Papua New Guinea Sigri Coffee Brand Story and Bird of Paradise Coffee Bean Variety Flavor Characteristics

Papua New Guinea, what a foreign country it seems to be, yet in the world of coffee, our understanding of this nation stems from a coffee bean known as "Bird of Paradise." FrontStreet Coffee would like to introduce this FrontStreet Coffee Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise bean.

Papua New Guinea

This country is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, with most of its territory on the island of New Guinea. A straight boundary line divides the island into eastern and western halves - the western part belongs to Indonesia, while the eastern part belongs to Papua New Guinea. Due to its lengthy name, it is commonly simplified to "Papua" or its English abbreviation "PNG."

Many people refer to Papua's coffee as the "Little Blue Mountain" because Papua's coffee varieties are Typica varieties introduced from Jamaica's Blue Mountain, and their growing environment, altitude, and precipitation are very similar. The introduced Typica quickly adapted to the environment of New Guinea Island. From the perspective of both variety and island environment, it is truly deserving of the name "Little Blue Mountain."

Papua's coffee growing region (6 degrees south latitude) is closer to the equator than Blue Mountain (approximately 18 degrees north latitude). Its flavor profile, when carefully tasted, still differs slightly from Blue Mountain. Papua coffee's flavor adds a sweet and sour sensation of dark fruits.

FrontStreet Coffee's Bird of Paradise Coffee

This year, FrontStreet Coffee has selected FrontStreet Coffee's Sigri Estate Bird of Paradise Coffee. Here, let me explain the origin of Bird of Paradise Coffee. In the domestic market, two major varieties of Papua coffee come from Sigri Estate and Purosa Estate. Their exported coffee bags are all printed with the Bird of Paradise pattern, which is Papua's national bird.

The first introduction of Papua coffee beans to FrontStreet Coffee was from Sigri Estate. At that time, this coffee bean was given the name "Bird of Paradise" in the domestic market. Later, when coffee bags from Purosa Estate were also introduced, they also featured the Bird of Paradise pattern. However, to distinguish between these two beans, the later introduced one could only be called by its estate name. Although this might seem unfair to the newcomer, through years of潜移默化, Sigri has become subconsciously intertwined with Bird of Paradise.

However, Sigri Estate truly lives up to the name Bird of Paradise. This year's green coffee beans are full, jade-green, with excellent bean appearance.

Sigri Estate

Sigri Estate was established in 1950 and has been in operation for over 60 years, making it a pioneer in the local coffee industry. Sigri Estate is located in the Waghi Valley of the Western Highlands Province, at approximately 1,500 meters above sea level. It features volcanic soil rich in minerals, cool climate, fertile soil, and abundant rainfall.

Sigri Estate also places great emphasis on ecological protection. To protect soil and water sources, it refuses to use pesticides and insecticides, caring for the ecosystem and nearby birds. It often attracts many Birds of Paradise to rest, hence earning it the alternative name "Bird of Paradise Estate." For many years, Bird of Paradise Estate has consistently maintained high standards of cultivation and processing systems. During the harvest season from April to September each year, only fully ripe coffee cherries can be hand-picked, ensuring a perfect balance of acidity and sweetness in the coffee berries. At Bird of Paradise Estate, cupping is conducted daily to ensure the plantation provides customers with consistently excellent quality coffee. As a result, Bird of Paradise Estate has become a classic in the world of specialty coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee · Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise

Region: Papua New Guinea, Western Highlands Province

Estate: Sigri Estate

Altitude: 1800 meters

Variety: Typica

Processing Method: Washed

When we first got this FrontStreet Coffee Bird of Paradise bean, comparing it with the similarly washed FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain No. 1, it was truly difficult to distinguish between them.

Guess which of the following images is the Bird of Paradise and which is Blue Mountain.

Answer Revealed

(Top) Bird of Paradise

(Bottom) Washed Blue Mountain

FrontStreet Coffee uses medium roast for this bean. Because Typica varieties are low-density green beans, to highlight the inherent refreshing acidity and fruit aroma, focus is placed on heat adjustment after the first crack. The roaster is set to 170°C when beans are loaded, damper opened to 3, heat at 140°C, with temperature returning to 1'36"; when temperature reaches 140°C, damper is opened to 4; roasted to 6'25'', temperature reaches 151°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy smell completely disappears, dehydration is complete, temperature reaches 176°C, heat is reduced to 110; damper changes to 4;

At 180°C, heat is reduced to 90, the bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and black spots, the toast smell clearly transitions to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to the first crack. At this point, heat rises to 183.5°C, and the first crack begins at 10'08'', damper fully opened, at 188°C heat is reduced to 60°C, damper fully open (adjusting heat must be very careful, not so small that there's no cracking sound, controlling the temperature rise rate after the first crack to between 6°C), first crack development time 3'00", discharge at 198.5°C.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Method

Using 15g of coffee powder as an example, with a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, medium-coarse grind (65% pass-through rate with a #20 standard sieve), water temperature at 88°C. Using a KONO Meimon dripper.

This time, we're using segmented brewing. Slowly pour over the coffee grounds. First segment: pour 30g of water in small circles in the center for a 30-second bloom. During the first pour, the dry coffee powder layer will slowly absorb water and expand into a "hamburger" shape.

Second segment: pour 120g of water in circles from center to outward. Pour height should be as close to the powder layer as possible, with slow movements to avoid over-stirring. Final segment: pour 75g to reach a total of 225g. Wait until all the coffee liquid in the dripper has flowed into the lower pot to finish extraction. Extraction time: 2 minutes.

[FrontStreet Coffee Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise Coffee] Flavor: Primarily nutty and cocoa-rich flavors, with a subtle berry sweetness. It tastes rich and balanced, with sweetness and smooth acidity.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

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