Papua New Guinea Kimel Estate Peaberry

Yesterday I got to do something that I have always wanted to do. I went with my daughter’s class on a hike through the Sutter Buttes with Middle Mountain Interpretative Hikes. As a Nevada County native, I am familiar with the Sutter Buttes, and I have observed them from a distance for many years. I have heard stories about them, and driven around them. It was truly fun to have the opportunity to hike through them.

A time of reflection looking out over the Central Valley

The Sutter Buttes are an anomaly: a volcanic mountain range right in the middle of the Central Valley. To the native Maidu they were a spiritual place, and today they are mostly private land, with cattle and sheep grazing throughout. It could not have been more idyllic and pastoral, on a sunny spring day, with newborn calves lowing for their mothers as we hiked. We saw pastures full of wildflowers: blowing purple and yellow in the wind. And oh my, the wind. It was incredibly strong yesterday, so that even I stumbled in a gust, and you can imagine that the kids were enjoying being blown around.

t was a lovely day spent outside, learning about California geology, geography, and history. Today it’s back to work, but I’m glad to see that it’s still sunny outside. It lifts my spirits to see that bright disk warming the newly open blossoms.

Today we have a new coffee from Papua New Guinea for you. If you remember the Organic Papua New Guinea Timuza that we featured a month ago, here, it was from the Eastern Highlands Province. This week we have a peaberry bean from the Kimel Estate, located in the Western Highlands Province. The plantation is 100% owned by indigenous people, and you can read a good article about it here.

The estate provides schooling for the children, and medical care for everyone. Their water comes fresh from the Kimel River, off the slopes of Mt. Hagen. They use it for the coffee processing, and recycle it back through the farm. They also recycle the coffee pulp by using it as fertilizer. The coffee is surrounded by shade trees: albizias and gravilleas.

We’ve roasted this light and in the cup it tastes of citrus trees, with light floral tones like a meyer lemon. It’s sweet and has a full finish of bittersweet chocolate. You can try a cup on us with the code dolphin* (my ten-year-old chose the code this week). April starts tomorrow, and with it our 35th anniversary month–and all kinds of local events. Be on the lookout for giveaways to celebrate our anniversary this month. Enjoy!

–Holly Fike

*Code good for one free 12 ounce cup of Papua New Guinea Kimel Estate Peaberry. Code expires on 4.06.17. Limit one free cup per customer please. Valid only at Carolines Coffee Roasters, 128 S. Auburn Street, Grass Valley, CA. Code/Offer has no cash value