvador’s finest coffees. The combination of high altitudes, rich volcanic soils, and a cooler mountain climate creates the perfect environment for growing coffees that are full bodied, sweet, and full of complexity.

El Molino is the largest farm owned by the Salaverria family, with a varied landscape that creates a range of growing conditions. Much of the farm sits on slopes facing away from the ocean, meaning some areas are more exposed to wind and require carefully planted windbreaks, while others benefit from greater shade. The farm stretches across a broad elevation range, with El Padre making up the lowest section and Buena Vista occupying the highest point.

Bourbon is the dominant coffee variety grown at El Molino, with much of the remaining area planted with Hybrido de San Francisco (HSF). The farm is also home to Pacas, a variety native to El Salvador that played an important role in the development of HSF on another Jasal farm, San Francisco. Pacas is a naturally occurring single gene mutation of Bourbon and is recognised by its compact size and distinctive green tipped leaves. Its dwarf growth habit allows trees to be planted more densely, increasing the number of coffee trees per hectare and offering the potential for higher yields.

The farm is managed by Tomas Mendoza, who has been part of the Jasal team for more than ten years. He is currently overseeing the removal of El Molino's old processing station. Before Jasal purchased Las Cruces in 2002, El Molino served as the company's main processing centre. Today, all of Jasal's coffees are processed at the Las Cruces beneficio, although El Molino still retains some drying patios that are used during the busiest part of the harvest.

El Molino is a coffee farm in Concepción de Ataco, western El Salvador, a region known for producing exceptional coffee thanks to its high altitude, volcanic soil, and cool climate. Managed by Tomas Mendoza, El Molino is now used primarily for drying coffee during the harvest, while processing takes place at Jasal’s Las Cruces facility. Roasted to a medium level for our Discovery Subscription, this coffee offers a classic smooth and sweet flavour profile with notes of light caramel, Apricot, and smooth milk chocolate.