How Does Papua New Guinea's Coffee Grading System Work?
Papua New Guinea shares the island of New Guinea with Indonesia, but its coffee tastes different: clean, floral, and sweet-finishing rather than heavy-bodied. The Bird of Paradise Estate is the country's flagship, represented by Sigri, which is internationally known, and Paraka, which offers a crisp, refreshing cup at a lower price. Both come from smallholder farms rather than large organized enterprises.
The grading system separates specialty from commodity lots. AA and A are the specialty grades, mostly from larger estates: AA beans exceed 18 screen size, oval and flat, with no more than 10 defects per kilogram, a clean raw-bean odor, and a cup that must reach Fine Cup. Raw beans look green with a slight bluish tint, reflecting the coffee growth conditions and the local three-stage washed process.
Although Papua New Guinea shares a border with Indonesia, its coffee flavors are completely different—clean, floral, and sweet-finishing, rather than the heavy body of Mandheling. As the country's flagship specialty coffee, Bird of Paradise Estate is best represented by its two estates, Sigri and Paraka. Sigri is internationally renowned, while Paraka offers great value and a crisp, refreshing flavor. This article will walk you through PNG's coffee grading system, the three-stage washed process, the estate's history, and the full picture of Front Street Coffee's recommended Bird of Paradise Estate coffee beans.
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Front Street Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise Estate specialty single-origin beans: history, culture, stories, and lore
Papua New Guinea is located on the island of New Guinea, which it shares with Indonesia. However, the flavor profile of Front Street Papua New Guinea coffee is completely different from the full, heavy feel of Front Street Mandheling—the former has a clear, transparent mouthfeel with pronounced floral notes and a sweet finish.
PNG's coffee production is overwhelmingly made up of smallholder farmers rather than organized large enterprises. Most farmers cultivate between 20 and 500 or 600 trees. Locally, artificial fertilizers are basically not used, nor are chemical sprays; pest and disease control on all farms is done manually.
The unique three-stage washed method, involving three 24-hour washing cycles, can completely remove the fruit pulp, after which the beans are dried by natural sun-drying.
So why is it called Bird of Paradise?
Because the national flag of Papua New Guinea bears a bird of paradise, also known as the paradise bird, the burlap bags used for exporting coffee beans are also printed with a bird of paradise design, and the name "Bird of Paradise" spread from there.
Taking the most closely watched specialty grades AA and A as examples:
(1) AA and A grade coffees belong to the specialty coffee grade, mainly from larger estates.
AA grade beans are larger than 18 screen size, with an oval flat bean shape. Defect count: maximum 10 per kilogram. Raw beans appear green with a slight bluish tint. Raw bean odor must be clean; roasted flavor must be clean and smooth. Cup profile must reach Fine Cup.
(2) A grade is larger than 17 screen size, with cupping reaching at least GTF (Good to Fine)—that is, a good-to-fine cup profile. Other defect counts and raw bean conditions are the same as AA.
Specifications
Country: Papua (PNG)
Region: Wahgi Valley, near the Kainantu highlands
Estate: Sigri Estate
Variety: Typica, Bourbon (from the Jamaica Blue Mountain origin)
Grade: AA
Altitude: 1500m
Processing: 100% washed, sun or machine dried, or both
Harvest season: April–September
Characteristics: chocolate, malt, floral, hop-like
Introduction to Sigri Bird of Paradise Estate green coffee beans
Sigri Estate is located in the Wahgi Valley of Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG). Its specialty coffee enjoys a strong reputation in the markets of Germany, Australia and New Zealand, Japan, and North America. The estate sits at an average altitude of 1600 meters, and its varieties were introduced from Tanzania's Arusha. The cool climate and abundant rainfall provide excellent growing conditions for the coffee trees. Bird of Paradise Estate's green beans are extremely consistent in quality each season and are highly favored by European and American roasting experts. Sigri places great importance on ecological conservation; the coffee trees are naturally shaded by primary forest, without destroying the original woodland, while maintaining the ecological integrity of wildlife habitats—
The aroma of Front Street Papua New Guinea coffee includes cherry blossom, stone fruit, tea, and fruity notes; on the palate there is the sweetness of maple syrup and fructose, smooth, easy to swallow, with a good sweet finish. As it cools, it develops a wine-like acidity, and when fully cooled, the bottom of the cup gives off a fragrant caramel aroma, possessing a rich, multi-layered depth.
