by Nigel Ong
Indonesia is known for producing some of the best single-origin coffees in Asia Pacific. While many may know Sumatra or Bali coffee, there are also up-and-coming regions, such as Papua. Papua coffee is known to be complex and fruity, with notes of chocolate and more.
I picked up a bag of single-origin Papua coffee for review today, specifically from the region of Wamena. I will brew the coffee three ways and then sample it with popular flavorings. Finally, I’ll compare it with other coffee in my collection.
About Papua Wamena Coffee
The island of New Guinea is broken into two parts. On the east is the independent nation of Papua New Guinea. On the west is Papua, a part of Indonesia.
Western New Guinea was part of the Dutch East Indies, which means they were administered by the Dutch. Similar to many regions in Indonesia, the Dutch treated Western New Guinea like a large plantation and planted many things.
Coffee is grown in many regions in Papua. The lowlands focus on Robusta coffee since the weather and soil conditions favor the coffee tree. As for Arabica, the major planting areas include the central Highlands around the Jayawijaya province.
Wamena is a major township in Jayawijaya province, and most of the premium Arabica coffee beans harvested in the area are likely collected here. Wamena is also the largest township in the central Papuan highlands.
This may lead to the creation of Papua Wamena coffee, referring to Papua coffee that originated from Wamena and its surrounding regions, particularly Jayawijaya province.
Papua Wamena coffee is surprisingly expensive for many reasons. One is its unstable production, causing prices to fluctuate heavily. There are also issues with aging farmers – production may fall further as they retire.
The biggest influence, however, is the growing demand for Papua coffee. This is driven by its growing popularity and appreciation by coffee drinkers worldwide.
How Does Papua Wamena Coffee Taste?
First Impression
I picked up some single-origin Papua Wamena coffee during my recent trip to Indonesia. The beans are Arabica and roasted to medium perfection by Sakha Coffee, an independent roastery based in Jakarta, Indonesia.
You can tell the quality of the coffee quite fast. The aroma of the roasted beans was barely contained by the packaging. In fact, if you keep the coffee bag in a confined box, the aroma can actually build up inside.
When I press the one-way valve open, I can enjoy the full aroma of the coffee beans. It smelled great, with notes of caramel and chocolate.
I opened the coffee bag and poured out some of the beans. The beans are slightly larger than the ones I get from my Java coffee, and the color is slightly darker. However, Sakha labeled my Papua coffee as a medium roast.
I decided to compare the beans with Java and also Sulawesi Toraja coffee. The Papua Wamena coffee is roasted slightly darker.
I scooped some beans, loaded them into my grinder, and began brewing. Let’s sample some of these Papuan goodies!
French Press
I started off my brewing with a French press. The French press should allow me to enjoy the coffee with all its oils and particles. This should be a cup of ‘dirty,’ murky, full-flavored coffee.
I relied on my Bodum Caffettiera French press and brewed a 2-cup batch for the French press. I used the 1:12 coffee-to-water ratio recommended by Illy Coffee, similar to my other coffee reviews.
The aroma is there, signaling how good of a coffee this is. My kitchen instantly smells of coffee. The aroma is chocolatey, with some sweetness. As I took my first sip, the aroma filled my nostrils, too.
I immediately picked up soft chocolate notes with some fresh bread-like notes. There is little smoke, and the bitterness of the coffee is mild. There is also some mild caramel sweetness towards the finish.
As I slowly sip my coffee, my palate also notices some floral notes, though they come and go. I could detect the note better if I sip the coffee with a spoon.
Many can enjoy this gentle cup of coffee. I can easily imagine sipping this coffee on a lazy weekend or a slow afternoon.
Pour Over With Filter Paper
Pour-over coffee helps to extract coffee via filtration instead of immersion (such as in the French press), which helps me to sample the coffee differently.
Plus, the filter paper will help to remove some of the coffee oils and fine particles, making my coffee cleaner and possibly less intense.
I use the following gear for this brewing method, as well as the pour-over brewing method from Starbucks:
Using this method, my Papua Wamena tasted cleaner and softer still than the French press coffee. This is expected since the pour-over coffee has fewer oils and particles.
I can taste less bitterness and more chocolate notes in this cup, with the caramel sweetness in the finish. Like the French press, I picked up floral notes, but not consistently.
The coffee bag writes that there is some citrus sweetness, but I cannot detect any here. Perhaps I’ll have better luck with the espresso version of my Papua Wamena coffee.
Espresso
Espresso may not be a good idea with medium roasts. Still, I usually do this to see how the coffee tastes when I concentrate the flavors. Sometimes, I may pick up flavors not on the first two brewing styles.
I used my Wacaco Minipresso GR to pull out a shot. The result is an espresso with rich, thick crema. The color is light, though, and reminds me of Starbucks Blonde Espresso instead.
The espresso smells light and does not have a smoky aroma. There is also no smoke or strong bitterness when I sip some in. This is not your regular espresso, for sure.
Here, I picked up a stronger acidic note with some floral undertone. The acidic note is quite strong, to be honest, and I don’t really like it.
