The Best African Coffee Beans You've Never Tried (2026)

When people think of African coffee, Ethiopia usually comes to mind first — and for good reason. But Ethiopia is just the beginning. Across Uganda, Cameroon, Burundi, the DRC, and South Africa, some of the world's most complex and undiscovered specialty coffees are being grown by farmers who have been perfecting their craft for generations.

Most of these coffees never make it to mainstream shelves. At Joro, sourcing them — and ensuring the farmers behind them are paid a living wage — is the whole point.

Here's your guide to the African coffee regions worth knowing.

Uganda: Ngoma

Uganda doesn't get nearly enough credit in the specialty coffee world. The high-altitude regions around Mount Elgon and the Rwenzori Mountains produce washed arabicas with a clarity and fruit complexity that rivals Ethiopia's best.

Joro's Ngoma from Uganda delivers berries and caramel — a bright, jammy cup that's surprisingly easy to drink and endlessly interesting. It's the coffee that converts people who think they don't like specialty coffee.

Cameroon: Afrobeats

Cameroon is one of Africa's best-kept coffee secrets. The country's Arabica production — grown in the highlands of the West and Northwest regions — produces a distinctly spiced, full-bodied coffee that doesn't taste like anything from East Africa.

Joro's Afrobeats from Cameroon brings blood orange brightness and warm spice on the finish — a combination that makes it one of our most distinctive offerings. Perfect for anyone who wants a coffee that surprises them.

Burundi: African Queen

Burundi's Kayanza region sits at over 1,800 meters and produces some of the most precisely cultivated coffee in Africa. The country has invested heavily in washing station infrastructure, and the result is a clean, complex cup that consistently scores in the top tier of specialty coffee competitions.

Joro's African Queen carries orange and dark chocolate — a classic Kayanza flavor profile that's elegant and deeply satisfying.

DRC: Kwasa Kwasa

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the most underrated origin in African coffee. The eastern DRC — particularly around the shores of Lake Kivu — produces arabicas grown at high altitude with bright citrus and chocolate notes. The instability of the region has historically made sourcing difficult, which is exactly why Living Wage Verified sourcing matters so much here.

Kwasa Kwasa from Twende in the DRC is bright, chocolatey, and carries the weight of a place doing extraordinary things under extraordinary circumstances.

South Africa: Amapiano

South Africa is a newer entrant to the specialty coffee world as a producer, but the quality being achieved in the small growing regions around Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal is remarkable. Amapiano brings dark chocolate and caramel — a rich, smooth cup that's also one of the most versatile in the Joro lineup.

Why African Coffee Deserves Your Attention

The global specialty coffee market is growing rapidly — and the most exciting growth is happening in origins that have been overlooked for decades. African coffees offer flavor complexity that South American and Asian origins rarely match. And when you're buying from a Living Wage Verified source like Joro, you're part of a supply chain that actually benefits the people at the beginning of it.

Explore the full Joro Africa lineup at jorocoffee.com — and discover which continent has been growing your new favorite cup all along.