The History, Culture, and Stories of Papua New Guinea Paradise Bird Estate Premium Single-Origin Coffee Beans

Introduction to Papua New Guinea Paradise Bird Estate Premium Single Origin Coffee from FrontStreet Coffee

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Papua New Guinea is located on the island of New Guinea, bordering Indonesia. However, FrontStreet Coffee's Papua New Guinea coffee tastes completely different from FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling's round and full-bodied flavor. FrontStreet Coffee's Papua New Guinea coffee beans have a clean taste, full of floral notes and sweet aftertaste.

The vast majority of PNG coffee is produced by small farmers rather than organized large companies. Most farmers cultivate between 20 to 500 or 600 coffee trees. PNG basically uses no artificial fertilizers or chemical sprays. All pest and disease control on farms is done manually.

The unique three-stage washed method involves three 24-hour washing processes to achieve complete removal of pulp, followed by natural sun drying.

Why is it Called Paradise Bird?

This is because Papua New Guinea's national flag features a bird-of-paradise, also known as the paradise bird. Therefore, the burlap bags of exported coffee beans also feature the paradise bird, and that's how the name "Paradise Bird" came about!

Coffee Quality Grades

Let's take the most notable premium AA and A grades as examples:

(1) AA and A grade coffees belong to the specialty coffee grade, mainly from larger estates.

For AA grade, the bean size is larger than 18 mesh, with an oval flat bean shape. Defect count: maximum 10 defects per kilogram. Raw bean appearance is greenish-blue. Raw bean flavor must be clean, roasted flavor must be clean and smooth. Cup quality must be excellent (Fine Cup).

(2) A grade size is larger than 17 mesh, with cup testing at least reaching GTF level (Good to Fine), meaning good to excellent taste—other defect counts and raw bean conditions are the same as AA.

Specifications

Country: Papua New Guinea

Region: Wahgi Valley in the highlands near Kainantu

Estate: Sigri Estate

Varieties: Typica, Bourbon (from Jamaica Blue Mountain origin)

Grade: AA

Altitude: 1500m

Processing Method: 100% washed, sun or machine dried

Harvest Season: April - September

Characteristics: Chocolate, malt, floral notes, hoppy aroma

Sigri Paradise Bird Estate Green Coffee Introduction

Sigri Estate is located in the Wahgi Valley of Papua New Guinea's (PNG) Western Highlands Province. The specialty coffee produced is renowned in German, New Zealand, Australian, Japanese, and North American markets.

The estate averages 1600 meters in altitude, with Arusha varieties introduced from Tanzania and a cool climate. Abundant rainfall provides excellent growing conditions for coffee trees.

Paradise Bird Estate maintains extremely stable green bean quality each season and is deeply loved by European and American coffee roasting experts.

Sigri is a production area that places great importance on ecological environment. Coffee trees are shaded by natural forests without damaging the original woodland, while also maintaining the ecological integrity of wildlife habitats.

FrontStreet Coffee's Papua New Guinea coffee has cherry blossom, drupe, tea, and fruit aromas. In terms of taste, it has the sweetness of maple and fructose, is smooth, easy to drink, with excellent aftertaste. After cooling, it reveals wine-like acidity. The bottom of the cup exudes fragrant caramel aroma when cooled, with a rich, multi-layered sensation.

Paraka means paradise bird in Papua New Guinea!

Paradise Bird Estate (Paraka estate) is an estate favorite among German and Australian bean merchants because Paraka offers excellent value, with limited marketing efforts. It's a relatively shy estate that rarely participates in exhibitions, and its prices are lower than Sigri Estate!

The picture shows Paraka's outer packaging and 2005 new bean appearance:

Besides Sigri Estate, Papua New Guinea (PNG) has other worthy farms or estates, which is why we introduced Paraka Estate this time. Sigri has strong financial backing, and their booths are easily seen at foreign coffee exhibitions. Plus, being famous in Europe, America, and Asia, she has already established the conditions for international recognition. However, other PNG domestic estates aren't so fortunate. The main factor is that during economic downturns, PNG's small farmers often struggle to make ends meet. Being able to directly cooperate with large foreign traders and sell directly helps greatly in funding acquisition and estate expansion. Paraka Estate is an example of direct cooperation with traders. In the long run, this has both pros and cons. The advantage is that when bean prices are low, green beans are guaranteed to be purchased and won't go unsold, giving farms predictable cash income. But the disadvantage is that when bean prices rise, they can't enjoy international spot price differences. More importantly, if the large trader doesn't properly promote and market the estate, it will be a long road to establishing international recognition, especially if this estate has great potential.

We have no intention of commenting on the merits and demerits of Pakara Estate's traders. After all, it's through this trader that we were able to buy Pakara for the first time. However, comparing with Sigri Estate, everyone can clearly see the significant gap in their international recognition!

This batch of Paraka Estate beans is A grade. Here we need to explain PNG's domestic grading standards.

Papua New Guinea coffee grades: total of 12 levels, grading items include:

1. Bean size;

2. Total defect Equivalent per kg;

3. Bean shape;

4. Raw bean Colour;

5. Odour;

6. Roasting Aspects;

7. cup quality

Let's take the most notable premium AA and A grades as examples:

(1) AA and A grade coffees belong to the specialty coffee grade, mainly from larger estates.

