Tasting Notes
Plump, juicy fruits leap to the front of this Ugandan treasure: cherry, plum and wild berry take the lead. Buttery caramel and cocoa round out the finish and a bright, vibrant acidity invites another sip.
The Rwenzori mountains straddle the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The highest peaks are permanently snow-capped and are often referred to as the Mountains of the Moon.
Please note: Custom grinding is no longer available.
Rating: 89 Points (out of 100)
Complex, deeply expressed aroma: molasses, dark chocolate, slightly scorched cedar, a hit of flowers. Richly tart acidity; heavy, syrupy mouthfeel. The complex aromatics carry into cup and finish, where a tart astringency jostles with a continued chocolate-and-molasses sweetness.
— Kenneth Davids, CoffeeReview.com, September, 2012
About Green Mountain Coffee®
A great tasting cup of coffee can give you a whole new perspective. It's a moment to pause, reflect, and reprioritize. That moment is what inspires us to make coffee that benefits everyone it touches. From carefully sourcing and roasting the highest quality beans, to supporting small farms and protecting the environment, we focus on what's important.
That's why we at Green Mountain Coffee® believe a good cup of coffee can change your day... but a great cup of coffee can help change the world.
Notes From Origin
GMCR Director of Coffee Sourcing and Relationships Lindsey Bolger bowed her head and slowly backed away. She was careful not to turn her back to Her Royal Highness because she knew that would be a serious breach of protocol. She was in Uganda, in the presence of Queen Agnes of the Rwenzururu Kingdom, and she was on a quest. She'd been invited to join the Queen on a visit to four remote communities in the Rwenzori Mountains with the hope of finding coffee beans worthy of the Special Reserve label.
This particular journey had started exactly one year earlier, when Lindsey's, prior trip to Uganda yielded some interesting discoveries. "We were exploring additional sources for the fine-washed Arabicas that east Africa is famous for," she remembers. "While cupping with a local supplier in Kampala, my spoon kept drifting to a particular coffee sample that was set apart from the others."
The bold and intensly flavored cup was revealed to be a natural process coffee from the
Rwenzururu Kingdom of western Uganda. Its flavor was entirely different from the other coffees on the table. Rather than displaying the tea-like delicacy with berry and citrus flavors of a fine-washed African coffee, this cup had a deep and fruity, dynamic complexity that was distinct enough to warrant further exploration.
Lindsey quickly scheduled a return trip, and was connected with the queen, whose royal cause is promoting the coffee of her people. "We went to Uganda looking for one thing and discovered another," Lindsey says. "It's a great example of the serendipity that can be the result of being open to the unexpected. Finding unique and exceptional coffee is about being on the ground and going far, far up the supply chain and working closely with those who can influence coffee flavor and quality."