Papua New Guinea Kenta (Goroka) AA

PNG coffees are revered for their interesting acidity and high variety. Notable for the mountainous topography of the island and the incredible cultural diversity of thousands of indigenous groups, historical changes in infrastructure have reduced the number of centralized coffee plantations typical of most coffee regions. Thus, many PNG plantations are actually collections of traditional “coffee gardens,” small plots of as little as 20 plants grown alongside subsistence crops. With increased introduction of modern processing methods, these already incredible coffees continue to grow in quality and consistency.

Kenta coffee is grown in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea on the outskirts of the town of Goroka at an altitude of 1600m above sea level. The cherry is handpicked by the whole clan, pulped on the same day and fermented in cement vats for 36 hours. After the fermentation process the coffee is washed with fresh mountain stream water from the nearby Tua River. The coffee is then sun dried to give it a nice even bluish colour, which can take 7-12 days. The labour in the processing operation is also from the surrounding villages and ranges through the year from 20 up to 60 people in the peak season (this does not include the clan cherry pickers). The total community in the area who rely on the coffee exports is around 10,000- 12,000 people.

Cup Characteristics: Smooth body, berry, clean, consistent, pleasant aftertaste, cedar, malt and tea-like notes

Region: Goroka, Eastern Highlands

Growing Altitude: 1,800 m.a.s.l.

Arabica Variety: Typica Bourbon, Arusha

Milling Process: Washed, machine-dried