Thumbnail Filmstrip of Papua New Guinea Korgua Estate Peaberry Images

About Papua New Guinea Korgua Estate Peaberry

Arrived late February 2025 in Ecotact bags.

We keep ourselves open to nice coffee from Papua New Guinea when we can find ones we like. When they are good they can be very good and present a value proposition. This lot was very impressive and first stood out as it roasted beautifully, a nice even rich brown. The pleasant aspect continued in the cup.

The Korgua Estate is in the Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea, on the Kuta Ridge in Waghi Valley, home to the best coffee production in PNG. Brian Leahy is the owner of both Kurgua Estate and Kuta Mill. In this area there are native and often rival tribes, and the Kuta Mill, which processes coffee on behalf of Brian's own farm, also deals with other local producers. He has established a neutral space with these rivals can bring their coffee on an equal basis so that coffee can be economically viable and without disruption among groups.

Sourcing coffee in Papua New Guinea poses unique logistical, cultural, and linguistic challenges. The country's many indigenous populations are often very distinct from one another in terms of custom and language, and individual communities might comprise only a few hundred people, making communication and the cultural sensitivity required to do business here more difficult than in other coffee-growing regions. Less than 10 percent of the population is connected to or uses the Internet for communications, and there are roughly 55 telephones (both fixed-line and cellular) for every 100 people.

Korgua Estate owner Brian Leahy

Although the highlands of Papua New Guinea 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. Coffee cultivation in the Wahgi Valley began during the Australian colonial era, with roads built between 1950 and 1960 to facilitate the spread of coffee farming. In many respects, coffee from here was late to arrive on the coffee scene, but the quality may have been worth the wait and it is priced very fairly for what it is.

Country: Papua New Guinea
Region: Wahgi Valley
Farm: Korgua Esate
Producer: Brian Leahy
Elevation: 1600 meters
Processing: Fully washed
Bean type: Peaberry
Drying: Sun on raised African beds
Harvest: May - September

This is a peaberry bean. In the past peaberries were sometimes called pearl-berries because of their cylindrical shape. A coffee cherry typically has two facing "beans" or seeds but occasionally (about 3%) of the time there is a single, pearl shaped bean instead. A theory is that during the early maturity of the cherry one of the flat beans does not develop and the other uses up the available space, morphing into this shape. In proper production, peaberries are separated from flate beans. Peaberry coffee roast beautifully, especially in drum style roasters. With no flat surfaces, the rarely scorch and roast color is much more even. In air roasters, PBs can take a little longer to get airborne as they are naturally wind resistant.

Cup Characteristics: Lots of dark chocolate aroma and flavors with the additional flavors of mild fruit, honey and candy. Sturdy, earthy, viscous body. A refined PNG with significant complexity and interest.

Roasting Notes: We've been stopping this roast just before the start of second crack. We find this roast level has significant body but the notable hickory notes are present as is the acidity. The coffee is capable of being roasted slightly darker as well, into second crack. On a Behmor try P2 or P3. On air roasters, expect a slight longer period before the coffee gets airborne.

photo courtesy Covoya