Papua New Guinea Coffee Beans | Introduction to Paradise Bird Coffee Beans from Sigri Estate in Western Highlands Region

When it comes to coffee, many people think of Blue Mountain coffee, famous for its low production volume and expensive price. However, in Oceania, there's a country whose coffee beans are known as the "Little Blue Mountain" - Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea is located east of Indonesia, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, belonging to the Melanesian archipelago and composed of over 600 islands. The country has a typical maritime climate, with tropical climate prevailing except for the mountainous climate at elevations above 1,000 meters. Within its territory are tropical rainforests, volcanic rocks, and plateau terrains - making it an ideal region for coffee cultivation.

Coffee Cultivation History in Papua New Guinea

Coffee was introduced in the late 18th century by Dutch sailors. Commercial coffee cultivation officially began in the 1890s, though initially not considered a commercial product. By 1926, 18 estates were established domestically, and Typica coffee varieties were imported from Jamaica, increasing commercial coffee production. Combined with Papua New Guinea's similar island-type climate, high altitude, and volcanic soil characteristics to Jamaica, the resulting Typica coffee beans have similar flavors. Papua New Guinea coffee shares the same body as Jamaican coffee but with a bit more fruit acidity, hence earning it the nickname "Little Blue Mountain."

In the 1970s, the government provided various programs to encourage small farms to convert to cooperative operations. However, subsequent declines in coffee prices led many estates into financial crisis. Because coffee production in Papua is predominantly managed by small farmers who are less affected by market fluctuations, they were able to continue coffee production. To this day, 95% of producers in the country are small farmers, and 95% of the coffee cultivated is Arabica varieties.

Western Highlands Region

Currently, Papua New Guinea coffee is produced in five highland provinces: Western Highlands, Eastern Highlands, Chimbu, Morobe, and East Sepik. Among these, the Eastern and Western Highlands are major provinces producing Typica, with small amounts of Catimor and Bourbon varieties also cultivated. Coffee beans from other regions are of lower quality, with most being Robusta varieties.

The Western Highlands Province is the most important and largest coffee-producing province in Papua New Guinea, with elevations ranging from 1,000 to 1,800 meters. This area is home to an ancient dormant volcano, and the combination of high altitude and volcanic soil creates excellent natural conditions for coffee growth. The renowned Sigri Estate originates from this region.

Sigri Estate

Sigri Estate, established in 1950, was a pioneer in the local coffee industry. The estate is located in the Waghi Valley of the Western Highlands Province, at a high altitude of 1,500 meters. While possessing an excellent natural environment, Sigri Estate has consistently maintained high standards for cultivation and processing systems over the years, with strong emphasis on ecological protection and refusing to use pesticides and insecticides. The estate also maintains strict requirements for coffee beans - handpicking fully ripe red cherries and processing them on the same day of harvest.

Coffee beans exported from Sigri Estate are packaged in burlap bags printed with a bird-of-paradise. The bird-of-paradise, also known as the bird of paradise, is unique to Papua New Guinea and is the national bird. Because of the bird-of-paradise printed on the raw bean burlap bags, this coffee is also referred to as "Bird of Paradise" domestically.

FrontStreet Coffee Papua New Guinea Sigri Estate Bird of Paradise Coffee Beans

Region: Western Highlands
Estate: Sigri Estate
Altitude: 1,500 meters+
Variety: Typica
Processing Method: Washed
Flavor Notes: Caramel, cocoa, almond, balanced, low-temperature citrus acidity

FrontStreet Coffee's Bird of Paradise coffee beans are washed processed and medium-dark roasted. At FrontStreet Coffee, we use a KONO dripper with a 1:15 ratio at 91°C for brewing. The coffee delivers caramel, cocoa, and almond flavors with a smooth, silky body, and reveals citrus-like acidity at lower temperatures, presenting an overall soft and balanced profile.

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