My Papua Wamena coffee here definitely does not make good espresso. However, do understand that it is not roasted to be one here. It is a medium roast, after all.
What Flavoring Works Well With Papua Wamena Coffee?
Here, I will experiment with the coffee’s tastes by adding flavorings. These are very common flavorings, such as milk, sugar, and ice.
Sweeteners
I use two types of sweeteners here. One is regular, the other artificial. I brewed two cups of French press coffee to start.
I then added two teaspoons of brown sugar to my first cup. For my second cup, I added two drops of Equal artificial sweetener. The sweetening agent behind Equal is Aspartame, a type of artificial sweetener.
Again, I have to mention that single-origin coffee is best enjoyed black, just as the roasters prefer you to. Black coffee allows you to sample the notes best. Sugar may alter or mask away some notes.
My cup with sugar looks slightly shinier and has a bit more thickness. Flavor-wise, the sugar seems to have elevated the chocolate and caramel notes on the coffee. The floral notes, however, seem to have gone missing.
The Equal sweetener tasted about the same, minus the shine on the coffee’s appearance. The coffee also has a long, sweet finish, a bit too long for me. It feels less natural.
Milk and Creamer
Aside from sweetness, many also love to have a fat and creamy taste on their coffee. Cow’s milk and coffee creamer are two major ways people add these flavors to their coffee. I figure I’ll use the same ingredient here.
Again, I brewed two fresh cups of Papua Wamena coffee. I added a shot (about 1 oz or 30 ml) of whole, fresh, UHT cow’s milk for the first cup.
I added two teaspoons of Coffee Mate non-dairy creamer to the second cup. Coffee Mate is made from palm oil, making it good for lactose-intolerant people.
Both cups become very silky, rich, and creamy, making the soft coffee even nicer to sip and enjoy. I particularly enjoy how the milk made the coffee’s aroma creamier as well, making the coffee much more decadent.
To me, the milked version tastes better than the one with creamer. Creamer also does its job, but the milked cup tastes more natural. To my palate, the milked version seems more satisfying to sip on.
Ice
Finally, I thought I’d experiment with a cup of chilled Papua Wamena coffee. I added half a cup of slightly concentrated coffee into a glass. I then filled the glass to the brim with ice.
To me, the coffee tastes alright with ice. There is not much smoke, so the coffee tastes quite light. The acidity is more prominent here, which should be nice on a hot day. I can enjoy this on a very hot day as a refresher.
This is not the coffee if you want deep bitterness from a regular iced Americano. This is a lighter, slightly sour version you may or may not like. Try it out yourself to decide.
Papua Wamena Coffee vs. Single-Origin Indonesian Coffee
Papua Wamena coffee is a single-origin coffee, which makes me think I can probably compare its taste with the other single-origin Indonesian coffee I have in my collection.
I made coffee with these roasts and compared their taste:
- Java Coffee
- Sulawesi Toraja Coffee
- Sumatra Gayo Coffee
- Flores Coffee
I would say that the Papua Wamena coffee is slightly darker in taste and a bit smokier than the rest here. It has a deeper chocolate taste, closer to cocoa than milk chocolate.
It is also a darker coffee than the Java or Toraja coffee. Aside from the cocoa-like notes making it darker, I think the smoke taste may be closer to spices. As a result, the Papua Wamena coffee is a little bit harder to drink than, say, the Java coffee.
Papua Wamena Coffee vs Popular Blends
I also brewed a bunch of popular medium roast blends in my collection. I sipped them side by side with my Papua Wamena coffee:
- Folgers 1850 Pioneer Roast
- Dunkin Original Blend
- McCafe Premium Roast
- Gevalia Colombian Roast
- Starbucks House Blend
These are all medium roasts, similar to the Papua Wamena coffee.
These blends are made to be balanced and have as little edge in flavor as possible. As a result, they are nice and comfortable to drink. The balanced notes, however, made it unable to stand out against the Papua Wamena coffee.
My Papua Wamena coffee has that extra citrusy and floral notes that make it special than these coffee blends.
Papua Wamena Coffee vs Regular Coffee
I picked up a cup of regular Americano from the most regular of places, a 7-Eleven. The idea is to compare my Papua Wamena coffee with a regular brewed cup of joe, which you can get from gas stations or convenience stores.
No doubt here – the Papua Wamena wins here. It tastes better and provides me with more satisfying sips. The 7-Eleven coffee just tastes flat and lacking in depth. There is no character or edge in its flavors.
Where Can You Get Papua Wamena Coffee?
If you want to try the Papua Wamena from Sakha Roastery, bad news. They do not seem to ship worldwide. Their online store also does not accept credit card payments, unfortunately.
If you go to places such as Amazon, you may be able to find coffee from Papua New Guinea, but not West Papua coffee. You may not want to equate between the two; West Papua coffee, such as the Wamena, may differ from Papua New Guinean coffee.It seems that your best bet is to try to pick up one from JPW International. It is an Indonesian roastery that ships worldwide.