Papua New Guinea AAAK Co-op
Classic Profile | Medium roast
Tasting Notes: Brown Sugar, Vanilla, Walnut
IT ALL STARTS AT THE COFFEE FARM
This coffee comes from the AAK Cooperative, a group of 64 communities across the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. Each represents a single-family village, or ‘house-line,’ with its own distinct language and traditions. What unites them is a shared pidgin, Tok Pisin, and membership in AAK—short for Apo, Angra, and Kange, meaning “Unity” in three major local languages.
AAK is the only cooperative in PNG to bring together so many diverse tribes, and they take pride in the role coffee plays in fostering unity.
TRACEABILITY
PRODUCER
AAAK Co-op
MILL / WASHING STATION
AAAK Co-op
PROCESSING
Washed
ALTITUDE
1400 - 1615 meters
DID YOU KNOW
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PRICE TRANSPARENCY
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Price paid by Driftaway
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Free on Board price
Not available
Farm Gate price
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Fair Trade price per pound
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Coffee C-Market price per pound
$0.05
Driftaway's World Coffee Research contribution per pound
OUR NOTES
Apart from a few well-known estates, most Papua New Guinea coffee comes from smallholders, with little focus on specialty quality due to middlemen. AAK is one of the few groups uniting farmers across the Highlands to prioritize quality, thanks in part to former General Manager Brian Kuglame. The result is a smooth, balanced cup with notes of brown sugar, vanilla, and walnut.
AVERAGE CUPPING SCORE
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/100
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SCAA Cupping Score
25 x 60 kg
Bags purchased
4 years
Length of producer relationship
100% (in 2023)
Transparent coffees purchased
HOW DID WE ROAST THIS COFFEE?
This coffee is being roasted by Ian T. from Feb 23rd 2025 to March 12th 2025 in Brooklyn. We use the Loring Kestrel roaster for this profile. We have strict guidelines for each of the coffee profiles, and this roast has to pass the development time ratio test as measured in real-time by the roasting software, Cropster. Once it does, it is approved for production.
QUALITY CONTROL
We perform Quality Control via a process of coffee tasting called cupping on all of our production roasts once a week at our roastery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Each cupping is conducted by Ian T., Anu M., Suyog M., and James M. using standard equipment, and is logged by our Q-certified cupper Ian T. All coffees are evaluated on a scoring scale of 0 to 3.
- 3.0 = exceptional roast - exceeds expectations
- 2.5 = on par with profile - matches expectations
- 2.0 = good roast, but 1 or 2 elements could be improved - needs improvement
- 1.5 or lower = failed - do not ship
PRODUCTION AND SHIPPING
Less than 24 hours after roasting, we bag your coffee in our production facility in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Our production team is led by Anthony and Torie, and supported by a rotating cast of local artists, musicians and independent professionals.
AT YOUR HOME
Brew this coffee with your favorite home brewer and enjoy the taste of incredible coffee! Here are a few tips on how to make the best coffee on each brewer.
View other posts about how to make better coffee at home on our blog Coffeecademy.
