Imagine a dessert that seamlessly blends earthy matcha with bold coffee beans.
Introducing the Matcha Coffee Crunch, a unique ice cream treat that combines the best of both worlds. It’s a crunchy affogato.
Start with a scoop of creamy vanilla grapenut ice cream. Drizzle it generously with a matcha, crafted from finely ground green tea leaves. The matcha adds a vibrant green hue and a subtle, grassy sweetness. Next, throw some fresh coffee beans.
Great contrast of textures. And a deep, roasted aroma.
Jamaican coffee exports are bucking the global trend. Its rising when others commodity coffees are falling.
Jamaican coffee exports rose by 18 percent to US$27 million in 2023, up from US$23 million in 2022, that’s latest data from the UN Tradecen the bible of global trade.
This increase is especially significant in light of the challenges facing the global coffee industry, where major players like Colombia, Kenya, and Brazil have all reported declines in export volumes due to a mix of environmental and economic factors.
The United Nations’ trade data show that global coffee exports dropped from US$46 billion in 2022 to US$42 billion in 2023. Countries like Colombia saw a sharp one-third decrease, while Kenya and Brazil reported dips of 20 percent and 14 percent, respectively. These declines are largely attributed to unfavorable weather conditions, including droughts and floods, as well as ongoing economic uncertainty.
In contrast, Jamaica’s coffee sector, particularly its renowned Blue Mountain coffee, has remained resilient, bolstered by a strong demand for premium beans in key markets like Japan, the USA, and China. Japan remains Jamaica’s largest coffee importer, accounting for 50 percent of the country’s exports, followed by the USA and China.
Despite weather challenges and predictions that the 2024 crop may shrink, Jamaica’s coffee farmers have benefited from strategic shifts towards premium markets, a focus on quality, and the growing trend among consumers to support small-batch and ethically sourced coffee.
While other major coffee-producing regions continue to struggle, Jamaica’s coffee industry appears to be on a path of sustained growth, positioning itself as a unique player in the high-end segment of the global coffee market.
Starbucks “Been There” mugs have become a favorite souvenir, especially for those who collect travel memorabilia. Interestingly, these mugs are not just meaningful for those who have visited the country—they can also be a way to connect with a place you’ve yet to explore. For collectors, the rarer the location, the more coveted the mug becomes. The rarest “Been There” mugs often come from Starbucks’ newest markets, making them highly sought after.
Based on the most recent expansions, the rarest mugs would be from the latest countries Starbucks has entered. As of 2023 and 2024, Starbucks has expanded into countries like Cambodia, Laos, Guyana, and others, bringing their store count to over 86 markets worldwide. The newest Starbucks locations include:
Guyana
Laos
Cambodia
Panama
Jamaica + Barbados
Papua New Guinea
Angola
Uzbekistan
Kazakhstan
Malta
This ranking reflects the rarity of the mugs, with the most recent market, Guyana, offering the rarest collectible mug. As Starbucks continues to expand globally, these mugs will remain a great way to experience the world—whether you’ve been there or not.
Jamaica’s coffee sector, a vital part of the island’s agricultural economy, narrowly escaped disaster as Hurricane Beryl swept through the region. The US$30 million crop, crucial to over 6,000 farmers was spared significant damage.
On the ground, farmers are counting their blessings rather than their losses. All the coffee on the mountain was green. Its most delicate stage. Not yet orange and not yet red. Jamaica got hit from Beryl on July 3. It sliced the island from below and in that motion largely missed the Blue Mountains.
“We dodged a bullet,” said one farmer, reflecting the widespread relief felt throughout the coffee-growing communities. The narrow escape means that the anticipated harvest can proceed with minimal disruption, ensuring that the coffee, renowned globally for its quality, reaches the market without the expected setbacks.
Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee prices jack up rates from July 1. That said regardless of price movements, Jamaica coffee is affordable for those who cannot afford to have bag coffee.
In January, the coffee industry faced a J$500 million loss as torrential rains hammered the beans to the ground. With no one brave enough to pick during the showers, the coffee molded and decayed rapidly. That’s a loss of US$3.5 million which doesn’t sound like much until one realizes it accounts for 10 per cent of the annual sales. It highlights the sector’s vulnerability.
While the immediate crisis has been averted, the experience serves as a reminder of the sector’s fragility. Moving forward, stakeholders emphasize the need for continued investment in infrastructure to safeguard Jamaica’s coffee industry against future threats.
In the meantime, the coffee community is looking forward to a successful harvest season, grateful that Hurricane Beryl passed without harm. The threat of more storms continues as the Hurricane season ends November 30. Beryl emerged as one of the most ferocious storms on record.
An artisan roastery based in the Finnish capital has introduced a coffee blend that has been developed by artificial intelligence, in a trial in which it’s hoped that technology can ease the workload in a sector that traditionally prides itself on manual work, according to an AP article.
