What Growing Conditions of Coffee Shape Bird of Paradise?

Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise comes from the Typica variety introduced from Jamaica Blue Mountain, which is why it is often called Little Blue Mountain. The growing conditions of coffee there are close to Blue Mountain's: high altitude, steady rainfall and an island climate. This lot from Sigri Estate shows plump green beans with a bright emerald color.

The crop grows at about 6 degrees south latitude, closer to the equator than Blue Mountain at 18 degrees north, so the cup carries an extra layer of dark fruit sweetness and acidity. The pour-over plan covers water temperature, coffee-to-water ratio, grind size and staged pouring, with roast curve details and notes on the size of a coffee bean used as a reference point for extraction.

Papua New Guinea is not exactly a familiar origin in the coffee world, but a bean called "Bird of Paradise" has made many enthusiasts remember it. This coffee was introduced from the Typica variety of Jamaica Blue Mountain, and its growing environment is quite similar to Blue Mountain, so it is often called "Little Blue Mountain." This year Front Street Coffee selected Bird of Paradise beans from Sigri Estate, with plump green beans and a bright emerald color. This article will share the flavor performance and brewing approach of this bean in full, from the background of the origin, the story of the estate, and the characteristics of the variety to the roasting curve and pour-over extraction plan, including water temperature, coffee-to-water ratio, grind size, and details of staged pouring, for the reference of pour-over enthusiasts.

For most people, the country of Papua New Guinea is quite unfamiliar. In coffee circles, people often come to know it through a bean called "Bird of Paradise." This time Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will talk about this Front Street Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise.

Papua New Guinea is located in the southwestern Pacific, with its main territory on the island of New Guinea. A straight border splits the island in two, with the western half belonging to Indonesia and the eastern half being Papua New Guinea. The country's name is too long to say, so it is usually shortened to "Papua," or referred to by the English abbreviation "PNG."

Many people call Papua coffee Little Blue Mountain. The reason is that the variety grown in Papua is exactly the Typica introduced from Jamaica Blue Mountain, and the local altitude, rainfall, and growing environment are all very close to those of Blue Mountain, hence the nickname. After introduction, Typica quickly adapted to the climate conditions of the island of New Guinea. Whether viewed from the variety or the island-type growing environment, calling it Little Blue Mountain is reasonable.

However, Papua's coffee-producing region is located at 6 degrees south latitude, closer to the equator than Blue Mountain at 18 degrees north latitude. If you taste carefully, there are still differences in flavor between the two—Papua coffee has an extra layer of dark fruit sweetness and acidity.

Front Street Bird of Paradise Coffee

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) this year selected Front Street Sigri Estate Bird of Paradise coffee. Here, by the way, let's explain the origin of Bird of Paradise coffee. There are mainly two estates for Papua coffee circulating in the domestic market: Sigri Estate and Purosa Estate. The coffee sacks exported by these two estates are printed with the image of the bird of paradise, and the bird of paradise is the national bird of Papua.

When Front Street Papua coffee beans were first introduced, Sigri Estate was chosen, and at that time the domestic market named this bean "Bird of Paradise." Later, when beans from Purosa Estate entered the market, their sacks were also printed with the bird of paradise image, but in order to distinguish them, they could only be called by the estate name. This was slightly unfair to the later entrant, but after years of subtle influence, Sigri has become firmly tied to Bird of Paradise in everyone's mind.

Of course, Sigri Estate also deserves the name Bird of Paradise. This year's green beans are plump and emerald green in color, with an excellent appearance.

Sigri Estate

Sigri Estate was founded in 1950 and has a history of more than 60 years, making it a pioneer in the local coffee industry. The estate is located in the Waghi Valley of Western Highlands Province, at an altitude of about 1,500 meters, with mineral-rich volcanic soil, a cool climate, fertile soil, and abundant rainfall.

Sigri Estate also places great importance on ecological protection. In order to maintain the soil and water sources, the estate does not use pesticides or insecticides, and carefully protects the ecology and surrounding birds, which often attracts birds of paradise to perch there, hence the alternate name Bird of Paradise Estate. For many years, Bird of Paradise Estate has consistently adhered to a high-standard planting and processing system. During the harvest season from April to September each year, only fully ripe red coffee cherries are hand-picked, allowing the acidity and sweetness of the coffee cherries to reach an ideal balance. The estate conducts cupping every day to ensure the delivery of specialty coffee with stable quality to customers. For this reason, Bird of Paradise Estate has become a classic representative of the world's specialty coffee.

Front Street Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise Region: Papua New Guinea Western Highlands Province

Estate: Sigri Estate Altitude: 1,800 meters Variety: Typica Processing method: Washed

When I first received this Front Street Bird of Paradise bean and compared it with Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1, which is also washed, it was really hard to tell them apart at first.

You might as well guess which of the two pictures below is Bird of Paradise and which is Blue Mountain.

The answer revealed (Top) Bird of Paradise (Bottom) Washed Blue Mountain

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses a medium roast for this bean. Typica is a green bean with relatively low density. In order to highlight its own refreshing acidity and fruity aroma, the roasting focus is placed on heat adjustment after first crack. When the roaster temperature rises to 170°C, the beans are charged, the airflow is set to 3, the heat is 140°C, and the turning point is 1 minute 36 seconds; when the temperature reaches 140°C, the airflow is opened to 4; roasting to 6 minutes 25 seconds, at 151°C, the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy smell completely disappears, and dehydration is complete; at 176°C, the heat is lowered to 110, and the airflow remains at 4;

When the temperature reaches 180°C, the heat is lowered to 90, wrinkles and dark patches appear on the bean surface, and the toast aroma clearly turns into coffee aroma, which can be regarded as the prelude to first crack. At this point the heat rises to 183.5°C, and at 10 minutes 08 seconds first crack begins, the airflow is fully opened, and at 188°C the heat is reduced to 60°C, with the airflow fully open (be very careful when adjusting heat; it must not be so low that the cracking sound cannot be heard, and the rate of temperature rise after first crack should be controlled within 6°C). First crack development time is 3 minutes, and the beans are dropped at 198.5°C.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Brewing Plan Using 15 grams of coffee powder as an example, coffee-to-water ratio 1:15, grind size is medium-coarse (65% passing rate on a No. 20 standard sieve), water temperature 88°C. Use a KONO Meimon dripper.

This time a staged brewing method is used. First slowly add the coffee powder, then in the first stage pour 30 grams of water in a small circular motion from the center, and bloom for 30 seconds. During the first pour, the dry coffee bed will slowly absorb water and expand, puffing up into a "hamburger" shape.

In the second stage, pour 120 grams in a circular motion from the center outward, keeping the pouring height as close to the coffee bed as possible and slowing down the motion to avoid excessive agitation. In the final stage, pour 75 grams, bringing the total poured water to 225 grams. Wait for all the coffee liquid in the dripper to flow into the server, and extraction is complete. Extraction time is 2 minutes.

[Front Street Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise Coffee] Flavor: The main theme is the rich aroma of nuts and cocoa, accompanied by a faint sweet berry aroma. On the palate it is mellow and balanced, with sweetness and soft acidity.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.