Medium body across a range of roasts, and moderate acidity, fruited lemongrass hint, dried apple slices, natural dried stone fruit flavor, with some rustic sweetness
The Korgua Estate resides in Nebilyer District, Central Highland region of Papua New Guinea. Now run by Brian Leahy, the farm was founded by Brian’s father Dan and Uncle Mick, two well-known Australian explorers (their early films and photos being the basis for the Australian documentary, “First Contact”). Korgua Estate sits at about 1400 meters above sea level and is planted mostly in older Bourbon and Typica cultivars.
It’s a wet processed coffee, meaning the coffee cherry and much of the fruit are stripped from the seed using depulping machinery, and then the seed still covered in sticky mucilage is submerged in water tanks where it ferments overnight, breaking down the remaining outer layer of fruit. Now this is an X grade coffee, which is technically ‘lower’ than the top grades like A and AX. But tasting it blind side by side with the top grades, it was clearly the superior cup, more fruited and sweet in a way that set it apart from the rest.
X was sweet and fruit-laden. Toffee and caramel sweet smells transfer from freshly ground coffee to wet aromatics, as well as fruited notes that seem to gain momentum after pouring hot water. The coffee extracts medium body across a range of roasts, and presents moderate acidity when kept to the lighter end of the spectrum. (Body is heightened when using full immersion methods like French Press.
- Origin: Papua New Guinea
- Region: Central Highlands
- Farm: Korgua Estate
- Producer: Brian Leahy
- Altitude: 1400m
- Cultivar: Arusha, Bourbon, Typica
- Processing: Washed
- Sourcing: Sweet Maria’s