Rare origin · garden coffee

Papua New Guinea Coffee

In Papua New Guinea’s highlands, most coffee grows in small family “gardens” alongside food crops. The result is sweet, earthy and quietly complex.

Altitude: 4,500–6,500 ft
Harvest: April–September
Varieties: Typica, Bourbon, Arusha
Usual process: Washed
Rarity index: 94/100
On Roasterland: 6 coffees · 6 roasters

In the cup

Herbal, tropical fruit and cocoa

Sweet and rounded with cocoa, brown sugar, a herbal edge and hints of tropical fruit. Moderate acidity, full body.

CocoaHerbalTropical fruitBrown sugar

Taste profile

SweetnessMedium

AcidityMedium

BodyMedium

BitternessLow

From our tasting of every coffee from this origin on Roasterland. Each coffee page has its own profile.

Papua New Guinea, side by side

Same origin, different small roasters. Each roasts it its own way.

4th Level Roasters · Lexington Papua New Guinea Peaberry

Dark chocolate, blackberry, dried plum, black tea

Familiar$0.70/cup

In stock at the roaster

$16.00 / 12 oz

Caffe Ibis · Logan Papua New Guinea Organic Timuza

Grapefruit

Medium roast

Familiar$0.85/cup

In stock at the roaster

$19.49 / 12 oz

Freedom Hill Coffee Roasters · Bellaire Papua New Guinea

Caramel, milk chocolate, pear, spice

Dark roast

Easygoing$0.88/cup

In stock at the roaster

$19.99 / Ground

Java Love Coffee Roasting Co. · Kauneonga Lake Papua New Guinea

Raw vanilla, cocoa, tamarind, spice

Washed · Medium roast

Easygoing$0.80/cup

In stock at the roaster

$18.25 / 12 oz.

Irving Farm Coffee Roasters · Millerton Lamari, Papua New Guinea

Dark chocolate, mandarin orange, black tea

Washed · Dark roast

Easygoing$0.94/cup

In stock at the roaster

$19.50 / whole bean

Philly Fair Trade Roasters · Philadelphia Papua New Guinea Mong

Brown sugar, cola

Familiar$0.79/cup

In stock at the roaster

$18.00 / 12 oz Whole Bean

Coffee	Roaster	Process	Roast	Tastes like	Price
Papua New Guinea Peaberry	4th Level Roasters			Dark chocolate, blackberry, dried plum, black tea	$16.00
Papua New Guinea Organic Timuza	Caffe Ibis		Medium	Grapefruit	$19.49
Papua New Guinea	Freedom Hill Coffee Roasters		Dark	Caramel, milk chocolate, pear, spice	$19.99
Papua New Guinea	Java Love Coffee Roasting Co.	Washed	Medium	Raw vanilla, cocoa, tamarind, spice	$18.25
Lamari, Papua New Guinea	Irving Farm Coffee Roasters	Washed	Dark	Dark chocolate, mandarin orange, black tea	$19.50
Papua New Guinea Mong	Philly Fair Trade Roasters			Brown sugar, cola	$18.00

About the region

From Blue Mountain seed

Coffee came to Papua New Guinea’s highlands in the 1920s and 1930s, partly from Jamaican Blue Mountain seed. Today the Eastern and Western Highlands, around Goroka and Mount Hagen, grow most of it.

The great majority is grown by smallholders with a few hundred trees each, often without chemicals simply because they can’t get them. Traceable lots from a single cooperative or valley are the ones to look for.

Roasters who roast Papua New Guinea

4th Level Roasters Lexington, KY Atomic Coffee Roasters Beverly, MA Caffe Ibis Logan, UT Freedom Hill Coffee Roasters Bellaire, MI Irving Farm Coffee Roasters Millerton, NY Java Love Coffee Roasting Co. Kauneonga Lake, NY

If you like Papua New Guinea, try

Asia & PacificTimor-LesteDark chocolate · Spice · Molasses · Earthy

IndonesiaSumatraCedar · Herbal · Dark chocolate · Earthy

AmericasJamaicaMild · Sweet · Nutty · Floral

Questions about Papua New Guinea

Is PNG coffee organic?

Much of it is grown without chemicals, but few smallholders can afford certification.

What makes PNG coffee rare?

Rugged roads and tiny gardens make it hard to collect and export consistent, traceable lots.