Papua New Guinea - Mong Coffee

Papua New Guinea Specialty Coffee: How Rexson Raguni and Mong Coffee Are Redefining Quality

Papua New Guinea produces some of the most distinctive coffees in the world, but this lot stands apart for more than its origin. Through meticulous processing, innovative slow drying techniques, and a commitment to quality from farm to export, producer Rexson "Rex" Raguni is helping redefine what Papua New Guinea specialty coffee can become.

Flavor Profile

Before you know the story behind this coffee, you'll taste the results.

This light roast Papua New Guinea specialty coffee opens with vibrant notes of savory fruit, sweet mandarin lime, and dried apricot, followed by layers of caramel sweetness and a rich, syrupy body. The finish is crisp and clean with a champagne-like brightness that lingers long after the last sip.

Tasting Notes: Savory • Lime • Caramel • Round Creamy Body • Crisp Finish

Process: Washed

Origin: Papua New Guinea

Producer: Rexson Raguni

Washing Station: Mong Coffee

Roast Level: Light

The remarkable flavor in your cup is the direct result of Rex's patient approach to processing. Every decision after harvest—from cherry selection to slow drying—is designed to preserve sweetness, clarity, and the unique character of Papua New Guinea's high-altitude coffee.

Mong Coffee, Led by Rexson Raguni

Mong Coffee, led by Rexson "Rex" Raguni in Papua New Guinea's Western Highlands, is one of the clearest examples of what becomes possible when process control meets long-term vision.

With more than 15 years of experience managing plantations, wet mills, and coffee exports, Rex has built a reputation for producing coffees that consistently outperform traditional Papua New Guinea lots.

Today, he purchases ripe coffee cherries directly from smallholder farmers before processing every lot at his centralized mill in Kenta, just north of Mount Hagen Airport. Rather than simply buying coffee, Rex has built lasting partnerships by rewarding quality.

Farmers are paid cash when cherries are delivered and receive an additional end-of-season bonus based on the volume of quality coffee supplied. This incentive encourages careful harvesting, better cherry selection, and long-term investment in producing exceptional coffee.

Miktimb Farmers Group

One of Mong Coffee's closest partnerships is with the Miktimb Farmers Group, made up of approximately 45 smallholder farmers from Muglamp village in the Western Highlands Province.

Instead of processing coffee individually, farmers deliver ripe cherries to Rex, who oversees every stage of processing at Mong Coffee.

This centralized approach creates remarkable consistency while following strict Crop to Cup quality standards that include:

• Careful cherry selection
• Controlled fermentation
• Thorough washing
• Extended shade drying
• Continuous moisture monitoring
• Careful storage before export

These quality-focused practices dramatically reduce defects while enhancing sweetness, clarity, and consistency in every cup.

Slow Drying: The Innovation Transforming Papua New Guinea Coffee

In 2024, Rex became the first producer in Papua New Guinea to successfully implement slow drying at exportable commercial scale.

While most washed coffees in Papua New Guinea dry in just three to five days, Rex extended drying times to 10–15 days, primarily under shade.

Throughout the process, moisture meters and infrared temperature guns carefully monitor drying conditions, ensuring coffee dries slowly and evenly.

The benefits are substantial:

• Greater sweetness
• Improved clarity
• Better moisture stability
• Longer shelf life
• More consistent roasting
• Reduced flavor fade during shipping

The results quickly proved the value of patience. Slow-dried lots consistently achieved higher specialty coffee scores, earning premium prices for both Rex and the farmers who contributed to each harvest.

His success has become a model for neighboring producers, demonstrating that investments in quality can create meaningful economic returns throughout the community.

Expanding Innovation for the 2025 Harvest

Rex continues pushing Papua New Guinea coffee forward.

For the 2025 harvest, Mong Coffee expanded its shaded drying space while adding natural processed coffees alongside larger volumes of slow-dried washed lots.

Early harvest projections include:

• Approximately 200 bags of slow-dried washed coffee
• Approximately 50–70 bags of natural processed coffee

Walk through Mong Coffee's drying patios today and you'll find rows of raised drying beds protected by shade cloth.

You'll likely also find Rex carrying his signature temperature gun, personally monitoring every stage of the drying process.

His philosophy is simple:

Great coffee comes from thousands of careful decisions.

The Blue Mountain Cultivar in Papua New Guinea

Many coffees grown throughout Papua New Guinea's Western Highlands trace their lineage back to the famous Blue Mountain cultivar.

Although most coffee drinkers associate Blue Mountain with Jamaica, the variety is actually a botanical selection descended from the original Typica Arabica line.

Because of its exceptional cup quality and strong resistance to disease, Blue Mountain seed was exported from Jamaica during the early twentieth century.

British colonial botanists introduced these trees into Papua New Guinea during the 1920s and 1930s, planting them throughout the Wahgi Valley and Western Highlands.

The trees adapted exceptionally well to Papua New Guinea's rich volcanic soils, cool mountain climate, and abundant rainfall.

Today, many descendants of those original trees continue producing extraordinary coffees.

Blue Mountain is valued for:

• Outstanding cup quality
• Resistance to Coffee Berry Disease
• Improved tolerance to Coffee Leaf Rust
• Adaptation to cool, misty mountain climates
• Elegant sweetness and refined acidity

While Jamaican Blue Mountain coffees are known for balance and smoothness, Papua New Guinea's expressions often showcase additional layers of citrus, tropical fruit, floral aromatics, wild honey, and herbal complexity.

Why This Coffee Matters

Coffee quality doesn't happen by accident.

It begins with producers who challenge convention, invest in better processing, and believe exceptional coffee creates better opportunities for farming communities.

Rexson Raguni and Mong Coffee represent the future of Papua New Guinea specialty coffee. Through innovation, transparency, and an unwavering commitment to quality, they're producing coffees that capture the remarkable potential of this origin while helping create more sustainable livelihoods for the farmers who grow it.

At Rare Breed Coffee, we're proud to roast coffees from producers who share our belief that every extraordinary cup starts long before it reaches the roaster.