September 18, 2023 4 min read
Papua New Guinea Coffee: A Wild Frontier with a Reputable Coffee Industry
Papua New Guinea is a small country located in Oceania, just north of Australia. It is a bit of a wild frontier, with tribes that exist who have had little contact with the modern world. There are over 800 languages spoken in the country, and only 18% of the population lives in urbanized areas.
Despite its remote location and challenging conditions, Papua New Guinea has a fairly reputable coffee industry. The country's first coffee plants were recorded in the 1800s, but it wasn't until the 1920s that commercial coffee production really took off.
Today, Papua New Guinea is known for its high-quality Arabica coffee, which is grown in the highlands of the country. The coffee is known for its complex flavor profile, with notes of chocolate, berries, and nuts.
Papua New Guinea coffee is grown by both smallholder farmers and large plantations. Smallholder farmers account for the majority of the country's coffee production.
Papua New Guinea coffee is exported to all over the world, but it is particularly popular in the United States, Australia, and Japan. The coffee is used in a variety of blends and single-origin coffees.
If you are looking for a unique and high-quality coffee experience, be sure to try Papua New Guinea coffee.
Here are some of the things that make Papua New Guinea coffee special:
If you are looking for a delicious and unique coffee experience, be sure to try Papua New Guinea coffee.
Characteristics of Papua New Guinea Coffee
More than 90% of the coffee grown in Papua New Guinea is from smallholder coffee farms or small village "coffee gardens", while the rest of the coffee is grown on large plantations. There is a distinct difference in the Papua New Guinea coffee taste profiles, largely due to the way the coffee beans are processed.
Papua New Guinea Estate coffees (graded A, X, C and PB) are weighed and pulped at a central facility on the farm, then washed and fermented for 24 hours before being dried in the sun. The result is a clean, mild flavor with balanced acidity - Papua New Guinea Sigri Estate is one of the more established estate coffees, famously smooth coffee and well rounded, considered by some to be among the best estate coffees.
Papua New Guinea Smallholder coffees, by contrast, live a bit more on the country's wild side. The coffee is typically Y grade or Premium Smallholder Coffee (PSC) grade, grown in the wilderness of the Western and Eastern Highlands, picked by hand and processed in a central coffee processing plant - it's here where the coffee takes on its characteristic flavors, which often results in something quite wild and fruity. Papua New Guinea coffee is said to have a full-bodied flavor with a pungent fruitiness of mango and papaya.
Papua New Guinea Coffee: Interesting Facts and News Bites
Papua New Guinea Coffee: A Hidden Gem
Papua New Guinea accounts for approximately 1% of world coffee production, but it is a hidden gem that is well worth seeking out. The country's coffee is known for its complex flavor profile, with notes of chocolate, berries, and nuts.
However, Papua New Guinea coffee production has been declining in recent years due to a number of factors, including poor infrastructure, frequent hijackings, and low coffee prices. In 2009, coffee was responsible for 18.5% of the country's agricultural exports and just 4.7% of total export revenue (compared to 38% and 13% in the 1990s).
Despite these challenges, there are some notable coffees coming out of Papua New Guinea. The private and public sectors are working together to improve sustainability, soil quality, and farmer education.
Here are some tips for finding Papua New Guinea coffee:
Once you find a Papua New Guinea coffee that you like, be sure to enjoy it! It is a truly special coffee experience.
Since it is such a beautiful coffee, and since some seriously cool people grow this coffee, we are doing a special hand-roasted coffee, Sigiri Papua New Guinea Peaberry Reserve Coffee.