Tag: Different types of jamaica coffee

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New players in Jamaica coffee offering cheaper deals in 2019

So more good news for buyers. When the mist of microclimate clears, new players are seen offering deals for their brands. They hype their beans as the best from the Jamaica Blue Mountain. Yeah so does everyone, yet some coffees taste ordinary and others amazing.

New players in the retail scene include Bawk Coffee, Plantation Blue and one can even say Stoneleigh.

These players all were involved in various aspects of the established trade and broke away to form their own brand. The more players means more competition in the sector which prides itself on a grandfather-taste which predates Starbucks and of course thirdwave.

This taste is distinct and offers amazing coffee without the bells of whistles of modern coffees. JBM (Jamaica Blue Mountain) is just layered-complexity without the hype.

So of course competition led to price cuts of between 10 to 20 per cent on shelves and on selling platforms like ebay and so on. In fact Stoneleigh actually slashed their retail rates by about 30 per cent just to move volumes. Let’s see what happens on reorders.

The context however is that coffee prices in Jamaica have started to fall back in 2016/17 based on global supply and demand factors. But now come 2019 its competition that’s driving the dip at the roasted bean level. What does this mean for consumers… more choice at cheaper prices.

But of course, we all know you can’t just buy JBM blindly.  That’s why its important to know your source. We find that all the new brands offer quality but we’d recommend getting someone whether at the brand or a broker to cup it first prior to shipment.

Cheers to great coffee!

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Japan needs lower Jamaica coffee prices

Jamaica Blue Mountain (JBM) coffee dealers are now in Japan (late September) seeking to secure new contracts. Japan is a mature market that buys 85 per cent of the total JBM crop. So any new contract secured would likely mean that another player lost marketshare.

Japan loves JBM but its not exactly selling like rice cakes. So reports are that the inventory of JBM is growing.

As a result Japan buyers wants a lower price for the JBM. And they are likely to get it, as supply now outpaces demand. In other words there’s a lot of beans going around.

Whatever happens in Japan affects the world. So that means that you–the reader on Jamaicamocha will reap cheaper prices on luxury roasted beans. Want even lower prices contact us and we will make it happen.

 

Steven Beans

info@jamaicamocha.com

 

 

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Starbucks confirms Jamaica 

(May 4, 2017) –  Starbucks Coffee Company today announced it entered a geographic licensing agreement with Caribbean Coffee Traders Limited, a consortium led by Margaritaville Caribbean Group, a leading restaurant management and franchise operator in the Caribbean. The agreement grants Caribbean Coffee Traders the exclusive rights to own and operate Starbucks® stores in the country. Jamaica will be Starbucks 17th market in the Latin America and Caribbean region, with the first store slated to open in Montego Bay.

“Jamaica is a country blessed with a rich culture and heritage, particularly with its locally-grown and world renowned Blue Mountain coffee, which Starbucks has sourced as a specialty offering for over 40 years,” said Ricardo Rico, Starbucks general manager and vice president for Latin America operations. “We are delighted to build on this legacy and continue our expansion into the Caribbean by introducing the Starbucks Experience in Jamaica for the first time. As we position the brand for continued growth, we are proud to add Caribbean Coffee Traders to our strong network of licensing partners and leverage their proven market capabilities to reach new customers.”

Starbucks® stores in Jamaica will be operated by Caribbean Coffee Traders Limited, a joint venture between Ian Dear, Chief Executive Officer of Margaritaville Caribbean Group and Adam Stewart, who is also Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sandals Resorts International. Margaritaville Caribbean Group currently operates restaurant, entertainment and tour concepts throughout the Caribbean, and provides complete, multi-branded food and beverage experiences for major Caribbean tourism hubs. Margaritaville Caribbean Group’s brand portfolio includes a diverse collection of proprietary brands, international franchises, casual dining concepts, themed bars and popular quick service restaurants, including Wendy’s, Dominos, Dairy Queen, Quiznos, Auntie Annie’s, Cinnabon, Moe’s Southwest Grill and Nathan’s. The group employs over 1,000 people throughout the region.

“We are thrilled to welcome Starbucks, a globally recognized brand, to Jamaica. Leveraging our knowledge of the local market, we will deliver upon the Starbucks Experience and create a global platform for Jamaica’s locally-grown and Blue Mountain© coffee.” said Ian Dear, Chief Executive Officer of Margaritaville Caribbean Group. “Our organizations share similar values, including our dedication to the customer experience, commitment to our crew members, and responsible corporate citizenship.”

For more than 45 years, Starbucks has built its brand by delivering a consistent, authentic in-store experience to customers around the globe that is rooted in high-quality arabica coffee and engaged, knowledgeable baristas. Since launching the brand in Latin America, Starbucks has grown to over 1,000 stores across 16 markets, 15 of which are operated by trusted licensing partners. In the Caribbean, Starbucks licensees currently operate 43 stores across Aruba, the Bahamas, Curacao, Puerto Rico, and most recently, Trinidad and Tobago. Jamaica will become the company’s sixth market in the Caribbean region. 

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Avoid fake Jamaica coffee 

 

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Avoid fake or bad tasting Jamaican coffee by knowing what’s the best Jamaican coffee from a ranking list . These are 100% Jamaica Blue Mountain.

Most times these official brands are great but quality can slightly vacillate based on the crop. Good news however is that more coffee lovers are entering the field. This leads to sites like ours, that curate quality beans  on a monthly basis from trusted brands. So it reduces the risk to the consumer. 

Fake Jamaican coffee however tries to pass as real in a number of ways. The primary method involves mixing beans from other regions outside the Blue Mountains. While blending can be legal it must be called a ‘Jamaica blue mountain blend’. Some corrupt dealers will pass them off as 100 per cent Jamaica Blue Mountain (JBM). 

