This is the second coffee we have brought you from the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The first, Eastern Highlands Goruka was the Origin of the Month for July 2022 and was a huge hit. That said, PNG coffees are always very good.

This coffee was grown in three PNG provinces, Eastern Highlands, Simbu, and Morobe. It was processed using the washed process. In this process, coffee cherries are placed in tanks of water to sort the ripe (good) cherries from the unripe (bad) cherries. The ripe cherries sink to the bottom, the unripe cherries float. Damaged or defective cherries will also float to the top. Once sorted, the coffee cherries are then run through a de-pulping machine that removes the skins of the cherries and moved to fermentation tanks that remove the remaining fruit remnants from the beans (seeds), inside. The final step is to dry the beans until they reach the optimal moisture level; which is usually 12-14 percent.    

Washed processing is becoming very popular in the coffee world because of the cup profile that results. Cup profiles of washed coffees tend to more accurately reflect the characteristic taste and flavor imparted to the coffee by the natural environment in which it was produced. 

Nine million people call PNG home; 2.5 million of them are involved in some way with coffee. Coffee is the second leading agricultural product for PNG (palm oil is first).

This Lahamenegu coffee was grown at about 5500 feet above sea level, and it is really good. It was graded at an “A” designation, which means it a balanced, uniform, clean, cup with a distinct body and aroma. The cup score of this coffee is 85.5. While enjoying this one, you may catch flavor notes of dark chocolate, brown sugar, green tea, and stone fruit.