February 2012’s pick

Papua New Guinea Sigri Plantation A

A prize-winning, luxuriously pure plantation coffee from Papua New Guinea, north of Australia.

Commonly available in central Europe, Australia and the US, it’s not so easy to come across in the UK.

From

A much-admired Arabica coffee estate in the Edenic 40-mile-long Wahgi Valley in the western highlands.

Kopi's coffee experts' tasting notes...

There’s a suggestion of red wine – a claret? – on first whiff… Taste-wise, coffees from the Indonesian region can be strong and spicy with virtually no bitterness, and often with a kind of earthy undertone. This one has a particularly delicate background earthiness that is beautifully balanced by a luscious, tropical fruit perkiness to give a sophisticated cup full of high-bred complexity.

...and their personal verdict

Jim, 35 years in the coffee trade
“A great gourmet coffee to glug at any time. I particularly like its slightly wild, aromatic character as an after dinner coffee, possibly following an Indonesian curry.”

Geoff, 35 years in the coffee trade
“A really fruity, well-balanced coffee which I enjoy most whilst sipping alongside another of my favourite tipples, a glass of good vintage port.”

Plantations vs. family farms

Around 70% of Papua New Guinea coffee is produced by villager ‘coffee gardens’ typically ranging in size from 20 trees to 500.

But this month’s Kopi find is from a plantation; the hats-off 750-hectare Sigri coffee estate established in the 50s and synonymous with the best gourmet beans the world can offer.

Papua New Guinea plantation coffees are prized for having a cleaner, more sophisticated character than those grown on the country’s small farms. This Sigri one is an excellent example.

The plantation grows exclusively Arabica beans, concentrating on Typica varieties that produce a finer coffee than other Arabica in the country.

Community matters

In the peak harvesting season (April to October), the estate employs about 6,000 people; about half live permanently in company-owned housing on the plantation.

Several schools and free medical aid posts are dotted around. Sigri also does local road and bridge maintenance, and helps care for its people’s spiritual wellbeing by supporting local church groups.

Eco ethics

Sigri considers soil and water conservation a priority.

Its coffee is grown under a type of tree favoured by feathered locals such as the deliciously named double eyed fig-parrot. Ninety of the 160 bird species recorded in Wahgi Valley have been spotted on the plantation.

Washing

All coffee bearing the Sigri name is a washed Arabica coffee that’s been put through a rigorous wet factory process. Quality control begins in the field;

• The coffee cherry is hand-picked and carefully checked for uniformity; it must be red and fully ripe to allow for the correct balance of sugar and acid;
• it’s then pulped the same day.

A three-day fermentation process follows, broken every 24 hours by washing. But unlike most other brands, the Sigri process follows this by total immersion in water for a further day, resulting in a superior specialist coffee.

All Sigri coffee is sun dried to make the final taste all the more outstanding.

Washed Arabica Coffee Grades

• Sigri Coffee AA
• Sigri Coffee A
• Sigri Coffee B
• Sigri Coffee PB
• Sigri Coffee C

Wahgi Valley image © samurai_dave on Flickr, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en_GB