It is only apt that the Helsinki-based Kaffa Roastery’s ‘AI-conic’ blend was launched this week in Finland, a Nordic nation of 5.6 million that consumes the most coffee in the world, at 12 kilogrammes per capita annually, according to the International Coffee Organisation.
The blend – an AI-picked mixture with four types of beans dominated by Brazil’s velvety Fazenda Pinhal – is the end result of a joint project by Kaffa, Finland’s third-biggest coffee roastery, and local AI consultancy Elev.
“Leveraging models akin to ChatGPT and Copilot, the AI was tasked with crafting a blend that would ideally suit coffee enthusiasts’ tastes, pushing the boundaries of conventional flavour combinations,” Elev said.
Kaffa Roastery’s managing director and founder Svante Hampf told The Associated Press on Saturday that the two partners wanted to trial how AI and its different tools could be of help in coffee roasting, a traditional artisan profession highly valued in Finland.
“We basically gave descriptions of all our coffee types and their flavours to AI and instructed it to create a new exciting blend,” said Hampf, while showcasing ‘AI-conic’ at the Helsinki Coffee Festival that annually brings together roasteries and coffee aficionados.
In addition to coming up with its chosen mixture of beans from Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia and Guatemala, AI created the coffee package label and a detailed taste description, saying ‘AI-conic’ is “a well-balanced blend of sweetness and ripe fruit”.
Hampf acknowledged he was surprised that AI “somewhat weirdly” chose to make the blend out of four different type of coffee beans, rather than the usual two or three which allows distinction in taste between flavours from different origins.
After the first test roasting and blind testing, Kaffa’s coffee experts agreed, however, that the tech-assisted blend was perfect, and there was no need for human adjustments.
According to Elev’s spokesman Antti Merilehto, “AI-conic is a tangible example of how AI can introduce new perspectives to seasoned professionals” while offering coffee lovers new taste experiences.
Kaffa Roastery hopes the trial serves as an opener of dialogue between coffee professionals of things to come in the future in Finland, a nation that has both a strong coffee culture and a passion for technology with a flourishing start-up scene.
“This (trial) was the first step in seeing how AI could help us in the future,” Hampf said, adding the project brought smoothly together “the artisan skills of a roastery” and AI-provided data. “I think AI has plenty to offer us in the long run. We are particularly impressed of the coffee taste descriptions it created.”
Few brewing methods can match the ceremony of a stovetop espresso. It’s like loading a musket rifle with coffee stuffed inside waiting to fire. There is purpose to the ritual, the twisting of the raw steel parts into separate segments. Then putting them back together with water in the bottom and coffee at top.
Unfortunately the grace tends to end there. Popular methods recommend turning off the stove fire when it starts to spew but that’s usually not enough to avoid the bad dregs entering the pot. As a result stovetops are infamous for making bitter, toasty cigars tones that require sweetened milk. Why does it do this? The makers have the same problem of percolators, they over extract coffee.
The SOLUTION is simple, use HALF the water you’d normally use. That will avoid the over-extraction. In other words you will avoid mixing good coffee with the dregs.
Another solution is to pour water to the normal full level, then SHADOW the stove holding your mug. Remove the pot from the fire the MOMENT it reaches half full. Then pour quickly into your mug. Anything beyond that results in dregs entering into the vessel.
These methods are a simple solution that makes coffee taste as complex as any other brewing method. Cheers to great coffee.
We asked ChatGPT the best brands from the Jamaica Blue Mountains and we got you covered. (We removed answer number 1 , because ‘Jamaica Blue Mountain’ is a trademark for the entire sector rather than a specific operating brand). But in general ChatGPT got it right.
Jamaicamocha coffee brokers: Best coffee brands from Jamaica?
ChatGPT: Jamaica is known for producing some of the best coffee in the world, particularly the Blue Mountain variety. Here are some of the best coffee brands from Jamaica. It is known for its mild and smooth flavor with hints of chocolate and nuts.
Wallenford Estate: Wallenford Estate is a well-known coffee producer in Jamaica, and their Blue Mountain coffee is considered one of the best. It has a full-bodied flavor with a hint of sweetness and a smooth finish.
Clifton Mount Estate: Clifton Mount Estate produces high-quality coffee beans in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. Their coffee has a unique flavor profile with hints of citrus and floral notes.
Jablum/Mavis Bank Coffee Factory: Mavis Bank is a popular coffee brand in Jamaica, and their Blue Mountain coffee is highly regarded for its balanced flavor with notes of chocolate and fruit.
Old Tavern Estate Coffee: Old Tavern Estate is a small coffee producer in Jamaica that specializes in high-quality Blue Mountain coffee. Their coffee has a rich and full-bodied flavor with a smooth finish.
Overall, these coffee brands are known for their exceptional quality and unique flavor profiles, making them some of the best coffee brands from Jamaica.
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