For AA grade, the bean size is larger than 18 mesh, with an oval flat bean shape. Defect count: maximum 10 defects per kilogram. Raw bean appearance is greenish-blue. Raw bean flavor must be clean, roasted flavor must be clean and smooth. Cup quality must be excellent (Fine Cup).

(2) A grade size is larger than 17 mesh, with cup testing at least reaching GTF level (Good to Fine), meaning good to excellent taste—other defect counts and raw bean conditions are the same as AA.

Domestic connoisseurs are less familiar with Paradise Bird Estate. It's located in the country's western high-altitude region, but it's a favorite among some famous German roasters because the bean quality is stable, and the flavor differs from other PNG estates. While all are sweet, Paraka isn't cloyingly sweet but belongs to a "refreshing type" of sweetness. A few days ago, we mentioned the feasibility of the second Huhu Cup roasting competition in the chat room. If time permits, this bean would be worth listing as a competition bean because it's not expensive, has novelty, and isn't as hard as Central American beans, making it suitable for various roasting equipment.

Basic Information

Product Name: FrontStreet Coffee · Papua New Guinea Paradise Bird Estate

Country: Papua New Guinea Region: Western Highlands Estate: Paraka estate

Grade: Grade A Variety: Typica Harvest Period: June 2005

Processing Method: Washed with final natural sun drying

Appearance/Defects: 0.5d/350g, green

Oshe Cupping Report

Roasting Method: Dropped at mid-first crack, cinnamon roast, roasting time 12 minutes, close to Agtron/SCAA roast color card No. 65 (Roast color classification system) (roasted on Japanese Royal Fuji 1kg roaster)

Dry Aroma: Sesame aroma, nutty aroma, corn sweetness, sweet spice notes, hint of pepper and floral notes, cool aroma

Wet Aroma: Sugarcane sweetness, nutty aroma, hint of smoky aroma

Slurping: Toasted bread sweetness, nutty sweetness, slight fruit acidity creating pleasant layered sensation, Penghu bayberry sweet and sour, BODY smooth and viscous, special spicy-sweet aftertaste.

Papua New Guinea has rich natural resources but a very underdeveloped economy. As one of the world's less developed countries, many mountain residents still live in primitive tribal self-sufficient lifestyles, with only coastal areas being relatively developed. Many farms clear land in forest areas, with some farms deep in the forest, almost completely isolated from the outside world. Therefore, Papua New Guinea doesn't have many large-scale coffee plantations, with about 75% of coffee coming from small local farms. Due to the country's overall backward economic level and lack of good production conditions, Papua New Guinea's coffee production isn't high compared to other coffee-producing countries, but the quality of coffee produced is not inferior to major producing countries.

If we describe FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesian Mandheling coffee as a mature man with years of character, then FrontStreet Coffee's Papua New Guinea coffee is a refreshing and elegant beauty. Not only are the beans beautiful, but the flavor is also exquisite and refined. From the map, we can see that Papua New Guinea borders Indonesia, but it doesn't have FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesian Mandheling's rich, full-bodied, complex, and spicy characteristics. On the contrary, FrontStreet Coffee's Papua New Guinea flavor appears more balanced and clean. Because the country's coffee is generally grown at high altitudes of 1300-1800 meters, its unique volcanic rock soil and abundant rainfall create excellent natural conditions for coffee growth. Additionally, local coffee varieties were introduced from Jamaica's Blue Mountain coffee, belonging to the Typica variety. Coffee beans are basically processed using the washed method, making the taste cleaner. The inherent variety advantages combined with superior growing environment naturally result in high-quality coffee. Furthermore, most of Papua New Guinea's coffee is organic. Due to inconvenient transportation, no railway transport, and lacking a comprehensive transportation network, the overall economy is strained. Coffee farmers have no conditions to purchase fertilizers. The lack of production and transportation conditions has actually contributed to this major characteristic of the country's organic coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee's Papua New Guinea coffee has higher sweetness, with bright, uplifting apricot-like fruit acidity. The taste is balanced and tends to be rich. Overall, the flavor is balanced, elegant, clean, and smooth, with fruit aromas. Generally, coffees with good acidity are difficult to guarantee good body thickness, but the precious quality of FrontStreet Coffee's Papua New Guinea lies in having both high-quality moderate acidity and excellent body thickness. The aftertaste is long-lasting.

The foreigners are mainly Australians. After getting off the plane and entering the immigration hall, there were three channels: Papua New Guinea citizen channel, visa holder channel, and visa-on-arrival channel. I queued in the visa-on-arrival channel, and the visa process was very simple—immigration form and 100 Kina (local currency unit) for smooth entry, with a visa allowing local stay for two months. After finding luggage, I went to the customs counter, where the officer only asked "Are you carrying any tobacco or alcohol?" After answering "No," I was allowed to pass (didn't even need to go through the X-ray machine). At the airport, I exchanged currency US$37.80 = K100. According to locals, Papua New Guinea immigration and customs are very lenient for flights from Australia (usually arriving in the afternoon) but particularly strict for flights from Hong Kong, Manila, and Singapore (usually arriving in the early morning). For visa-on-arrival, they ask various questions, and luggage is thoroughly searched.

