Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee

[jaybee]

I received a pound of the beans as a present and have made several pots of coffee with it. It disappoints me. I expected a much more aromatic, winey flavor than I am getting. Could it be the beans are stale? What are the flavor characteristics of well made coffe with these beans?

[Jason Perlow]

Its supposed to be a very smooth coffee with extremely low acidity, which is why the Jamaicans largely drink it black with just a bit of sugar. Kona has very similar characteristics.

How did you prepare it, in a french press or a drip coffee maker?

[jaybee]

I make it (so far) in the electric version of the Bodum Santos vaccum coffee maker. Your description is very much what it tastes like. Smooth, low acid. But there are few real taste highlights or distincitve top notes in the taste. I've tried increasing the coffee to water ratio a little, but it may just be to smooth for my tastes.

I'll try the french press next to see if that makes a difference.

It's not that it's bad, but at $30-50 a pound, I expected a more distincitive taste.

Edited January 4, 2003 by jaybee (log)

[Oreganought]

I agree jaybee.overrated IMHO.I also feel the same way of Kona.But I do prefer a fuller bodied coffee,so they wouldn't have hit my top 5 list anyway.

[cakewalk]

I agree jaybee.overrated IMHO.I also feel the same way of Kona.But I do prefer a fuller bodied coffee,so they wouldn't have hit my top 5 list anyway.

Same here. I splurged on Kona a few years ago (a purchase I never repeated), expecting to be wowed by the taste. I was very underwhelmed, mostly because of the lack thereof. Same w/Jamaica. The very qualities that some rave about -- its "smoothness," for example -- are precisely what underwhelm me. So I guess it's all a matter of taste. I'll take a dark French roast any day.

Edited January 4, 2003 by cakewalk (log)

[jaybee]

I always blend dark roast into Kona or lighter varieties. Without the bite it provides the coffee tastes too bland for me.

[Sandra Levine]

I think Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee's excessive cost is based on its relative rarity, and good marketing, not its quality. There are many coffees, less than half the price per pound that are better. Have you tried Puerto Rican Yauco Selecto, for example? Or Ethiopian Yrgacheffe, if you like low-acid and full body?

Edited January 4, 2003 by Sandra Levine (log)

[Jason Perlow]

You can get 100 percent Kona a lot less cheaper than JBM.

http://www.bayviewfarmcoffees.com/

If you are so inclined you can buy a pound of GREEN peaberry or extra fancy Kona beans from these guys for under 11 bucks a pound and roast it yourself. Their roasted price for extra fancy is $21 a pound.

I have visited their estate on Kona and I can assure the quality of the product. Its very, very good. They are the second largest processor of 100 percent kona beans on the entire island, only Captain Cook is bigger than they are but I feel Bay View's quality is vastly superior.

I will note that many who say they have had real kona may very well have not, because the labelling restrictions in the past for Kona have not been very tight, many are blended with colombian robusto and are still called Kona. Only recently has the Hawaiian state government been clamping down on kona blending fraud.

Caveat Emptor (click)

[Oreganought]

I always blend dark roast into Kona or lighter varieties.  Without the bite it provides the coffee tastes too bland for me.

My blend consists of 50% French Continental, 25%Sumatra Mandheling-Lintong,25%Ethiopian Moka Java. I find the earthiness of the Sumatra and the bright tones of the Moka go very well with the French,for my taste.

[Damian]

I second Sandra's recommendation of Puerto Rico's Yauco Selecto and would add another Puerto Rican, Alto Grande, for premium coffees worth trying. Gramercy Tavern serves press pots of Yauco Selecto, or did the last time I was there. Cafe con leche extraordinario!

[Marlene]

I was very disappointed in the Jamacian blue mountain as well. Costa Rica makes a very nice full bodied coffee though.

[chefvic123]

If you like a robust coffee then forget JBM.

[chefvic123]

Try a vacuum brewer on this mild bean.

[freefaller12k]

Real Jamacian Blue Mtn is my favorite coffee in the world, however because of it's rarity, it's often counterfited. For some reason, I only drink it out of china coffee cups. Most coffee I don't care, but I think it makes a huge diffrence for this coffee.

