About This Coffee
This is a washed, AA grade coffee from The Korgua Estate. The estate, which is located in the Nebilyer District, Central Highland region of Papua New Guinea, is owned by second generation coffee producer Brian Leahy. The farm was founded by Brian's father Dan and his Uncle Mick, two well-known Australian explorers (their early films and photos being the basis for the Australian documentary, "First Contact"). Korgua Estate sits at about 1400 meters above sea level and is planted mostly in older Bourbon and Typica cultivars. It's a wet processed coffee, meaning the coffee cherry and much of the fruit are stripped from the seed using depulping machinery, and then the seed still covered in sticky mucilage is submerged in water tanks where it ferments overnight, breaking down the remaining outer layer of fruit. Leahy's father first explored this area in the 1930's, and established Korgua as one of the very first coffee farms in the area.
Korgua Estate was created on neutral ground to allow coffee growers from rival tribes to bring their coffees to market without causing disruption and conflict.
Growing Coffee in Papua New Guinea
Although PNG has often produced more than 1 million bags of coffee annually, the average has dropped below 1 million over the last 10 years. 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.
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 (though atypically 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.
Country: Papua New Guinea
Region: Nebilyer Valley, Western Highlands
Farm: Korgua Estate
Elevation: 1400 MASL
Variety: Bourbon, Typica
Processing: Washed
Tasting notes: Full-bodied, sweet, & syrupy with caramel, pecan pie, turkish apricot, & cherry.