The founder and roaster is Ali. Brixton born and bred, his path into speciality coffee was similar to my own in that it took all but a sip of this magical brew that possessed complex flavours like nothing he had tasted before and immediately becoming hooked on speciality coffee. 

This lead Ali and his partner to open a coffee shop in their local neighbourhood, Balance SW9 which is still booming today.

Roasting coffee was always the next frontier to master and after various slot roasting gigs, he decided to take the plunge and invest in their own Deidrich coffee roaster.

The name perception is to highlight that people have different tastes in coffee. This is something that I can relate to as I’m always drawn to coffees with bright acidy and fruity or floral notes whereas many people are more in favour of richer full-bodied flavour profile.

In the past I have been shocked that people didn’t like a Kenyan coffee that I made for them with bright juicy notes but I have learned that coffee is all about preference and perception of flavours, that’s why speciality coffee is so great - if we all like the same taste it would be boring.

The name Perception is also drawn from a more personal note. Growing up in South London and coming across someone dressed in a hoodie and tracksuit (Ali’s dress code) could have been attributed to drug/gang culture. Ali wants to change this Perception through coffee.

What sparked your interest in roasting coffee?

I have owned a cafe for over 6 years, so roasting coffee was just a natural progression.

What sets you guys apart from the others.

What sets me apart is this very unique palate. It allows me to choose only the best coffees 

First memory of coffee?

Mums instant coffee at the tender age of 6/7 years old.

 Favourite all-time origin/region/lot?

 My favourite all-time coffee was a lot from Bolivia 🇧🇴 sourced by Falcon Specialty. I received some samples, but by the time I placed my order it was all sold out ☹️☹️

 Favourite brew method?

My favourite brew method is the good old V60

Favourite flavour in coffee?

I’m very much attracted to the more fruity and floral notes in coffee.

Do you have a favourite coffee roaster?

At present in the UK I’m feeling the Ethiopians that Plot roasting has recently put out. 

The Ibanda coffee from Perception originates from Ibanda village in Uganda. Located in the Northern part of Kasese District, situated in one of the many valleys of the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains. 

The farmers of Ibanda village typically have between 1 and 2 acres of land and coffee is their main cash crop. Ripe, red coffee cherries are harvested daily during the harvest season and taken to Ibanda. The cherries are weighed, assessed for quality and the farmers are paid in cash. From here trucks carry the cherries to Bugoye Coffee Station. Here the cherries are floated and graded before being sundried in the polytunnels to protect them from rain.

Agri Evolve is a social enterprise working with farmers in Uganda to achieve higher yields, better quality, effective marketing so that farmers improve their productivity, increase income and profitability for themselves, their families, and their communities.

They have established a buying centre in Ibanda for the farmers of this district. Agri Evolve educates farmers on how to improve their yields by using good agricultural practices. The quality of the harvest has also been greatly improved by encouraging farmers to only pick the fully ripe cherries. This gives the best prices.

Arabica coffee has been grown in Uganda for nearly 100 years. With a temperate climate, rich soils and the right amount of rainfall, the Rwenzoris have the perfect speciality coffee growing conditions. This has not been the case in the past however as this region has a poor reputation for quality boiling down to inadequate processing from the harvest to export.

Since Agri Evolve has arrived they have turned the region full circle and now the perfect coffee growing conditions are coupled with precise processing methods, in turn, producing high-quality speciality coffee.  

Check out the video from Agri Evolve, highlighting the stunning landscape alongside the dedication and hard work that has gone into transforming communities by farming for a better future.

The coffee begins with a sweet cherry fragrance that you would expect from a natural processed coffee. The brewed coffee has a fairly full bodied and syrupy appearance. 

The first sips are medium to heavy in body with layers of cacao that create a chalky mouthfeel. It reminded me of many of the pure cacao drinks they serve in South America with a touch of panela. 

The coffee is really enjoyable right from the beginning. With a muted acidy the sweet and subtle flavours take over, a suggestion of raspberry as the coffee cools that evolves into a nutty praline flavour into the aftertaste. 

The Ibanda is a wonderfully smooth cup, the sweet profile is incredibly satisfying and I think you’ll find it hard to find a coffee lover that doesn’t like this coffee. This could even be the one to try and turn non-coffee folk to the dark side.

Brewing the Ibanda as a cafetiere was one of my favourite brew methods and found that the smooth and silky cacao flavours were highlighted throughout.