Papua New Guinea Specialty Coffee - Washed

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a relative newcomer to the specialty coffee scene. The remote location of the nation's smallholders - who produce 85% of the country's total coffee - coupled with historically poor infrastructure has made the transition to the specialty difficult. However, the country is working towards innovative solutions that will lead to better quality coffees and better livelihoods for the country's small coffee producers.
Most farmers in Papua New Guinea grow coffee on small plots of land interspersed with other cash and subsistence crops. Most land where coffee is grown can more properly be described as "coffee gardens" rather than farms or plantations.
Many small farmers in Papua New Guinea process their cherries at home. Farmers “pulp” their cherries – usually with small drums or other manual methods – and then ferment them for approximately 36 hours. After washing the parchment to remove any remaining mucilage, producers dry the parchment to 10.5% moisture. The predominant drying methods are sun drying on raised beds or tarpaulins or mechanical dryers, of which the Asaro dryer is the most popular.
Drying typically takes place in two stages. First, drying the skin reduces the overall moisture content from approximately 55% to approximately 43%. The second phase, the main drying, is made up of several small changes that can be confirmed by farmers by carrying out simple tests and observing the color of the interior of the bean.
Some farmers sell their coffee as cherries. While this often means farmers receive less cash at the time of sale, it can sometimes mean higher profits in the long run. Mills receiving cherry can retain more control over quality. In turn, higher quality coffee can sell for higher prices and allow millers to pay farmers more for high quality cherries.

In PNG, it has been particularly difficult to organize farmers into collectives or cooperatives. This is due in part to the incredible diversity of tribal groups and languages.

PNG's unique grading system includes A, B, Y, Y2, and Y3 sizes. A is the highest quality rating and means a full, reasonably balanced, uniform and clean glass; well pronounced body and acidity; Rich and distinctive fragrance and aroma with less than 10 defects per kilogram.