Reviews and Testimonies
Our Arabica green bean has received many accolades from the coffee industry. Appended herewith are some excerpts of the accolades received to-date in chronological order as they were received.
Papua New Guinea received the “…highest level of enthusiasm and rating from the Coffee Review Cupping Panel, equal only to the response provoked by the best coffees from Kenya, Guatemala and Ethiopia… Caramelly and floral aroma, sweet and bright acidity, creamy and full body with floral, fruity, complex and balanced flavor…”
In his book, The Joy of Coffee, award winning journalist and author, Corby Kummer, provides a meticulous analysis of coffee quality from all of the world’s coffee producing nations. Mr. Kummer speaks highly of Papua New Guinea coffee and goes into significant detail praising its uniqueness with the following excerpt:
NEW GUINEA: INTERESTING ACIDITY
Coffee from Papua New Guinea, the Eastern half of the island of New Guinea, above the northeastern tip of Australia, is usually categorized with Indonesia, because of its geographical proximity. But the fact that it is very carefully washed and that the rootstock is mostly from the exact varieties that made Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee legendary puts its style somewhere between Indonesia and Central America. The relatively recent start of the industry on Papua New Guinea and its rapid advancement give the coffee tremendous potential—some of which is already apparent in the cup.
At its best, New Guinea coffee has more pleasing and interesting acidity than any other Indonesia. This makes it more like a Central American coffee, except for its typically Indonesian heavy body and pronounced sweetness. New Guinea can be a helpful addition to an espresso blend, with the added bonus that it has heavier body than just about any washed arabica—a real advantage for espresso roasters like the premium Italian roaster, illycaffè, which insists on avoiding robusta in their espresso blends.
The finest New Guineas are both pleasing on their own and superb in a blend, complementing any acidic coffee and giving life to a dull one. Jerry Baldwin, of Peet’s, told me that beans produced by the Sigri estate make the most complete coffee he knows—praise once reserved in the coffee trade for Jamaican Blue Mountain, which now seldom merits it. Each roaster announces with pride in its newsletters a shipment from one of these estates; fine Papua New Guinea beans also turn up on the menus of other specialty roasters. (Kummer, 2003, pp. 140-141)
At its best, New Guinea coffee has more pleasing and interesting acidity than any other Indonesia. This makes it more like a Central American coffee, except for its typically Indonesian heavy body and pronounced sweetness. New Guinea can be a helpful addition to an espresso blend, with the added bonus that it has heavier body than just about any washed arabica—a real advantage for espresso roasters like the premium Italian roaster, illycaffè, which insists on avoiding robusta in their espresso blends.
The finest New Guineas are both pleasing on their own and superb in a blend, complementing any acidic coffee and giving life to a dull one. Jerry Baldwin, of Peet’s, told me that beans produced by the Sigri estate make the most complete coffee he knows—praise once reserved in the coffee trade for Jamaican Blue Mountain, which now seldom merits it. Each roaster announces with pride in its newsletters a shipment from one of these estates; fine Papua New Guinea beans also turn up on the menus of other specialty roasters. (Kummer, 2003, pp. 140-141)