In Papua New Guinea, Paraka means bird of paradise!
Bird of Paradise Estate (Paraka estate) is an estate coffee much loved by German and Australian bean buyers because Paraka offers excellent value. It does little marketing and is a rather shy estate that rarely exhibits, and its price is somewhat lower than Sigri Estate.
The photo shows Paraka's outer packaging and the appearance of the 2005 new crop:
In Papua New Guinea (PNG), besides Sigri Estate, there are some other good farms or estates worth recommending, which is also the reason for bringing in Paraka Estate this time. Sigri is well-funded, its booth is easy to spot at overseas coffee exhibitions, and having made its name across Europe, America, and Asia, it has already established the credentials of an internationally famous estate. But other PNG estates are not so fortunate—the main factor being that during downturns, PNG's smallholders often cannot make ends meet. Being able to cooperate directly with large foreign traders and sell directly is quite helpful for securing capital and expanding the estate. Paraka Estate is an example of directly seeking cooperation with a trader. In the long run, there are pros and cons: the advantage is that when bean prices are low, there is a guaranteed buyer for the green beans, so they won't go unsold, and the farm has a predictable cash income; the disadvantage is that when bean prices rise, it cannot enjoy the price difference of the international spot market. More importantly, if this large trader does not promote and market the estate well, building international recognition for that estate will be a long, long road—especially if that estate has great potential...
Here we have no intention of judging the merits or faults of Pakara Estate's trader—after all, it is through this trader that we were able to buy Pakara for the first time. But by comparing with Sigri Estate, you can see just how obvious the gap in international recognition is between the two!
This batch of Paraka Estate beans is Grade A. Here we should explain PNG's domestic grading standards.
Papua New Guinea's coffee is divided into 12 grades in total. The grading items include:
1. Bean size; 2. Total defect equivalent per kg; 3. Bean shape; 4. Raw bean colour; 5. Odour; 6. Roasting Aspects; 7. Cup quality.
Let's take the most attention-grabbing specialty grades AA and A as examples:
(1) AA and A grade coffees belong to the specialty coffee grade, mainly from larger estates.
For AA, bean size is larger than 18 screen, and the bean shape is an oval flat bean. Defect count: maximum 10 defects per kilogram. Raw beans appear green with a slight bluish tint. Raw bean odor must be clean; roasted flavor must be clean and smooth. Cup profile must be Fine Cup.
(2) A grade is larger than 17 screen, with cupping reaching at least GTF (Good to Fine)—that is, a good-to-fine cup profile. Other defect counts and raw bean conditions are the same as AA.
Domestic coffee enthusiasts are less familiar with Bird of Paradise Estate. It is located in the country's western high-altitude region, but it is a favorite of some famous German roasteries, because the bean quality is consistent and the flavor is different from other PNG estates. Both are sweet, but Paraka is not cloyingly sweet—it belongs to the [refreshing] type of sweetness. A few days ago in the chat room, the feasibility of the second Hehu Cup roasting competition was mentioned. Assuming time allows, this bean would be worth listing as a competition bean for the roasting contest, because it is not expensive and offers a sense of novelty, and it is not as hard as Central American beans, so all kinds of roasting equipment can give it a try.
Basic information:
Product name: FrontStreet Coffee · Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise Estate
Country: Papua New Guinea Region: Western Highlands Estate: Paraka estate
Grade: Grade A Variety: Typica Harvest period: June 2005
Processing method: washed, with natural sun-drying in the later stage
Appearance/defects: 0.5d/350g, green
Osher cupping report
Roasting method: dropped at mid-first crack, cinnamon roast, roasting time 12 minutes, close to Agtron/SCAA Roast color classification system No.65, (roasted on a Japanese Royal Fuji 1kg roaster)
Dry aroma: sesame, nutty, corn sweetness, sweet spice, a hint of pepper and floral, cool aroma
Wet aroma: sugarcane sweetness, nutty, a little smoky
Slurp: sweetness of toasted bread, nutty sweetness, a slight fruit acidity bringing out a sweet-sour sensation that forms a nice layered complexity, the sweet-sour of Penghu bayberry, smooth and viscous body, and a rather distinctive spicy-sweet aftertaste—
Papua New Guinea is rich in natural resources, but its economy is very underdeveloped. As one of the less developed countries in the world, many mountain residents still live self-sufficient lives in primitive tribes, and only the coastal areas are relatively developed. Many farms clear land in forested areas, and some of these farms are deep in the forest, almost isolated from the world. Therefore, there are not many large-scale coffee plantations in Papua New Guinea; about 75% of the coffee comes from small local farms. Because the country's overall economic level is backward and it lacks good production conditions, Papua New Guinea's coffee output is not considered high compared with other coffee-producing countries, but the quality of the coffee it produces is by no means inferior to that of major producing countries.
