About This Coffee
This lot is sourced from producer Jon Boito's 1.5ha farm in Obura Wonenara district, in Papua New Guinea's Eastern Highlands.
Jon Boito grabbed the attention of our sourcing team because of his progressive and quality-conscious approach. Harvest is carried out selectively after Brix readings of 23-24 to ensure optimum cherry maturation. Pulping is done using manual hand pulpers - a true labour of love - and he deliberately favours a relatively high retention of mucilage to develop more floral and fruity notes in the final cup. This lot is washed and dried on raised beds with a 16hr dry fermentation.
PNG's Eastern Highlands range in altitude between 1,700 and 2,000masl and are known for their cool temperatures which allows for a longer cherry maturation on the tree, which typically translates to the development of more complex flavour compounds in the final cup.
The Region
Obura-Wonenara is a district in the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea, known for its diverse ethnic groups and rich cultural heritage. The district is home to several indigenous communities, each with its own unique traditions and customs. One of the notable aspects of Obura-Wonenara is its vibrant community life and the strong emphasis on traditional practices. The people here are known for their intricate weaving, traditional dances, and elaborate ceremonies that mark important life events such as births, marriages, and deaths. The district has also been the focus of recent development efforts. For instance, in August 2023, the Obura-Wonenara District Development Plan was launched, aiming to improve infrastructure and services in the area. This plan includes significant investments in roads, healthcare, and education, which are expected to enhance the quality of life for the residents.
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 centre of the country. These coffees exhibit the heavy body characteristic of this part of the world along with savory sweet flavours. Coffee from PNG is graded using a unique matrix that reflects not only screen size but bean shape, defect count, and colour in addition to aroma and cup quality with A/X, being the highest quality available.
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 1800s 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.