New things in the world of green coffee aren’t very common. There are tons of new varieties, but very few make it to production level. Maybe a judge at a coffee competition will get to try it, but rarely will it reach commercially viable quantities. Novel processing methods like anaerobic fermentation (in all its many forms) have entered the equation, but even those have been popular for half a decade now. The truly new things are fleeting, but they are exciting when they occur. Like a new origin for instance.
And that’s exactly what Lexington, Virginia’s Roadmap Coffeeworks has to offer. Working with Cafe Imports, Roadmap is the first North American or European roaster to have a specialty-grade coffee from West Papua, and the best part is, it’s available for all to try.
Many are familiar with coffee from Papua New Guinea, an Oceanic island nation just north of Australia. These PNG coffees come from the eastern part of New Guinea. West Papua comprises the farthest westernmost part of the island and is actually a province of Indonesia. Historically the coffees produced in West Papua never leave Indonesia. Until now.
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Hailing from the Wamena region, this coffee was grown at 1,800 MASL by 20 smallholder farmers. The Indonesian heirloom variety coffee is washed, an atypical processing method for the region. And if you were expecting a PNG coffee, think again. Flavor notes for this coffee include apple, cashew, and molasses, with a juicy body, papaya aroma, and chocolatey finish.
This is also a coffee with a cause. Working in partnership with Cafe Imports, Roadmap will be donating $7 for each bag purchased to Grounds for Health, a non-profit organization that provides women’s healthcare in coffee producing communities. 12oz bags of West Papua are available for purchase via Roadmap’s website for $17.
For more information or to order a bag of West Papua coffee, visit Roadmap Coffeework’s official website.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
