Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a relative newcomer to the specialty coffee scene. The remote locations of the nation’s smallholders—who produce 85% of total coffee in the country—combined with historically-poor infrastructure has made the transition to specialty difficult. Nonetheless, the country is working towards innovative solutions that will hopefully lead to better quality coffee and improved livelihoods for the nation’s smallholder coffee producers.
Tairora began as a collaborative project with Colbran Coffeelands. The Colbrans offer extensive outreach, pre-finance and technical support to their suppliers in order to secure the best cherry in the region. Tairora lots can be sold with full village and supplier traceability.
Cherry is sourced from owners of surrounding estates. Each season the Colbrans inspect their regular suppliers and buy forward contracts of the best cherry in the regions. This ensures the best quality cherry is sold to them and the farmers can then choose to mill their own coffee to parchment.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
The cherry coffee is sold to the Baroida wet mill collection point on a daily basis during harvest and the cherry is sorted and checked for quality and the growers are paid on the spot for their cherry.
Meticulous separation for quality control helps maintain the high quality of the estate’s coffee. After careful sorting, cherry is pulped on disc pulpers. Then, it dry-ferments in vats for approximately 36 hours. Following fermentation, water is pumped into the vats in a circular motion to naturally agitate the coffee and remove any remaining mucilage. Coffee is sundried on tarps, where it is turned regularly to ensure even drying.
PNG – A
PNG’s unique grading system includes A, B, Y, Y2 and Y3 sizes. A is the highest quality grade and means a full, reasonably balanced, uniform, clean cup with a well-pronounced body and acidity, and a rich and distinct fragrance and aroma. A grade coffees have fewer than 10 defects per kilogram.
Origin: Papua New Guinea
Region: Eastern Highlands
Town: Baroida, Aiyura, Kainantu
Estate: Colbran Coffeelands Estate & surrounding farms
Owner:Smallholder farmers working with the Colbran family
Altitude: 1700-1850 masl
Varieties: Arusha , Bourbon, Mundo Novo, Typica
Harvest: May-Sept
Processing: Washed
Cupping Score: 84
Cupping Notes: Dried Fruit, Apple, Brown Spice & Caramel
