Top 3 World's Most Coveted Papuan Coffees

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The uniqueness and delicacy of Papuan coffee can be attributed to the trees that are cultivated at a high altitude of 1,400-2,700 meters above sea level in the central mountains of Papua. This coffee was first brought to the region by missionaries and the Dutch government.

According to Hari Suroto, a researcher at the Papua Archaeological Center, coffee cultivation in the Baliem Valley, Wamena started in 1960 with the introduction of Arabica Typica coffee seeds from Papua New Guinea. The then chief of the agricultural service, van der Sluis, carefully selected the best quality Arabica seeds, specifically Jamaica Blue Mountain, which originated from Jamaica.

Some Papuan coffee beans have managed to establish themselves in the global coffee market. Here are the three most popular Papuan coffees at home and abroad:

1. Amungme Coffee

Amungme coffee is produced in Timika Regency, Papua. As the name suggests, this Arabica Typica coffee is cultivated by the Amungme tribe near the Tembagapura mine. It is grown at an altitude of 2,500 meters above sea level in a number of villages, namely Oroanop, Tsinga, Hoya, and Banti villages. 

At present, more than 19,000 hectares of land near the Tembagapura mine are planted with Amungme coffee using an intercropping system. At least 13,603 trees have been planted in the area with an average production of 606 kilograms of coffee beans (parchment) per year.

Amungme coffee has a full-bodied structure, a slightly acidic taste, a very distinctive and strong sweet aroma, and a mocha aftertaste.

Amungme coffee is available at the Amungme coffee processing unit in Timika, Kuala Kencana, or Tembagapura supermarkets, which are not far from the Freeport complex. It is also exported to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.

2. Bintang Mountains Coffee

Arabica coffee from Bintang Mountains, Papua, is special as it is grown at an altitude of 1,800 to 2,000 meters above sea level, which is higher than other Arabica coffees that are generally planted at an altitude of 1,500 meters above sea level.

Due to the cold air temperature of around 18 - 23 Celsius, foggy skies, and less sunlight, the coffee berries ripen longer on the tree, and the taste tends to be more acidic. 

Bintang Mountains coffee has a distinctive taste, namely citrus, berry, orange, fruity, sweet chocolate, sugar cane, and peach.

Apart from being marketed in Sentani and Jayapura City, Gunung Bintang coffee is also sought-after by Australian, New Zealand, Dutch, and American consumers.

3. Moanemani Coffee

Dogiyai Regency, Papua is known as the best Arabica coffee producer in Indonesia. Moanemani coffee is one of the popular coffee beans from Dogiyai, along with Mountain Bintang coffee and Amungme coffee.

Moanemani is an Arabica coffee grown organically by traditional farmers of the Mee tribe in Mapia District. This coffee is very famous among coffee lovers in Europe and America.

Historically, the Arabica coffee seeds planted in Dogiyai were imported from Papua New Guinea, which had seeds directly from Kingston, Jamaica. Hence, the quality is not much different from Jamaica Blue Mountains, the best premium Arabica coffee in the world.

LUDHY CAHYANA

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