Bird of Paradise Coffee Beans

The Coffee Belt refers to the region between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. We might be more familiar with coffee-producing regions such as Brazil and Colombia in the Americas, or Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania in Africa. But within the same golden belt in Oceania, the most renowned specialty coffee comes from Indonesia—such as Mandheling coffee. In contrast, its eastern neighbor, Papua New Guinea, remains relatively "unknown."

What sets this apart geographically is that these coffee beans, produced in Papua New Guinea—the world’s largest archipelagic country—have an unusual name: Bird of Paradise. Most coffee beans we know are named after their origin, growing region, or even coffee variety. Yet this bird-named coffee bean is even referred to as "Little Blue Mountain," making it quite a story-rich coffee bean.

Bird of Paradise coffee is produced in Papua New Guinea. Because the bags of green coffee beans bear the image of the national bird, the Bird of Paradise, domestically, coffee beans from Papua New Guinea are commonly called Bird of Paradise coffee. This particular Bird of Paradise coffee from Front Street originates from the Sigri Estate. Its official name is PNG AA Sigri, which stands for country + farming type + grading name. So, this coffee bean refers to AA-grade green coffee beans produced at the Sigri Estate in Papua New Guinea. Other "Heavenly Estates" coffee beans are distinguished by their estate names.

The Sigri Estate is located in the Wahgi Valley of the Western Highlands and was established in 1950. Situated at an altitude of 1,500–1,700 meters, it enjoys a cool climate and abundant rainfall—ideal conditions for growing Arabica coffee. The Sigri Estate grows only Arabica coffee, mainly the Arusha, Bourbon, and Typica varieties. The seedlings here were originally transplanted from Jamaican parent stock, making them Arabica Typica (Typical Arabica). As a result, some people refer to Papua New Guinea coffee as “Little Blue Mountain.”

This Bird of Paradise coffee is washed-process Typica coffee grown at an altitude of 1,300–1,700 meters on the Sigri farm. Front Street Coffee’s roasters have roasted it to a medium level. It has a rich mouthfeel, along with nutty and fruity flavors. That concludes the introduction to Bird of Paradise coffee.