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

[eightseven6]

Just found out Standing Spring Plantation has a website now, so you can get the good stuff straight from the source. Just Google them and you'll find it.

[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.

[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....!!..

[Ellen]

At the Hi Lo, the people that work there told us Jablum was the best, so we bought some beans, and they are really good.

[dave]

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?

Yes without a doubt
not even close IMO

from mi personal experience-
Thunder would be mi #1 choice
&
Big Roy would be mi #2

link below is video of Thunder 'roasting' da beans
http://eyeneyecoffee.com/