[chefvic123]

Freefaller,

I am so happy you mentioned the container from in which you drank the coffee. I will be running some test on coffee from different brewing devices. Last week I ordered the most popular pots for the various brew methods. All except the type that brews coffee at room temperature. I think it is called "cold press" I will write up the test to use chinaware.

Thanks again.

[stefanyb]

All except the type that brews coffee at room temperature.  I think it is called "cold press"  I will write up the test to use chinaware.

Could you expound on the "cold press" coffee brewing method?

And are you going to post about your results of the different brewing methods and chinaware?

[chefvic123]

Well don't trust a guy who confusses olive oil with coffee. When I wrote "cold press" in the earlier post I knew it was wrong, but I could not think of the term I was looking forl. It is "Toddy cold brew" I think the system cost about $30 and makes the best coffee anyone can imagine. You can make very, very strong coffee without any acid or bitterness of any kind. All brewing is done at room temperature. I can go on and on about the many advantages. Is there a down side to it? Yes. It take about 12 hours to brew a pound of coffee. The coffee is in a consentrated liquid form and you must delute it when you drink it. Or stay up for about a week.

About sharing what I may learn; I would have to get written permission from whom I am working. I will ask as soon as I can, which may be after I turn in a final report.

Track this down on www.google.com There should be something under cold brew coffee. Maybe under Toddy cold brew coffee.

I was on a coffee project about 12 years ago when I learned of the cold process. The subject just came up and I was amazed. The people I was working with in California sent me about a 1/2 gallon of it all brewed up to Ohio. It was sent by some super duper express delivery and I received the coffee made up and still very warm. Just right for drinking. I still remember the taste. Very strong and very mellow.

I think someone once told me the process is used by primitive people in South America. So I guess if you don't have a coffee pot and you improvise and make what may be the best coffee drink in the world. Maybe we should all throw away our pots.

Edited January 5, 2003 by chefvic123 (log)

[stefanyb]

Vic,

This cold brew method sounds very intriguing. I'm going to google it right now. Please post anything you can it all sounds so interesting. Thanks.

Toddy Cold Brew Coffeemaker

Edited January 5, 2003 by stefanyb (log)

[phaelon56]

I also received Jamaican Blue Mountain as a gift a few years ago and was also surprised that it was so smooth and mellow but this is its notable characteristic - it's extremely smooth and well balanced. For many folks this tranlsates to a lack of distinctive character. I like it but not at the going price and like Kona, it's also a coffee that is frequently mislabeled - you don't always get what you're paying for. If I'm going for Kona or JMB, I buy green beans forma reputable supplier who buys directly from the estates or from trusted importers who do.

Yemeni Moka Kadir and Moka Mattari have a very winey, earthy taste to them and are great for blends where you're trying to achieve a very distinct flavor (they're a bit much for straight consumption on a regular basis - IMHO better in blends).

The Toddy cold brew system is said to be great for frozen coffee drinks - I've had iced coffee made weiht the extract and it was amazingly good (and strong without being acidic or bitter).

[elfin]

While in Jamica, I bought Blue Mountain coffee beans at a coffee shop in Kingston. Had a cup that was brewed there and thought it was OK. The beans were fine but did not live up to my expectations. My all time favorite is Vietnamese coffee beans that I purchased in the Central Market in Saigon. But the canned stuff you get in the grocery stores is pretty good when made in the traditional style with the condensed milk over ice. It is very rich and concentrated and stands up to the add ons. I only drink my coffee black unless it is over ice.

[marcus]

I find Jamaica Blue Mountain to be the best coffee, but authenticity and freshness are certainly issues. I would also describe it as tending towards medium body, it is fuller bodied than Costa Rican and some other central american coffees. At its best, it is a perfectly balanced coffee that has a complex aroma that is almost wine like.

[eatingmike]

Funny story... I was mailed a half-pound of Jamaica Blue beans from a family member as a gift one year, but almost threw them away because there was no gift card, so I thought it was a promotion because I buy espresso capsules through the mail. Just before I threw them away, I called the company that sent them, and asked whether it was just marketing, and they assured me that they didn't send out $20 worth of beans as marketing, it was in fact a gift but the card had been left out.

For the record I enjoyed the coffee very much because of the rich flavors, and smooth textures, without any bitterness or harsh acidity. Yum.