July 2021 - A Truly Interesting Origin

July 2021’s Coffee Origin - Papua New Guinea

Last month’s coffee origin (Bali Indonesia) exposed us to a unique system with religious and cultural practices interwoven into cultivation. This month we are cupping an equally interesting coffee cooperative from Papua New Guinea.

If you've take an Anthropology course, you've undoubtable heard of Papua New Guinea. PNG is home to hundreds of tribes and clans with diverse languages, cultures and varying levels of interaction with the "modern world" (some only recently contacted/disturbed by Western Cultures). July’s coffee hails from the Eastern Highlands Province and the Chimbu Province, where a cooperative of several tribes uses coffee for the betterment of the community as a whole.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA - KETO TAPASI 
Varietal: Bourbon, Caturra, and Typica
Growing Elevation: 5400+ feet
Process: Fully washed and Sun Dried
Certification: Organic, Fair Trade
Harvest Start Month: June
Harvest End Month: October
Flavour Profile and Notes: GO CUP YOURSELF and find out!

The Keto Tapasi Progress Association is a cooperative of over 375 members, spanning 18 Villages and several Clans. Coordinating production and growing standards, the coop has acquired Fair Trade Certification (since 2010) and an Organic Certification (since 2014).  The revenue from the endeavor betters the lives of an estimated 4500 people through jobs, improved education and health care.

Within the Keto Tapasi Progress Association the “farms” are referred to as "Coffee Gardens". Each Coffee Garden is tended by its member, although there are no formal boundaries between properties. Most Coffee Gardens are relatively small, ranging from a few coffee trees to several hundred interspersed with other crops. The collective produces specialty graded coffee through a process that involves; harvesting, depulping and a fermented drying process that lasts for up to three days. Next the beans are washed and laid out to dry before being sent to a centralized mill for sorting, packing and export.

Does the cooperation of people separated by language and culture translate into a better cup of coffee? Why don’t you Go Cup Yourself and find out!

Roaster’s Notes:
Keto Tapasi is a fully washed coffee bean. This make the roasting process fairly straight forward. The bean can take heat well and has far less chaff than a "Natural Process" coffee (as expected). After several attempts to find the best profile, we've settled on a light to medium roast. Aside from a few Ethiopian coffees that we have Cupped together, this slightly darker roast level appears to be the most approachable and enjoyable. If we get enough feedback asking for it, we may try a lighter roast with next month's origin. While the lighter roast may be closer to how we would traditionally Cup, it is not always our favourite for daily drinking.

Cupping-wise, look for an Herbal notes followed by …wait a minute, if you want cupping notes Go Cup Yourself!

Once you have finished Cupping, click on the “EXPERT TASTED” tab for our tasting notes. Can’t wait to compare notes.

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