PAPUA NEW GUINEA SIGRI ESTATE

Flavor Notes: Pomegranate, Tamarind, Pink Lemonade, Almond, Rose Water

“Not your Mother’s Papua New Guinea" —the tagline from Benchmark Coffee Traders, referring to a new level of quality coffee coming out of this incredibly diverse, naturally beautiful country. 

Throughout its long history in coffee, PNG has had some pretty big obstacles to overcome. First, as the most linguistically diverse country in the world, with over 800 languages spoken—communication among coffee pickers, farmers, etc. is incredibly challenging! Second, as home to the 3rd largest rainforest in the world, even though they are a small island, travel can be equally challenging as coffee needs to get trucked (and tracked) through miles of dense jungle. And finally, all that dense jungle travel also means harvests are vulnerable to theft—one of the biggest problems producers face regularly.

Despite all those difficulties, visionaries like Vikram Patel (pictured above, middle), founder of Benchmark Coffee Traders, are moving PNG into a new era. Through Benchmark, Vikram established a stringent system of quality control called the “Kula” process, involving meticulous coffee sorting, washing, and drying—resulting in some of the most flawless PNG coffees produced today. Benchmark also provides much needed 24/7 security for their workers as well as free housing, healthcare, and schooling for all the families.

Sigri Estate, a biodynamic coffee farm located in the rugged Waghi valley, was founded by missionaries 110 years ago but is now owned by Vikram Patel and his family. Sourced through Benchmark Coffee Traders, who handles all the logistics, it is our first direct trade coffee from this lush part of the world. 

This particular micro-lot  is as diverse as the country itself with notes of pomegranate, sweet tamarind, rose water, pink lemonade, and almond. It is naturally sweet, packed with flavor, and a little wild. PNG is a magnificent world (and coffee) waiting to be explored, which we are beyond excited to share with you!

Sigri Estate provides free schooling for the children of coffee workers, pictured above