Spotlight on...Papua New Guinea Highlands

This week, we're shining the spotlight on Papua New Guinea Highlands.

Coffee came early to the Indonesian islands. The Dutch first brought coffee plants to Java in 1696. Compared to that, Papua New Guinea was a relative latecomer to coffee. Coffee was first introduced to the island by German and British colonists who grew coffee in and around Port Moresby to export to Australia. In 1920, a very clever Australian planted a different variety of coffee, Typica from Jamaica. Commercial coffee production exploded.

In the early 20th Century, most of the coffee of Papua New Guinea was grown on large estates owned by Europeans or Australians. Most of the work, on the other hand, was done by the indigenous people of Papua New Guinea. Things are different today. Most of the Specialty Grade coffee from Papua New Guinea is grown by farmers with small holdings, usually under 12 acres, who bring their coffee to a central mill to be processed.

Papua New Guinea Highlands is one such coffee. Smallholder farmers from the Highlands province of the Tambul Nebilyer bring their coffee cherries to be processed at the Nebilyer Wet Mill, where they are sorted, depulped and soaked for 36 hours before being spread out on special fields to dry for 6-7 days, weather permitting. The resulting coffee is a delightful combination of the sweet, full-body we expect from a good Indonesian coffee with the tangy fruit and rich cocoa notes of coffee from the Caribbean.

A light (City) or medium (Full City) roast level brings out Papua New Guinea Highlands' tangy apricot topntes and cocoa richness. Dark roast levels (Northern Italian or darker) emphasize the coffee's full, Indonesian body and sweet, spicy flavor. Our roaster prefers this coffee roasted to a Vienna roast level, to enjoy the best of both.

Do you enjoy coffee from Papua New Guinea? If so, we'd love to hear from you. You can share your thoughts on the Facebook thread or in a comment on this blog. Or, if you'd like to share your opinion with the wider world, leave us a coffee review on Google or on your favorite review site. Not only do we value your opinions, but reviews help more people find us. Help us connect coffee lovers to fresh, quality coffee!

Thanks!

~ Carrie, Paul and all of us at Coffee by the Roast