Peter Asher Papua New Guinea Western Highlands Kimel

Our rating:   

We don’t often do coffee reviews here on the website, usually only on the coffee blog. All that business relates to how Google runs the world, but we felt it time to make at least one exception. We had for purely business reasons been in contact with John Herriott at the Peter Asher Coffee and Tea . Through our dealings he sent us a few bags of coffee to try. We don’t consider ourselves coffee snobs here at Perfect Cup Coffee.com, but we know a good coffee when we taste it.

John sent us a bit of information about how the company has direct relations with many of the growers in Brazil and New Guinea. He told us a little about his master Roaster Alex and how he has spent a lot of time in and around these coffee growing regions, and how the Peter Asher Company is working alongside the villages and growers to help them develop their facilities. I personally think this is a wonderful way to do business. And we applaud them for their efforts in helping others.

Today we had a very impromptu coffee tasting. I call it a coffee tasting, rather than cupping, because we don’t follow coffee cupping etiquette. That of coarsely grinding a few beans, adding them to a white porcelain cup after pre warming and adding just off the boil water for everyone that would taste the coffee.

We did however thoroughly clean our coffee grinder, even to the point of disassembling it to remove even the most minute amounts of previously ground coffee, to insure that what we were about to taste test was truly only the coffee which John had sent us.

It was hard to decide which coffee to test first. I was the one who was tasked with opening the box of coffee that was sent, and when I did, the mixture of the aromas from the different coffees was simply amazing. Bold, fruity, delicate and Rich all at the same time. I have to say, I have had the pleasure of opening many a box of coffee here in the office, but never and I do mean never have I ever had the pleasure of opening a box with such an exceptionally pleasing aromatic bouquet. For now I am going to hold off on giving away the secret of what other coffees were actually in the box.

It would seem to me that the folks at Peter Asher Coffee and Tea had to think long and hard to come up with a variety of coffees that could have such a dramatic impact even before the first cup was brewed. If it was purely by accident, all I can say it let the accidents continue. I made my decision on which coffee to test first purely by happenstance of the unplanned availability to test two coffees from the same growing regions from two different roasters.

John sent as one sample, a bag of their Papua New Guinea Western Highlands Kimel, and we just happen to receive a sample of another roasters Gourmet Papua New Guinea coffee. For the most part, one would think that there would be only subtle differences in the two coffees being from the same growing region. Well the name of these two coffees was the only similarity that we found which to me shows that the greatness of a coffee is released by the roasters ability to bring out the full nature of a particular coffee.

The coffee from the Peter Asher Company came in a nice black coffee bag, and when opened it had a very pleasing quality look, very distinct and alluring aroma, sweet yet earthy in nature. We brewed our fist pot of the Western Highlands Kimel, and its sweetness filled the air with, just as their website touts, an “eruption of deep berries and plums alongside a rugged, earthen quality”.

Now if you are like me,  the way different coffee aficionados describe  particular coffees just seem to be way over the top, almost to the point of being ludicrous. But in this particular instance I truly feel that someone actually captured the true nature of how a coffee not only smells but tastes, how it actually feels. I don’t really think there's much I can add to the given description of this coffee except to give it not only my personal review but also the review from everyone here in the office who was lucky enough to enjoy this superb coffee. And we don't always agree, but everyone was in complete agreement about this coffee.

We at Perfect Cup Coffee.com found the Peter Asher Papua New Guinea Western Highlands Kimel to be a well-rounded coffee. A coffee of medium body with medium to mild acidity that when brewed uses its very aromatic qualities to add to a marvelous sensation for the pallet. From the first taste piping hot to the last swallow cooled in the cup, this is a wonderful coffee. Well deserving of high honors.

While most of the world bases its quest for “good” coffee around  Columbian marketed coffees, this coffee will surprise you. I know it did me. I generally drink a dark  roast Columbian Supremo, a coffee that I drink a lot. For those that quest for a fine coffee, one that has a high drinkability that is not too heavy, not to light, than this is truly a coffee you need to try..

Oh, that other Papua New Guinea coffee that we tasted could not hold a candle alongside the Peter Asher Papua New Guinea. Whether it was the selection of the coffee beans, or the roaster or both, I tend to think both; The Coffee from Peter Asher Coffee and Tea was far and above a more outstanding coffee.

Some might think it somewhat unethical to reveal the name of the other roaster as it could do them harm so I will not do so, but be assured that is was from one of the more well-known coffee roasting companies in the country, and the coffees literally arrived within a day or two of each other so freshness should not have been an issue, yet the silver bagged coffee, was in my opinion over roasted. The coffee in the bag, had a dark and very heavy, I hesitate to even say aroma. The beans were roasted much darker, and thus I believe that the true nature of the coffee was lost to the roast. Flavor and body of this other coffee, was such that no one here found it at all appealing . One might argue that it was merely the lack of sophistication of the pallets of those testing the coffees. But I assure you, like I said earlier, we know quality coffee.

But don’t take my word for it, go online and order a bag of Papua New Guinea Western Highlands Kimel from the Peter Asher Company. To not do so will be to your lose of a truly great coffee experience.

Article and review by: B.Scott Best

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