Description
This is wild wild west PNG coffee versus the Sigri and Kimel which are nice traditional estate models (although still wilder than most farms we would usually think of). Basically, coffee cherries funnel in every day to these operations, farmers and family members pick the cherry from everywhere they can – parks, natural areas, villages, small farms etc… They then bring the cherry to a centralized processing center, who judges the quality of the beans and purchases them assuming the quality is on par. Holds a little different cup profile than the estate coffees but wonderful in its own regard.
Goroka, the closest urban center to Bena Coffee Farm, one of the main highland towns on the westbound Highlands Highway—the rugged, and only, official route connecting the East coast of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and its industrial port of Lae with the island’s central rainforests. Goroka is a small trading city erected in an oval around its central airstrip. It is also the industrial center to a significant portion of the country’s coffee consolidation and upstream purchasing.
From its earliest introduction to present day, the arabica gene stock in the Eastern Highlands is considered to be one of PNG’s strongest natural assets, not to mention one of the best-preserved typica lineage variety sets in the world. These delicate genetics clearly thrive in the country’s highlands, which are some of the most virgin and fertile on the planet. Between World Wars I and II, Australian settlers would establish more and more large coffee estates in the Eastern Highlands. A
Tasting Notes: The cup is fuller bodied and a bit creamier, lower acidity and rich. At lighter roasts, a little acidity can be found which brings small notes of nutty, caramel and floral tones but can risk a little earthiness if too light. Anything even into the medium roast range is pretty chocolaty and smooth with just a pinch of a spice note. Darker roasts get a bit fuller bodied and roasty with some nice smoky accents.
Roasting Notes: Easy to roast, a nice processing batch. Roasts fairly even and is tasty at a little fuller roast points. For a milder everyday drinker, a nice stronger medium roast (a little before 2nd crack) is good. Darker roasts (into 2nd crack) get bolder and a little more semi-sweet chocolaty but the roasty notes compliment the cup and darker roast fans will love it.
To learn more about PNG’s unusual coffee industry, check out our recent blog article “The Wild West of Coffee Production.”
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