There’s no way to easily tell if the beans are mixed from outside the Blue Mountains. You can however easily tell if the beans are inferior: The contents have two distinct sizes of beans. Uneven roasts. A number damaged or chipped beans. Lack of chocolate or nut in taste. Bitterness and other taste imperfections.

JBM usually sells for $25 per 8oz plus shipping. So JBM at $10-15 per 8oz is probably fake. No one would buy a new BMW for $9,000, no one would trust it. Yet people risk their senses and health by purchasing cheap bulk coffee.

True JBM should be balanced with complex levels of flavour and no bitterness. 

Avoid bad coffee by knowing great coffees and stick to them. Test brands you are not familiar with in small quantities and compare to established brands you know.

 

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Jamaica coffee at Starbucks 2017

Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee supplier Amber Estate will resume selling roasted beans in April. Until then it supplies green beans to Starbucks.
In its place, the makers of Amber, Gold Cup Coffee will supply Gold Cup Supreme peaberries. It’s a lovely chocolate with lemon delight. Pure beauty for the lips enjoyed best as a pour over or French press.

  • Producer: Gold Cup
  • Elevation: 2000-5000 feet 
  • Processing Method: Washed
  • Tasting Notes:  Balanced with chocolate and citrus
  • Beans: peaberries 
  • Body: Medium
  • Acidity: Medium
  • Pairing Flavors: Nuts, citrus, baking spices
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Buy Jamaica coffee during shortage like salada

A local coffee brand SALADA Foods Jamaica Limited found out the hard way where to buy lots of Jamaica coffee during a nationwide coffee shortage.The problem was that they bought too much coffee at high prices equivalent to half of its annual sales.Prices have now stabilised and some dealers actually think it will dip in a year

The company said on Friday that its huge J$400 millon (us$3m) build up of inventory a year ago still stands at $309 million as at March 2016.The company complained about coffee prices last year but bought lots of it regardless. The company underwent a change of management in recent years.salada made J$15.5 m net proft on $159 m in revenues or 45 per cent lower profit year on year.

The price increases arguably slashed its sales by one-quarter, year on year.Coffee farmers are demanding more per box due to the impact of currency depreciation on farm costs, and also the cost to protect the coffee against disease and theft. Three years ago processors paid roughly $3,000 for a box of coffee cherry to farmers. Now farmers get $11,000 a box.Salada faced with increased local coffee competition in both the instant and brewed markets will launch new instant coffee products this year. 

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Difference between Jamaica Blue Mountain and High Mountain coffee

Simply put Jamaica Blue Mountain (JBM) is the premium brand and Jamaica High Mountain is the satisfactory fighter brand.

Jamaica Blue Mountain should taste complex with initial tones of chocolate which transfers to hints of brown sugar and then lemon on the back end without any bitterness. In other words three layers of taste or tri-tones. In reality most cups will have two layers rather than three and offer chocolate and nut without the bitterness. Or chocolate and lemon. Regardless of the number of layers it should be balanced and not taste like hot water.

High Mountain on the other hand offers a deeper chocolate taste in part due to darker roasts but also heavier body and a more masculine profile. Its profile then offers a transition from cocoa to heavy nut with some amount of bubbly acidity and slight bitterness. It makes a cup daily cup but will not usually offer complex tri-tones like properly curated Blue Mountain. Its also less balanced and the swings of chocolate to bitter isn’t uncommon. But there are some great batches of High Mountain that can offer more satisfaction than Blue Mountain particularly for those who want a chocolate affair especially with milk.

Price. Jamaica Blue Mountain retails for about $25 per 8oz or basically twice the price of high mountain. There are some exceptions in price with newer brands seeking to slash margins to make sales. But generally stick to known brands at higher costs. You basically get value for money. Why. Because even today a few roasters don’t drink coffee in Jamaica. So they can’t tell a botched roast job or not.

Brands. Established Jamaica Blue Mountain brands include Wallenford, Jablum, Coffee Traders, Coffee Roasters, Marley Coffee, Amber Estate and Twymans. There are others but these are the ones in the main. The newer ones include brands like Plantation Blue and Stoneleigh.

Of course the profile changes based on many farming factors including luck. But generally speaking, I find that Twymans and Amber are most consistently in offering tri-tones while most of the others will give amazing two-tones.  Its probably due to the single estate nature of these beans and the love that these farmer-owners put into each bag. Actually yes, they are proud of their coffee and would invite anyone to share a joke with them over a fresh brew. I also have to make honourable mention of Marley in the gold bag which I also find the right balance of chocolate and lemon. The right balance of amazing.

It therefore sets up questions about the oldest brands in the business: Wallenford and Jablum. They are good but will generally offer two-tones rather than amazing three tones. Anyone can disagree. Its just my opinion. It is getting better but when a company is the oldest and the largest (Wallenford owners bought out Jablum) you buy from thousands of farmers and the profile moves from knowing every bean to capitalism. But its still good and I’m actually drinking Wallenford now.

High Mountain on the other hand, is dominated by the Minott family controlled Jamaica Standard Products Limited. The company masterfully calls its brand the name of the region of coffee–Jamaica High Mountain.

Geographically JBM is grown at an elevation beyond 2,000 ft in the mountain range of the Blue Mountains on the easterly side of Jamaica. While High mountain comes from various areas in the island but particularly, the other side of the island.
JBM is serious coffee and the microclimate offers that premium super luxury taste that’s renowned globally. That said, High Mountain is the better choice for mixed milk based drinks including cappos, lattes and the sort.

 

Click pics to buy Jamaica High Mountain or Jamaica Blue Mountain

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