Eastern Highlands Tabua AX Washed

Tabua consists of the highest quality the Eastern Highlands small-holder lots delivered to our milling and export partner in Goroka. These coffees are grown by a network of smallholder growers throughout the Kianantu, Obura-Wonenara, Henganofi and Okapa districts of EHP. 

Producers cooperatively manage small village coffee blocks, pulping and sun-drying coffees at village micro-mills. These top-lots are QC’d by MTC before being milled and stored. 

With its lofty altitude, harvest in the East typically starts around May and ends around winds down around August/September. Production and processing here are rustic, though, with recent improvements in pulping and drying equipment in growing communities and better processing practices, many smallholder growing groups are producing incredible coffees and the potential to improve further is immense. ​ 

The highlands form the backbone of PNG. With its high altitude and cooler climate, the highlands are perfect for the cultivation of high-quality Arabica Coffee. 70% of the population is still dependent on subsistence agriculture and small plots of coffee trees.  

Farming procedures are organic by default/ Chemicals, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are both unknown and unobtainable because of cost and logistics. As a result, coffee from the highlands has naturally low levels of caffeine and acidity, with absolutely no trace elements of chemicals and pollutants. This fact has been independently verified laboratories in Australia and Europe.  

PNG’s unique grading system includes X and AX bean sizes. AX indicates that the lot has beans that are screen sizes 14 to 17. This means that are beans in an AX lot are between 5.5 and 6.75 millimeters in size.