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7 reasons why Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is expensive

7 reasons why Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is expensive

Jamaican Blue Mountain is one of the most rare, scarce and expensive coffees in the world. Our longstanding relationship with our supplier allows us to import these beans. Let's find out what makes JBM so unique. Purchase a sample of this amazing coffee for only $12.

The Blue Mountains of Jamaica are generally located between Kingston to the South and Port Antonio to the North. Rising as high as 7,500 ft, they are the highest mountains in the Caribbean.

Our current crop comes from RSW Estates, a company that gets its coffee from three different farms: Sherwood Forest, Whitfield Hall, and Resource Coffee Farm. All of the coffee is processed at Sherwood Coffee Works, a 200 year old coffee factory.

JBM is produced on the hillsides of the mountain, making it extremely difficult to cultivate. As a result the beans are hand-picked making it a very labor intensive process.

JBM is pricey. Simple economics helps us understand why.

  • Every single bean is hand-inspected.
  • Takes twice as long as other coffees to mature.
  • Jamaica produces 14 million lbs of coffee a year. In comparison Ethiopia produces 800 million lbs!
  • RSW Estates only produces 60,000 lbs a year.
  • 80% of JBM is shipped to Japan. The rest of the WORLD gets 20%!

The keys to great Jamaican Blue Mountain

  • Pulping the coffee the same day it is reaped
  • 100% wet processing
  • 100% sun drying so there is 11.5% moisture content in the bean
  • Resting the beans for 8 weeks in controlled storage
  • Hulling and finishing the beans to order
  • Hand-sorting the beans
  • Speed is NOT of the essence. Great coffee production takes time

A crew of local women hand-sort each green bean in 10lb bags. A color sorter does not adequately detect minor insect damage or chips, so these ladies are the final arbiters of quality. Each batch is first passed by the senior sorter and then by the plant manager.

The final piece of the puzzle is the roast. With a bean as rare and unique as JBM it is imperative to take your time and roast it correctly. Our roast profile is on the lighter side and brings out the creamy-smooth mouth feel with a hint of sweetness. You definitely don't need to mix any milk or sugar with this coffee. It's delicious by itself.

Why Jamaican Blue Mountain is expensive

Photo credit: Bigstock

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Comments

Polly Githler

- February 01, 2022

Are used to receive Jamaican blue Mountain coffee from my father back in the early 70s. I wonder if it is available through you at this point


Derek K. Nielsen

- February 01, 2022

Bought this by mistake. Never thought I would ever pay this much for coffee.
But there I was with 12oz for $75, and can’t return it.
I had been tasting microlot coffees for about 5 years, writing about the nutritional benefits of coffee, the mistake of using paper filters, enemas for heath and why this excellent drug should be used for liver vitality, but now I sincerely believed that I had overpaid for a ridiculous coffee.
Maybe I did, but this is the best tasting coffee I had ever prepared.
I always grind my own and use a French press as paper filters pull out most of the cafestol and kahweol, which are very beneficial for many reasons. Please look up these diterpenes. I prefer an overnight soak so it ends up cold in the morning and very concentrated.
Yes, this is the best coffee I’ve ever tasted. It’s subtle, elegant and rather heavenly, like maybe this is what angels drink.
But I would not pay this price again.


Coya

- February 01, 2022

I tried “Blue Mountain” coffee from Zabar’s here in NYC for the first time recently. It was really good, but how much of it was real JBM I don’t know. I’ve had the real thing a long time ago. Wondering if it’s available in a slightly darker roast, whch is sometimes called Vienna roast. Thank you.


vincent Daniele

- February 01, 2022

I would like to buy Blue Mountain whole bean coffee. what is the cost buying direct from you per pound?also would purchasing larger amounts lower the p.p.p?


robert M dennis

- February 01, 2022

BEING AS EXPENSIVE AS IT IS, HOW LONG DOES YOUR COFFEE LAST AFTER IT’S GROUND?
MIKE DENNIS

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