The Blue Mountains of Jamaica
I’ve only been to Jamaica once and that was as part of a cruise. So I was only on the beautiful island for a day. My memories of this island are of green and verdant vegetation; turquoise water and endless beaches; and lots of sun.
There are other not so pleasant memories, too. The cruise tourists are big business here and much of what you experience when you leave the ship is the ugly side that brings out. Aggressive hawkers; “mementos” targeted to what appeals to tourists; and tacky, and sometimes illicit, businesses everywhere you look.
My traveling partner and I kept ourselves clear of the normal touristy activities during our cruise, as much as possible. When the ship would open its doors we’d head out in the opposite direction as everyone else or pass by the closest cruise-oriented activities and sights and try to get to the “real” part of whatever place we were visiting. This was especially true (and also challenging) in Jamaica.
Our port of call was Ochos Rios. We did visit Dunn’s River Falls and climbed them, but we did it at a time when the river was still quiet and the (great number of) locals were still setting up the large market that greets you as you come into the park. We spent quite a lot of the day outside of town, wandering the roads and enjoying the views of sand and sea.
At some point during our day we found ourselves back in town to grab a bite to eat. I had planned to pick up a bottle of rum as a souvenir of the island. Once I entered the liquor store I was overwhelmed with the number of brands, types and ages of the various rums offered there. Think of your local liquor store but instead of shelves split between vodkas, gins, whiskeys and other spirits, every single shelf had yet another rum offering! I was totally unprepared.
As I was perusing the various options I happened across something different. Something that made me change my mind about what I’d bring home from that paradise.
Besides being known for rum, Jamaica is considered one of the premier coffee growing regions in the world. No longer a large producer, Jamaica is known for the quality of the coffee that comes from the Blue Mountains. They provide the perfect coffee-growing environment - sun, good precipitation with good drainage, and the mists that bring the cooling factor needed during the growing season.
While sorting through all the rums, I came across a bottle of Blue Mountain Mist, a Jamaica coffee liqueur produced by Wray and Nephew the company known for it’s Appleton Rum. While similar to the other coffee, I find this one to be not as sweet and pleasantly milder than other brands.
What better way to experience this liqueur than in a Jamaica Coffee?
Jamaica Coffee
- 3/4 fluid ounce dark rum
- 3/4 fluid ounce coffee flavored liqueur
- 1 cup brewed coffee
- 2 tablespoons whipped cream
- 1 chocolate covered coffee bean
Pour rum and coffee liqueur into a decorative coffee glass. Fill glass with hot coffee. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and garnish with a coffee bean.
Ah, Jamaican Blue Mountain. It used to be fantastic. However, it just hasn’t been the same since hurricane Hugo hit in 1989. The hurricane destroyed most of the coffee crop that year. Like many other consumable plants, it takes several generations to develope the perfect specimen. Jamaica had to start over almost completely from scratch.
Most of the mystique behind the coffee remains for the ‘good ol days’. The high price is also a throw back to when JBM was the best of the best in coffee growers.
Another interesting note is that China buys 80% of the entire crop of JBM. This also creates an artificial shortage which drives up the price.
If you want to experience what JBM used to be, try to get a hodl of a good crop of Papua New Guinea. The PNG crop was transplanted from Jamaicy to PNG some generations ago. While it’s not quite the same, it gives a hint of the beauty that was once JBM.
There’s everything you’ll ever want to know about JBM coffee.