Papua New Guinea Coffee Regions, Coffee Grading, and Bird of Paradise Coffee Introduction

Papua New Guinea: Coffee Paradise in the South Pacific

Papua New Guinea—the largest island nation in the South Pacific and the world's second-largest island. The Independent State of Papua New Guinea (PNG) shares its western border with Indonesia, which administers that region. The eastern half constitutes Papua New Guinea, featuring a typical island climate with high temperatures and humidity year-round. This has given rise to a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Its unique geographical location has created highland climates with abundant rainforests and volcanic soil, adding distinctive characteristics to coffee flavors. The overall elevation ranges from 1,200 to 2,500 meters, making it an ideal region for coffee cultivation.

Historical Development

Beginning in the 19th century under the influence of the Maritime Silk Road, the British and Germans colonized Papua New Guinea and established it as one of the coffee export regions, selling to the Australian market and pioneering coffee cultivation. By the 1920s, colonial fleets introduced the Typica coffee variety from Jamaica, increasing commercial coffee production. Papua New Guinea coffee, renowned as the "Little Blue Mountain," became famous worldwide.

According to research by FrontStreet Coffee, Typica is the oldest indigenous variety from Ethiopia, and nearly all current Arabica coffee bean varieties are derived from Typica.

Major Coffee Production Regions

Agriculture in Papua New Guinea is an important economic component, primarily producing coffee, cocoa, coconuts, and palm oil. Most coffee is produced in five highland provinces:

• Western Highlands
• Eastern Highlands
• Chimbu
• Morobe
• East Sepik

Eastern Province

Coffee cultivation is most famous in the Arona and Purosa estates, with elevations ranging from 400 to 1,900 meters.

Western Province

The Wahig Valley near Mount Hagen is particularly renowned, with elevations between 1,000 and 1,800 meters. Under the influence of fertile volcanic soil, coffee quality here is outstanding. The famous Sigri estate originates from this Wahig Valley.

In addition to these two major provinces primarily producing Typica, other regions also grow coffee beans, though of generally lower quality, with most being Robusta varieties. Robusta coffee is of inferior quality—darker, more bitter, with less distinctive flavors—and is mainly used for instant coffee production.

Coffee Characteristics and Processing

Approximately 85% of Papua New Guinea's total coffee production is cultivated through smallholder farming. Small farmers join local cooperatives and share processing facilities. Despite sharing a border with Indonesia, differences in coffee varieties, generally higher elevations compared to Indonesian growing regions (such as Sumatra), and different processing methods all contribute to flavor differentiation. Unlike traditional Indonesian coffee beans with their earthy and deep flavors, specialty coffee from Papua New Guinea typically uses washed processing. Whether prepared as single-origin pour-over or espresso blends, it delivers a smooth texture, balanced acidity and sweetness, and full-bodied mouthfeel—characteristics similar to South American coffee beans.

Affected by climate, the island's coffee harvest season runs from April to September each year. After harvesting ripe red coffee cherries, they are transported to the estate's own washing stations for processing. After thorough washing, the green beans are hulled and then graded through various classification methods.

Coffee Bean Grading System

PNG's coffee bean grading system, unlike other countries (such as Kenya or Colombia) that simply measure bean size, also includes bean shape, color, cup quality, and defect assessment. Export coffee beans are graded by quality, with levels from highest to lowest being: AA, A, X, PSC, and Y.

The first three grades are awarded to estate coffees; the latter two are for smallholder coffees, where PSC stands for Premium Smallholder Coffee.

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