What Is Sudan Rume Coffee?

Spotted: a coffee so rare it makes Gesha look like a supermarket blend. You’ve seen the price tag. Here’s why it earns it.

Short answer: Sudan Rume is a rare coffee variety that comes from wild coffee trees on the Boma Plateau, in what is now South Sudan. It is hard to grow and gives very little fruit, so you rarely see it sold on its own.

• Type: A coffee variety (like a grape variety in wine), not a place or a process
• Origin: Boma Plateau, South Sudan, near the Ethiopian border
• Why it’s rare: Low yields and a fussy plant
• What it tastes like: Floral, stone fruit, citrus, with a creamy body

Where it comes from

The Boma Plateau is one of the few places outside Ethiopia where Arabica coffee grows wild. Sudan Rume was collected there in the 1940s and taken to research stations, where it was kept alive in gene banks.

Why breeders care about it

Arabica coffee has very little genetic variety, which makes it fragile against disease and a changing climate. Sudan Rume’s wild background is useful to breeders. It is one of the parents of the hybrid Centroamericano, and it passes on cup quality and resilience.

Why you almost never see it

The plant gives very little fruit and needs careful farming. Most of what is grown goes into breeding or blends. A bag of pure Sudan Rume means a farmer chose to grow a difficult, low-paying plant because the cup is worth it.

Our Sudan Rume

Ours is grown by Edinson Argote in Huila, Colombia. It is washed after a 96-hour yeast fermentation, and it tastes like orange marmalade, yellow apricots and elderflower. See Sudan Rume, Colombia.

Quick answers

Is Sudan Rume the same as Gesha?

No. Both are rare varieties with Ethiopian roots and floral cups, but they are different plants. Sudan Rume usually has more body and stone fruit; Gesha is lighter and more tea-like.

Why is it expensive?

The plant produces very little, so every kilo costs the farmer more to grow.

How should I brew it?

Start small so you don’t waste it: 15g of coffee to 250g of water at 92 to 93°C, medium grind, in a V60 or similar. If it tastes sour or grassy, grind finer. If it tastes dry or bitter, grind coarser.

Should I add milk?

You can, but try it black first. The floral notes are the point, and they show up more as the cup cools.

More of our rare and experimental lots are in Angry coffees.

Read next: Sudan Rume Colombia V60 Recipe: A Small, Safe Brew · Coffee Varieties, Explained: Bourbon, Caturra, Gesha and More · What Is Gesha Coffee?

You know you love it.
xoxo, The Angry Roaster