Received 01/02/2012
New Guinea is Earth's second-largest
island. It lies just north of Australia and is divided down the center
between the country of Papua New Guinea (on the east) and Indonesia's
Irian Jaya province (on the west. Richly endowed with natural resources,
Papua New Guinea has one of the most rugged and spectacular
topographies on earth; Mountain peaks close to 4,000 meters (12,000 ft),
active volcanoes, frequent earthquakes and annual rainfall exceeding
six feet. Coffee cultivation in Papua New Guinea began in 1937 using
imported seeds from Jamaica's famous Blue Mountain region, resulting in
noticeable similarities to old-style Jamaica Blue Mountain as a result
of this heritage.
Papua New Guinea's coffee industry is
based upon tens of thousands of small, village coffee gardens. Nearly
half of all the village households grow coffee. Back in the early 1950s
an active policy of encouraging the establishment of village coffee
gardens was initiated, particularly in the highlands where the
environment is ideal for the growing of Arabica coffee. These
family-owned coffee gardens produce over 70% of the countries' annual
exportable crop. It is estimated that nearly 2,000,000 people, or almost
half of the nation's population, derive a benefit from the coffee
industry. The typical village-based grower in PNG uses no artificial
fertiliser, no chemical sprays, and owns his farm lock, stock and
barrel. His input consists mainly of his own and his family's labour,
plus a few simple tools.
Pest and disease control to the grower in
the valleys of PNG's highlands means daily watchfulness and the use of
fingers and a sharp pair of secateurs, rather than the massive overkill
of a chemical regime. Prunings from his coffee and leaf-fall from the
trees which shade it, together with the skin and pulp of his
freshly-processed crop provide a natural, nutrient-rich mulch. The PNG
small grower is very much his own man, very independent in an
increasingly complex world.
The rich volcanic soils of Papua New
Guinea contain significant amounts of volcanic ash, are very high in
organic matter and produce a coffee with tons of body with a touch of
caramel and cream, rounded out with an undertone of dark honey
sweetness. As the cup cools the complexity begins to reveal itself in an
array of flavorful spice: cinnamon, sassafras, and sandalwood with
black tea aspects in a smooth milk chocolate finish.
