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.
This coffee is sourced from farms organized around the Siane Organic Agriculture Cooperative (SOAC) located in the Chuave district within the province of Chimbu, Papua New Guinea. SOAC accesses the international coffee markets for farmers, creating greater earning capacity from direct trade relationships. SOAC also assist farmers with financing, coffee quality improvement, organic certification, and community based projects that promote gender equality and education.
Simbu, officially spelled Chimbu, is a Highlands Region province in Papua New Guinea. The province has an area of 6,112 km² and the capital of the province is Kundiawa. Mount Wilhelm (4509m), the tallest mountain in Papua New Guinea, is on the northern border of Simbu. Simbu in the local dialect really means Sipuuuu, which means “thank you”. Simbu is located in the central highlands cordillera of Papua New Guinea. It shares geographic and political boundaries with five provinces: Jiwaka, Eastern Highlands, Southern Highlands, Gulf and Madang. It is a significant source of organically produced coffee.
To learn more about PNG’s unusual coffee industry, check out our recent blog article “The Wild West of Coffee Production.”
Tasting Notes: The cup is best from medium to dark roasts. Medium bodied, lower acidity and rich. A little hint of acidity upfront which leaves a little hint of caramel/floral at the lighter roast points but can risk a bit of earthiness. 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 or touching 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.
UrDad (verified owner) –
Roasting this on the dark side, with heat gun dog bowl method, which allows me to smoke a majority of the beans, but then purposely leave some not as dark. This is as smooth as it gets.