As a frequent visitor to Kampala, Uganda, I’ve surveyed the local coffeehouses many times over for the best brew in this capital city. Despite the limited market, there are actually a few places that stand out – but Café Pap makes the most consistent enjoyable cup of coffee in this big/little city.
The espresso is smooth but with a subtle but bitter kick that the staff tries to mask behind milk, but I always get it straight up. The baristas use a La Marzocco machine and can manhandle it better than some well-trained folks in the US.
The open-air café’s ambiance has a distinctly African bourgey feel, with a boisterous, jovial clientele, football continuously playing on the big screen and an uber-friendly, if a bit lackadaisical staff.
East African coffees tend to be funky and exciting, with fruit flavors and sweet notes mixed with dark and smoky tones – there's something in the volcanic soil that's reminiscent of mankind’s origins. Café Pap doesn’t fully take advantage of this confluence of taste and opportunity, but they do keep a dilettante-cum-aficionado addict coming back for more.
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