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Category: Coffee

Coffee South Sudan, Equatoria
Producer Local communities of Nzara and Yambio County
Cultivar Excelsa
Process Anaerobic Honey
Location Nzara and Yambio County, South Sudan
Altitude
600 masl
Harvest 2025

 

Expect notes of Chamomile, Chestnut, Honey

Carbon negative coffee

 

 

Our second Low Caf release, and our first ever Excelsa. A 2025 paper led by researchers at Kew confirmed what growers had long suspected: Excelsa isn't a variety of Liberica but its own distinct species, Coffea dewevrei. It's a different branch of the coffee family tree, with naturally lower caffeine in the cup and no decaffeination involved.

Excelsa was first documented near Lake Chad in 1903, and South Sudan sits firmly within its ancestral range. This lot comes from Equatoria Coffee, part of a project working to re-establish Excelsa as a commercial crop in the region it came from.

Hand harvested, pulped, then sealed in tanks to ferment in its own mucilage for 72 hours before drying. Expect something softer and more savoury than our usual roster. Chamomile tea, roasted chestnuts, a thread of honey. A late-afternoon cup.

Customer Reviews (4.7 / 5 · 17 reviews)

David ★★★★★

The anaerobic honey process really shines here—sweet, almost jammy aroma without any harsh bite. Brewed it as a pour-over and the cup stayed clean and bright even as it cooled. South Sudan’s Excelsa is a hidden gem, glad I took a chance on it.

John V. ★★★★★

The anaerobic honey process really comes through—there's this subtle fruity sweetness that lingers without any bitterness. The Excelsa cultivar is a nice change of pace from the usual arabica, and it brews up surprisingly smooth. I've already ordered a second bag.

Benjamin M. ★★★★★

I brewed a cup expecting something ordinary, but the Excelsa cultivar from Nzara and Yambio County hit with a wild, fruity brightness I’ve never tasted in coffee before. The anaerobic honey process leaves this smooth, almost syrupy body that makes black coffee feel like a treat. Definitely my new we