If Front Street Indonesia Mandheling coffee is described as an older man weathered by time, then Front Street Papua New Guinea coffee is a fresh, elegant beauty. Not only are the beans beautiful, the flavor is also beautiful and refined. From the map, we can see that Papua New Guinea borders Indonesia, yet it does not have the rich, full-bodied, slightly muddy, spice-laden character of Front Street Indonesia Mandheling. On the contrary, Front Street Papua New Guinea's flavor appears more balanced and clean. Because the country's coffee is generally grown in highlands at 1300–1800 meters, its unique volcanic rock soil and abundant rainfall create excellent natural conditions for coffee growth; and because the local coffee varieties were introduced from Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee, they belong to the Typica variety. The coffee beans basically all use the washed processing method, making the mouthfeel even cleaner. The inherent varietal advantage plus the superior growing environment naturally produce high-quality coffee. In addition, the vast majority of Papua New Guinea coffee is organic coffee. Due to inconvenient transportation, no railway transport, and no well-developed transportation network, the overall economy is poor, and coffee farmers cannot afford to buy chemical fertilizers. The shortcomings in production and transportation conditions have instead made organic coffee one of the country's major features.
Front Street Papua New Guinea coffee has relatively high sweetness and a bright, uplifting fruit acidity reminiscent of apricot. Its mouthfeel is balanced and on the fuller side. Overall, the flavor is balanced and elegant, clean and smooth, with fruity aromatics. Generally speaking, coffees with good acidity find it hard to guarantee a good body, but what is admirable about Front Street Papua New Guinea is that it possesses both a fine, medium level of acidity and a very good body. The finish after tasting is long and lingering.
The foreigners are mainly Australians. After getting off the plane and entering the immigration hall, I saw three channels: the Papua New Guinea national passenger channel, the visa-holding passenger channel, and the visa-on-arrival passenger channel. I lined up in the visa-on-arrival channel. The visa process was very simple: the entry form and 100 Kina (Kina, the local currency unit), and I entered smoothly. The visa allowed a two-month stay. After finding my luggage, I walked to the customs counter. The officer only asked, "Are you carrying cigarettes or alcohol?" After answering "No," I was allowed through (I didn't even have to go through the X-ray machine). At the airport, currency exchange: US$37.80 = K100. Locals say that PNG immigration and customs are very lenient with flights from Australia (which usually arrive in the afternoon), but especially strict with flights from Hong Kong, Manila, and Singapore (which usually arrive in the early morning). During visa on arrival, they ask all sorts of questions, and luggage is strictly searched.
The coffee industry occupies a very important position in the country's economy. More than 1 million people are directly and indirectly engaged in the industry. The government encourages cultivation by providing a minimum purchase price. The industry itself is controlled by the Coffee Industry Board. The board is located in Goroka in the eastern part of the island, while export operations are all handled by private companies.
The frost of 1975 destroyed most of Brazil's coffee crop, but it stimulated the development of Papua New Guinea coffee. The government implemented a plan to fund rural or collective landowners in creating about 20-hectare coffee plantations. This measure indeed increased the penetration of coffee cultivation in the local economy, and by 1990 annual output had reached 1 million bags.
