LIMITED EDITION: Papua New Guinea – Wahgi Valley – Kenta Mill

We are thrilled to feature this stunning lot from the Wahgi Valley.  This is the third offering we have selected for our Limited Release program and each year this coffee is one of our absolute favorites. With loads of milk chocolate and tangy fruit acidity, this is an exceptionally balanced and dynamic coffee!

From our import partners at Cafe Imports:

Kenta Plantation Mill is named after the community and village where it is located, about 4 hours away from Goroka town. The mill is a relatively new addition, built in 2011 and equipped with two four-disc depulpers and newly constructed fermentation tanks, where coffee is fermented for two days or more before being fully washed. The mill is located at 1,600 meters, but the farmers in the area live and grow coffee all the way up to 1,850 meters, some of the highest elevations in the region.

Local producers deliver coffee in cherry and blended with coffee grown on the plantation land. The majority of the coffee in this area is Bourbon, Typica, and Arusha. The coffee is separated into day lots and kept separate throughout the processing and drying. The coffee is depulped the same day it’s delivered, and fermented for 48 hours or more before being washed. It is dried on tarpaulins that are spread on a grassy field near the wet mill; it’s tended by local women, who rake and rotate the coffee as it dries, over a period of 6–9 days.

The predominant economy of the Western Highlands is coffee accounting for 20% of the country’s total production. The land is densely forested and dramatic with mountains and river valleys experiencing cool average temperatures. Generational producers have grown coffee under shade along with other subsistence crops. Today, specialty coffees from places like Waghi Valley are gaining notoriety for the unique flavor profile of the region.