Following Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia, Indonesia places fourth place as the country with the biggest coffee production. The tropical climate in Indonesia provides its own advantages in coffee production. That is why many of the best Indonesian coffees have become popular worldwide. Among many Indonesian finest coffees, one of them is coming from Bintang Mountains, West Papua.
Bintang Mountains
Bintang Mountains are laid directly to Papua New Guinea’s border. If you wish to access Bintang Mountains, the available access is only by air transportation. A researcher from Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN) or the Papua Archeology Center from the National Research and Innovation Agency, Hari Suroto, explained that commercial airlines now offer flights to Bintang Mountains District. The airlines are Trigana Air and Wings Air using ATR planes.
Besides commercial airlines, you can also rent small aircraft like Pilatus, Cassa, Cessna, and Twin Otter through Susi Air, Smart Air, SAS, Enggang Air, or AMA aircraft, one of the community services.
Arabica Coffee From Bintang Mountains
Bintang Mountains are famous as the district that produces the best Arabica coffee in West Papua. Another thing that makes their coffee so special is because the coffee beans are planted organically in a semi forest garden by relying on nature.
According to Hari, this Bintang Mountains coffee has berry, orange, peach, sweet chocolate, and sugarcane tastes. The coffee plantations are spread in Okbibab district, Okbab district, and Kiwirok district from the height of 1900 until 2000 meters asl (above sea level).
Besides the exceptional taste and strong flavor, this Arabica coffee is also rich in nutrition because they grow in fertile soils with a 15-degree Celcius temperature and less sunlight intensity. Hari added that Bintang Mountains’ coffees are manually peeled by hand, creating a prime quality product.
In 1972, Bintang Mountains’ Arabica coffees were first introduced to Ngalum tribes by Dutch missionaries named Pater Piet Van Der Stap. Using a small aircraft, this coffee was sent to Sentani, Jayapura, West Papua, and later distributed to some big cities in Indonesia.
Because the delivery only counts on air transportation, the transportation still depends on weather conditions and local security conditions. Early this year, the stock of this coffee was insufficient due to the delivery. However, currently, the supply of Arabica coffee from Bintang Mountains in Jayapura is back to normal. Pioneering flights already serve flights to Bintang Mountains inland and the pioneering airport is safe to land.
Locals Selling Bintang Mountains Arabica Coffee
Most locals in Oksembar village, Okbibab district, Bintang Mountains regency, have their own coffee trees. Initially, this coffee was planted by Dutch missionaries and later developed by local communities. This has become one of the leading commodities in this regency.
As quoted by Kompas, one of Oksemar residents, Alpius Uropmabin, explained that locals in the village sell their coffee beans for Rp100,000 per kilogram. After harvesting the coffee beans, Oksemar residents will send them to Jayapura by plane.
Besides selling their coffee beans to Jayapura, coffee planters in Bintang Mountains, especially in the Okbibab district, regularly take the commodities directly to the capital city of Bintang Mountains in Oksibil. Later on, the beans are sold to coffee businessmen.
Besides coffee from Bintang Mountains, West Papua has other three famous coffees namely Amungme coffee, Moanemani coffee with a taste like Jamaica Blue Mountain, and Baliem coffee with floral sensation. Each of these coffee types has a different unique taste.
So when you visit West Papua, make sure to bring home coffee from the Bintang Mountains. Enjoy the grandeur taste with the person you care about the most. Don’t miss it!
