Buying coffee to bring home?

[HarryS]

Last time we were in Jamaica (Sept 2011, Ocho Rios) I really enjoyed the coffee, but didn't bring any home. We saw small burlap bags of Jablum Blue Mountain coffee (1lb I think?) but had read it wasn't necessarily the good stuff, and that sometimes people take it home and find out its undrinkable.

When we were leaving, we also saw that you could buy huge vacuum sealed packages of coffee at the airport, many pounds. Don't remember the brand(s). Considered it, but didn't because I hadn't researched it.

Any advice? Truth is, I don't know all that much about coffee beans.

[Ras Walleye]

The beans that wind up packaged commercially for sale tend to be the lowest quality beans. The vast majority of the crop is pre sold to Japan and other large buyers. My recommendation is to buy fresh roasted beans from one of several people in Negril that do their own roasting. Big Roy at Cafe Goa has roasted 100% Blue Mountain coffee from the Standing Springs Estate for years and it is first rate. I know there are others and I'm sure people will chime in with their recommendations.

Bless...
Ed

[smith744]

not long ago,
i heard a news report that Japan has cut waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back on purchasing Jamaican coffee --- something-something about the Japanese economy

the news-report said that they cut back so much so, that the Ja-coffee industry has been feeling the $$-pain, and trying to find *work-around$*

for example, some someplace i read/heard that Starbucks (in certain markets) now sells Jamaican coffee

another example:::>> a few weeks ago, i saw Jamaican coffee for sale [[ finally ]] in a local (WashingtonDC) WholeFoods store

[Ras Walleye]

Respect Mr. Smith, nice to see you back on the board.
Perhaps that will mean more availability for the rest of us. Our local coffee chain, Caribou, used to always have JBM in stock but hasn't for years. Maybe that will change.

[Bnewb]

Conquering Lion is another roaster that sells around town & another gentleman named Thunder that I believe sells across the street from Alfreds.

[LLAP]

Are you saying that the beans that Big Roy, Thunder, etc... offers is a higher quality / better bean than the Jablum, Wallenford, etc.. that are sold in the airport store?
If that's the case I will make a point to look one of them up next trip. I meant to last time but... well you know how that goes.
I always go with a list of things I'd like to do, see, try but never get to all of them.

[marley9808]

Honestly I think they are all pretty good. I got some conquering lion and some jablum this last trip....both are yummy (to me), however, I will say that the conquering lion had a much richer aroma

But my question is this.....I wonder what it is that they serve at all of the restaurants around Negril

[BR Mon]

Last year I went to see Thunder...Go to Miss Sonias and ask them to point you over to his place...He had just returned from the Blue Mountains and had a couple of 100lb burlap bags of fresh unroasted beans. For what it is worth both bags had the certification labels that certified Blue Mountain Coffee beans. he has been around a long time and best I can tell his stuff is legit....For 25 years i keep hearing that we never get the 'good" stuff and blah blah blah....I can say this...I like Ja Blum and used to get it as Mavis Banks before the name change...I like it and I buy it and I enjoy drinking it...I also bought some from Thunder and made a pot of it shortly after it was roasted. Might have been the best pot of coffee I have ever drank.. He roast it out back over a wood fire...It smells wonderful around the dutch oven he is roasting in. His coffee was most excellent. I think there is as much myth as truth in the coffee debate.... If you like the way it smells and taste then you found your coffee....Be prepared for an interesting visit with his wife Barbara...That is all i will say...she is nice but it willbe an interesting visit for sure..Question for all the people that support the "you never got the good stuff" debate...have you ever found it and can you tell me where....No disrespect intended but I would really like for some one to add to this discussion with some facts as to where you get the really legit Blue Mountain Coffee....Please don't say The Blue Mountains.....

[BR Mon]

Marley 9808....most places serve "High Mountain" which to me is great coffee it just does not come from the "region' required to be called Blue Mtn...

[smith744]

Are you saying that the beans that Big Roy, Thunder, etc... offers is a higher quality / better bean than the Jablum, Wallenford, etc.. that are sold in the airport store?

lemme share MY-experience(s) with BigRoy's '..roasted-on-site..' coffee (beans)

ONCE upon a time,
a few years ago, got some for myself & several pounds to take-back to-foreign to mail-to a fellow-boardie.

Pon arrival in-foreign, @ USofA Customs/Department of Agriculture check-point, the inspectors/agents went craaaazy when they open-ed (to inspect) my bags, and smell-ed that coffee.

They salivated & every-thing.

when i reached home,
& unpacked
the house was lit-up with this glorious aroma

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
smelt(sp?)/smell-ed sooooooooooooo nice

AND it tasted super-duper goooooooooooooooooood.

now,
flash-forward
to a more-recent trip:::::: a Ja-buddy asked me to bring-back some of that "..for-tourist..", allegedly BlueMountain coffee that he haste-ly purchased at some someplace in Negril,,,, i was to take it back-to-foreign for a friend of his, who lived near me.

* sigh *

no smell
no aroma
nutin

dunno how it tasted,
and DON'T wanna know or/nor find-out

gimme BigRoy's fresh-roasted ANY-time.

argument DONE....!!..