The coffee industry holds a very important position in the country's economy. More than one million people are directly and indirectly employed in this industry. The government encourages cultivation by providing minimum purchase prices. The industry itself is controlled by the Coffee Industry Board. The Board is located in Goroka in the eastern part of the island, while export business is handled by private companies.

The 1975 frost destroyed most of Brazil's coffee crops but stimulated the development of Papua New Guinea coffee. The government implemented a program to fund rural or collective land owners in establishing about 20-hectare coffee plantations. This measure indeed increased the penetration of coffee cultivation in the local economy, with annual production reaching 1 million bags by 1990.

However, almost inevitably, the surge in production led to quality decline. Before 1991, coffee quality was acceptable, mostly Y grade. After 1991, quality gradually declined, and the European market was lost. The premium price that Y grade coffee once commanded also gradually decreased. This is related to the country's "one grade, one price" policy. This policy is completely unfeasible for an industry with variable quality like coffee. Thus, low-quality coffee beans damaged the image of Y grade coffee's high-quality standards, creating a backlog situation.

PNG coffee beans have rich flavor, pleasant aroma, no herbal or earthy notes, and combined with the principle of rarity, have been favored by more and more coffee lovers in recent years.

Papua New Guinea's top-grade coffee beans (PNG AA) are as beautiful and precious as the country's national bird, the bird-of-paradise. Because coffee is generally grown at high altitudes of 1300-1800 meters, the beans are usually full-bodied with varied taste characteristics, having pleasant acidity and fruit-like sweetness. PNG coffee beans are carefully processed washed Arabica beans, with a texture as rich and mellow as Van Gogh's paintings. Whether used for espresso single origin or general blended coffee, they can compensate for the shortcomings of acidic coffees.

Papua New Guinea is an island nation in the western South Pacific, belonging to the Commonwealth of Nations. The country's name consists of Papua and New Guinea. There are many islands here, about 600 large and small ones. It borders Indonesia to the west and Australia to the south. It belongs to the Asia-Pacific region but is an Oceanian country. Located in a tropical climate with high temperatures and abundant rainfall, it has fertile, rich volcanic rock soil.

The main crops here are coffee and coconuts, and the coffee industry holds a very important position in the country's economy. About one million people in this country are directly and indirectly employed in this industry.

Product Details

Product Name: FrontStreet Coffee · Papua New Guinea Paradise Bird Estate Coffee

Region: Waghi Valley

Estate: Paradise Bird (Sigri) Estate

Varieties: Typica & Bourbon (transplanted from Jamaica Blue Mountain origin in the mid-20th century)

Grade: AA

Altitude: 1700m

Processing Method: Washed

Harvest Season: April - September

Flavor Description: Grapefruit citrus aroma, bright and juicy pear taste, chocolate, malt, hoppy aroma...

Papua New Guinea is east of Indonesia, with a standard island climate located between the equator and 10 degrees south latitude. It has tropical rainforest, volcanic rock, and plateau terrain, with altitudes ranging from 1200-2500 meters, making it a paradise for coffee cultivation. Local production is not large, with 85% of total production coming from small farmers' garden cultivation systems. Small farmers join local cooperatives to share processing equipment. Coffee is Papua New Guinea's second-largest export agricultural product, showing the importance of the coffee industry to the country's economy. Due to different coffee varieties from Indonesia, higher altitudes than Sumatra, and washed processing, PNG coffee's regional taste is completely different from Indonesia's heavy and low-profile flavor, instead having bright, sweet and sour notes, floral and fruit aromas, closer to South American flavors.

Sigri/Paradise Bird Estate is located in the Waghi Valley of the Western Highlands Province, at approximately 1500 meters high altitude, with well-drained volcanic soil. The estate was established in 1950 and has been operating for over 60 years, making it a pioneer in the local coffee industry. Due to its location in the southern hemisphere, the local coffee harvest season is from May to August (Central and South America mostly harvest from October to February of the following year). The farm and surrounding small farmers harvest mature red coffee cherries on nearly 413 hectares of land, then send them to the estate's own processing facility for post-processing. However, New Guinea's local washed processing differs from Central and South American methods, using three-stage washed fermentation, soaking for about 24 hours each time, and changing to clean water to control coffee flavor. After washing, the green beans are hulled and then graded, such as AA, AB, PB round beans, etc. This finely crafted post-processing method brings bright and delicate fruit acidity to the coffee itself, with a clean and long-lasting sweet taste.

Sigri/Paradise Bird Estate also places great importance on ecological environment issues within the park, planting two different types of shade trees to provide good growing conditions for coffee and good habitats for birds. Currently, there are 90 different bird species and various wild animals in the park area, making it an excellent model of sustainable coffee estate management. It's particularly worth mentioning that Papua New Guinea coffee cultivation basically uses no artificial fertilizers or chemical agents, with all pest and disease control carried out through natural, non-toxic methods.

Important Notice :

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