However, it was almost inevitable that the surge in production led to a decline in quality. Before 1991, coffee quality was still acceptable, with most belonging to the Y grade. After 1991, quality gradually slid, and the European market was lost along with it. The premium that Y grade coffee once commanded also gradually declined. This was related to the country's "one grade, one price" policy. That policy was completely unworkable for an industry like coffee, where quality fluctuates easily. As a result, low-quality beans damaged the image of Y grade coffee's high-quality standard and created a backlog.
PNG coffee beans have a rich flavor and pleasant aroma, without herbal or earthy notes. Coupled with the fact that scarcity makes them precious, they have in recent years become increasingly favored by more and more coffee lovers.
Papua New Guinea's top coffee beans (PNG AA) are as beautiful and precious as the country's national bird, the bird of paradise. Because coffee is generally grown in highlands at 1300–1800 meters, the beans are usually plump, with a mouthfeel that changes in many ways, possessing a pleasant acidity and fruity sweetness. PNG coffee beans are all carefully processed washed Arabica beans, and their texture is as intense and full-bodied as a Van Gogh painting. Whether used for espresso single-origin or general blends, they can compensate for the shortcomings of acidic coffees.
Papua New Guinea is an island nation in the western South Pacific and a member of the Commonwealth. The country's name is composed of two parts: Papua and New Guinea. There are many small islands here, about 600 or more in total. It is adjacent to Indonesia and borders Australia to the south. It belongs to the Asia-Pacific region but is an Oceanian country. It has a tropical climate, hot and rainy. It possesses fertile, rich volcanic rock soil.
The main crops here are coffee and coconuts, and the coffee industry occupies a very important position in the country's economy. About more than 1 million people in this country are directly and indirectly engaged in the industry.
□Product name: Front Street Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise Estate Coffee
□Region: Waghi Valley
□Estate: Bird of Paradise (Sigri) Estate
□Variety: Typica & Bourbon (transplanted from the Jamaica Blue Mountain origin in the mid-20th century)
□Grade: AA
□Altitude: 1700m
□Processing method: washed
□Harvest season: April–September
□Flavor description: grapefruit acidity, bright and juicy pear-like mouthfeel, chocolate, malt, hop-like...
□Papua New Guinea is east of Indonesia and has a standard island climate. Located between the equator and 10 degrees south latitude, it has tropical rainforest, volcanic rock, and highland terrain, with altitudes between 1200 and 2500 meters, making it a paradise for growing coffee. Local output is not large; 85% of total production comes from smallholders' garden cultivation systems. Smallholders join local cooperatives and share the cooperatives' processing equipment. Coffee is Papua New Guinea's second-largest agricultural export, which shows the importance of the coffee industry to the country's economy. Because the coffee varieties differ from Indonesia's and the altitude is higher than Sumatra's, and because washed processing is used, PNG coffee's terroir is completely different from Indonesia's stuffy, low-toned flavors. Instead, it has brightness, sweet-sourness, and floral-fruity aromas, closer to South American flavors.
Sigri/Bird of Paradise Estate is located in the Waghi Valley of Western Highlands Province, at a high altitude of roughly 1500 meters, with well-drained volcanic soil. The estate was established in 1950, more than 60 years ago, and is a pioneer of the local coffee industry. Because its geographical location is in the Southern Hemisphere, the local coffee harvest season is about May to August (Central and South America mostly harvest from October to February of the following year). The farm and surrounding smallholders harvest ripe, deep-red coffee cherries across a vast area of nearly 413 hectares and send them to the estate's own processing site for post-processing. However, New Guinea's local washed processing differs from that of Central and South America: it uses three washed fermentations, each soaking for about 24 hours, with clean water changed to control the coffee's flavor. After washing, the green beans are dehulled and then graded in various ways, such as AA, AB, PB peaberry, and so on. This finely crafted post-processing method brings the coffee itself a bright, delicate fruity acidity and a clean, long-lasting sweet mouthfeel.
Sigri/Bird of Paradise Estate also places great importance on ecological and environmental issues within the estate. It plants two different kinds of shade trees to provide a good growing environment for the coffee and also to provide good habitat for birds. At present, there are already 90 different species of birds and various wild animals in the estate, making it an excellent model of sustainable estate management. It is particularly worth mentioning that Papua New Guinea coffee cultivation basically does not use artificial fertilizers or chemical agents, and all pest and disease control is carried out in natural, non-toxic ways.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
