While Papua New Guinea is a country of extraordinary diversity, with more than 1,000 cultures and 800 spoken languages, it’s estimated that one in three people have the coffee industry in common. Individuals with “coffee gardens” grow 90 percent of the country’s coffee, which through combinations of perseverance, middlemen, cooperation and luck manage to come together into lots.
This reality makes excellent milling and a fastidious Quality department absolute necessities — and is one of many reasons we’re grateful for our colleagues at New Guinea Highlights Coffee Exports (NGHCE). We’re thrilled with the beautiful coffees NGHCE has developed for us and the disciplined and generous Quality systems they maintain, to sample and guide every bag that comes to their door.
If you’d like to learn more about Papua New Guinea and its coffees, we invite you to join us online Oct. 28 at 4 p.m. ET, for a conversation with NGHCE General Manager Joeri Kalwij.
Fresh-crop coffee from PNG are afloat and arriving very soon. We’ve also flown some over in advance, for you to sample ahead of the call. The first 50 roasters to register and request samples will received 50 grams each of the coffees below by Oct. 27.
We hope to see you soon!
Fresh Crop Papua New Guinea
Korofeigu Organic
From the Korofeigu Farmer’s Cooperative Society — a collaborative group of 87 producers in the Eastern Highlands’ Bena, Bena Valley.
Lemon, eucalyptus, earthy, tropical fruit; citric acidity, juicy body.
Arokara AA
From the Arokara Cooperative, near Kainantu in the Eastern Highlands. The cooperative works with a number of local plantations. Picking and processing are performed as a group.
Grapes, chocolate, nuts; citric acidity, juicy body.
Mile High A
This coffee also comes from the Arokara Cooperative; it’s simply a different screen size of beans than what comprises Arokara AA.
Honey, grapes, chocolate, nuts.
Aviamp A
From the coffee gardens of smallholders in the Western Highlands. Aviamp is a quality level and cup profile created by NGHCE.
Nectarine, pineapple, sweet tea; citric acidity, round body.
Y Grade
The majority of coffee produced in Papua New Guinea, and handled by New Guinea Highlands, is Y Grade. This is workhorse coffee, amenable and easy to blend, with a characteristic winey acidity and caramel and savory notes. Included as a reference point. •
