How Different Are Tainiao and Yirgacheffe? Where to Buy Tainiao Coffee Beans?

Bird of Paradise Coffee Bean Origins: Which is Better, Bird of Paradise or Yirgacheffe?

Papua New Guinea's coffee trees are said to have come originally from Blue Mountain stock, which is why some people claim New Guinea beans are descendants of Blue Mountain. In the cup, however, the two are quite different.

New Guinea has many coffee estates, large and small, but the one best known internationally is Sigri Estate, which is well funded and excels at marketing and packaging.

Today's featured coffee is Sigri Estate's AA-grade Bird of Paradise. It has been known in the domestic market for some time, but this lot is especially notable as a rare PB (Peaberry) Rainforest Alliance certified small round bean, complete with the green frog logo.

This batch is the latest season's PB peaberry, showing a green color with a hint of the legendary pale blue. The beans are whole and at optimal moisture, they feel excellent in the hand, they look beautiful, and defects are minimal.

Medium-roasted, these beans offer low acidity, a clean and smooth flavor, and a balanced, stable character that makes them easy to roast and easy to extract. They suit single-origin brewing and blending alike, which makes them a very user-friendly, versatile bean.

Coffee lovers who prefer distinctive or intense flavors, though, may find them a little short on character. For those palates we recommend a medium-dark to dark roast profile.

Papua New Guinea sits in the eastern part of Irian Jaya Island, which belongs to Indonesia. Since Bourbon varieties from the Blue Mountain region were first planted in 1937, the country quickly established itself as a specialty coffee brand. Small-scale farms scattered across the highlands grow most of this coffee, in a natural environment much like Jamaica's Blue Mountains.

Sigri Farm, in the Papua New Guinea highlands, was established in 1950. It earned fame quickly for the quality of its coffee and is now recognized as premium grade. The farm sits on a plateau at 1,600 meters elevation and enjoys ideal growing conditions: abundant rainfall and rich soil. Quality management from cultivation through washing follows standards certified over decades, and almost all plantings are Arusha and Typica, which yields maximum uniformity in the cup. Bird of Paradise Estate's green beans stay remarkably stable from season to season and are deeply loved by European and American roasting experts.

Sigri is a region that takes its ecosystem seriously and is recognized worldwide as a representative organic coffee. The coffee trees use original forest as natural shade without clearing the pristine woods, which also protects wildlife habitat and keeps the ecosystem intact. Because of this quality, Sigri coffee is exported to specialty-loving markets such as France and Germany—and in recent years, Japan has even re-imported coffee that was originally shipped to Europe.

Sigri and Colombian coffees are both classed as Mild coffee, but unlike Colombia, Sigri offers red wine and whiskey flavors. It has a very rich aroma with a refreshing, subtle acidity and excellent sweetness, and no herbal or earthy notes. Expect extremely rich fruity and floral aromas—hard to pin down with any single flavor descriptor.

Bird of Paradise Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise coffee beans roasted by FrontStreet Coffee come with complete assurance on brand and quality, and exceptional value: a half-pound (227g) package costs only about 85 RMB. At 15g per cup, one package makes 15 cups, less than 6 RMB each, against cafés that often charge dozens of RMB per cup.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

FrontStreet Washed Yirgacheffe Everyday Coffee. The classic way to taste the difference between a bright African cup and a smooth Pacific one. Known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a tea-like body, it is also the affordable first specialty bean for many drinkers.

FrontStreet Gotiti Cooperative Coffee. From the Worka area at the southeastern end of Yirgacheffe, this lot started as part of the Worka cooperative under the YCFCU before being recognized as a single-origin. Traditional washing preserves its fresh citrus and lemon acidity and jasmine florals, with none of the bitterness people associate with coffee.

FrontStreet Natural Red Cherry Coffee. Made only from fully ripe, sound cherries and dried whole on raised beds, turned every few hours early on to prevent uneven fermentation. With the fruit still attached during drying, it keeps the typical Yirgacheffe profile while gaining tropical fruit: citrus acidity, juicy berry, honeyed sweetness, and a creamy, smooth texture.