For those that prefer coffee with lots of big, bold flavours, this is one to try.

What’s in the cup is complexity that is loaded with intense coffee flavour. The body can vary from heavy to syrupy depending on the brew method and recipe.  It’s more of a slap in the face than a whisper on the wind.

This is a washed AA grade coffee from the Korgua Estate on the Kuta Ridge in the Waghi Valley of Papua New Guinea’s Western Highlands. Unlike the majority of coffee from this area, which is from smallholder farms, this lot was grown, picked and processed entirely on the estate.

The owner, Brian Leahy, who also owns the Kuta Mill, established it on neutral ground so that coffee growers from rival tribes could bring their coffees for processing without disruption.

History of Coffee in Papua New Guinea

Compared to the speed with which Europeans colonized other parts of the world, they seemed to spill over Oceania in slow motion. So, although the highlands of PNG are textbook coffee land, commercial coffee production was not established until 1928.

In typical British colonial style, coffee was initially grown on plantations (planted with Blue Mountain from Jamaica). The history of colonial New Guinea mirrors that of central Africa. Feeling left out of the general expansionist trend, Germany grabbed a portion of northern New Guinea in the late 1800’s and then lost it during WWI.

The Japanese invaded PNG during WWII and the island saw fierce fighting for much of the war. For most of the 20th century, administrative responsibility for PNG and its ever evolving configuration (and name) rested with Australia.

Growing Coffee in Papua New Guinea

PNG has often produced more than 1 million bags of coffee annually.  The vast majority of coffee in PNG (95%) is grown in the highland regions near the center of the country.

These coffee exhibit the heavy body characteristic of this part of the world along with the savory sweet flavors.  Coffee from PNG is graded using a unique matrix that reflects not only screen size but bean shape, defect count, and color in addition to aroma and cup quality with A/X, being the highest quality available.

Brewing Recipes

Hario V60 

Use 18g of med ground coffee (#5 Baratza Vario)

200ml of 200F water

Prime filter and discard water.

Add grounds then saturate with 40ml of 200F water. Let bloom for 20 seconds.

Starting from the center, in a circular motion slow pour the remaining 248ml of water over the grounds.

Give the draining water a stir. Once fully drained you are ready to serve!

French Press

32g of course ground coffee

500ml of 200F water

Pour 32g of coffee into french press carafe.

Pour 500ml over grounds ensuring all grounds are saturated (give it a stir)

Let the coffee steep for 4 minutes before plunging.