Tsekaka PB Washed

This Washed coffee is cultivated at Amilpe North Coffee Plantation at 1,500 meters above sea level. Owned by Karkopi Development Limited, the plantation is 88.21 hectares and planted with Arusha, Blue Mountain and Caturra.

The Western Highlands are centrally located in Papua New Guinea. This diverse mountain range has heights towering above 2,800 meters above sea level.

The main crop runs from May to September and the fly crop from January to February. These coffees are marked by a candy sweetness, a tea-like mouthfeel and balanced body.

Most farmers in PNG grow coffee on small plots of land intercropped with other cash and subsistence crops. Most land where coffee is grown can more aptly be described as “coffee gardens” than as farms or plantations.

Smallholder farmers in the Western Highlands cultivate coffee on small farms that are usually 5 hectares or smaller, mini plantations are 5 to 29 hectares and plantations are above 30 hectares.

Ripe, red cherry is selectively handpicked by local laborers who live in the surrounding towns. All cherry is processed at the farm’s on-site wet mill. Cherry is visually inspected and then pulped. Coffee is fermented and then washed in clean water to remove remaining mucilage. Parchment is laid on patios to sundry. Parchment is raked frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 14 days for parchment to dry. Once dry, parchment is stored in a covered warehouse for about 1 month before being transported to the dry mill and prepared for export.

PB stands for peaberry. Peaberry is a name given to a very specific shape of coffee bean. In Spanish, peaberries are called “caracol”, which means “snail”. The name aptly describes the shape of the peaberry bean, which appears slightly curved in on itself.   

Peaberries are the result of a natural mutation in the coffee cherry. Whereas there are usually two beans nestled together in each fruit, a cherry with a peaberry mutation only forms one bean. Thus, peaberries are a single, rounder bean.

Peaberry mutations occur in approximately 5% of all coffee. The beans are known for being rounder, smaller and denser, which can contribute to a more even roast color when handled correctly. Many people find peaberries to have a sweeter flavor profile, as well.

Since peaberries are a natural mutation that is not visible from the outside of the cherry, peaberries must be sorted out during the screen grading stage of dry milling. The peaberry screens have the smallest holes, which are oblong to allow the rounder beans to fall through.