Coffee Question

[cohibasurfer]

Anyone that has bought or even just seen roasted Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans, can you tell me if the beans are glossy and oily. Because the beans I bought from the stock GWDC are not. Also the beans are small in size compared to most coffee beans I'm use to. They are a medium brown with no sheen or oil to them at all. I bought a few varieties, and the JBM and Yemen beans have the same apperance. Smaller and the roast is quite light. The Papua New Guinea beans look like Killer Beans. Dark rosted with an oily gloss, almost twice the size of the JBM beans ( I'll be honest, they taste nothing like African Assassin, my fave Killer, but they cost alot less, I'll be paying the difference ). As for the taste of these JBM, nice smooth silky feel, low acid, rather sweet and very mild. Anyway enough of that, I'd really like some education on Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans. From what I've read these are some of the best coffee beans being produced, right along side the famous Kona bean.

Please help, but no need to post that you don't know, but wish you could help!

Thanks!

 

[grateful1]

The ones I've had are always oily...and a little smaller than regular....but not a pea-berry size.

Wiki

Sweet Marias

All the the JBM that I've had(I order it a couple times a year)....has a killer caffeine kick...a sneaky one!

Wallenford Estate is the one I get (not direct...but my wholesaler gets it from them).

1) Make sure it's not a 'blend'...that's just coffee blended to taste like JBM
2) Make sure it's certified...know your source!


Another to try is 'Kona Fancy' - not as smooth as JBM...but great flavor and tasty.
The Pea-Berry is nice as well.

Let me know when you're looking to get more...I'll add a couple pounds to my order.


------------------edit---------------------

From what I've just read...it seems the GWDC is working with an association in Jamacia.
I'm not familiar with 'this' JBM coffee...I want to see if they are regulated.
AH...it's a newly approved supplier.

Try a Wallenford Estate batch compared to this other one.

Oh, the coffee at my wholesaler is about $25 per lb.
The stores that have them for less...are usually blends.
The ones that have them for more....must have a lot of overhead!

:laugh:

 

[tigger]

...can you tell me if the beans are glossy and oily...

In my experience, this depends mostly on the roast, and not the variety of coffee.

Since you've said the roast on these is light, then the medium brown/lack of oiliness would follow.

A fairly light roast makes sense to me for coffees like JBM, as the flavors intrinsic to the variety are better maintained. No sense paying big bucks for something you're going to roast dark.

I haven't roasted JBM in awhile (I don't personally think it's worth the premium it commands), but I recall the beans being on the smaller side.

 

[cohibasurfer]

...can you tell me if the beans are glossy and oily...

In my experience, this depends mostly on the roast, and not the variety of coffee.

Since you've said the roast on these is light, then the medium brown/lack of oiliness would follow.

A fairly light roast makes sense to me for coffees like JBM, as the flavors intrinsic to the variety are better maintained. No sense paying big bucks for something you're going to roast dark.

I haven't roasted JBM in awhile (I don't personally think it's worth the premium it commands), but I recall the beans being on the smaller side.

That helps :thumbs:

Thanks for the links G

These are consistant to JBM light roasted coffee beans. And it's good, just real smooth and mellow. Long steady caffine buzz too. Well 8 cups worth of buzz....lol!

 

[cohibasurfer]

Come on! Can't anybody top Gary's google cut and paste with some personal experience?

I figured I was the only coffee lover that hadn't tried or seen JBM coffee beans.

 

[grateful1]

Come on! Can't anybody top Gary's google cut and paste with some personal experience?

I figured I was the only coffee lover that hadn't tried or seen JBM coffee beans.

LMAO - the only thing I cut and pasted were the linky's!


Send me some of the GWDC stock and I'll do a taste test, just for you!

 

[MindRiot]

JBM beans are best in my opinion roasted at a light maybe approaching medium but never to the second crack. I use to drink it all the time when the price was decent, now that bean and Kona are just priced way to high. Also if you buy any roasted or green make sure it is 100% JBM and not a blend.

 

[cohibasurfer]

Come on! Can't anybody top Gary's google cut and paste with some personal experience?

I figured I was the only coffee lover that hadn't tried or seen JBM coffee beans.

LMAO - the only thing I cut and pasted were the linky's!


Send me some of the GWDC stock and I'll do a taste test, just for you!

Send me your snailer Gary.... some mooch attemps are rewarding.

JBM beans are best in my opinion roasted at a light maybe approaching medium but never to the second crack. I use to drink it all the time when the price was decent, now that bean and Kona are just priced way to high. Also if you buy any roasted or green make sure it is 100% JBM and not a blend.

Well the bag says 100% so I can only assume it is. I'm trying to be skeptical and look for a reason it's $13.50 lb. I see there is a code 05-08 best sale by date. So I'm factoring that in. The roast is like you said very light. So far everything is looking fine.


I think I'll drive up to Berkeley tomorrow and sheck it out! If anyone else has anything, please post up. Thanks for the posts so far! Alot of help, well.... except for G. That was just down right geniuse! Send me your snailer " Group Buy Gary "!

 

[grateful1]

I'm trying to be skeptical and look for a reason it's $13.50 lb.

If you can get 100% real JBM for that price....I'll take 10lbs and pay for overnight shipping.

ahhh....I've found it!

They are having a 60% off sale....I STILL find it had to believe it's the same coffee as what people have raved about for years.
Oh yea, it isn't....it's from a 'new' group of growers in the same region. As they expanded the range of were they accept coffee from. Wallenford, as far as I know was/is the only true JBM coffee wholesaler....but, what do I know. ???

Linky

 

[amateuraficionado]

13.50 - 25.00 / lb.????? They haven't even been using vaseline with me! I've never even seen this stuff for less than $45/lb. Apparently, the few times I did purchase this, I got screwed!

 

[grateful1]

13.50 - 25.00 / lb. ??? ?? They haven't even been using vaseline with me! I've never even seen this stuff for less than $45/lb. Apparently, the few times I did purchase this, I got screwed!

The normal price is around $30-35...in some stores. The $25 price is from a wholesaler I deal with regularly.

The $13.50 price is 60% off from a new 'source'.


Ok - does anyone want to try a a pound....I'll pick up 5-10 lbs and we'll disperse accordingly.
This is at the $13.50 price...we'll give it a try!

 

[amateuraficionado]

The normal price is around $30-35...in some stores. The $25 price is from a wholesaler I deal with regularly.

The $13.50 price is 60% off from a new 'source'.

Ok - does anyone want to try a a pound....I'll pick up 5-10 lbs and we'll disperse accordingly.
This is at the $13.50 price...we'll give it a try!

But Gary, is this the genuine article or something close? What's the scoop? I'd be in for a pounder at that price. Am I to understand that these 60% off beans are grown in an area that is newly expanded to be included as JBM?

 

[tomthirtysix]

One thing they try to get away with, besides using the word "blend" in small letters, is the actual location where the beans are grown. Just because beans are grown on the Blue Mountain doesn't mean they can be certified as Blue Mt beans. They have to be grown above a certain altitude to be designated as JBM. That's one of the things I remember from when I was in Jamaica and was talking to my concierge about getting some. Coffee, that is.

Edit: Oops, I missed Gary's previous edit. Checking out the site now.

 

[Carps]

13.50 - 25.00 / lb. ??? ?? They haven't even been using vaseline with me! I've never even seen this stuff for less than $45/lb. Apparently, the few times I did purchase this, I got screwed!

The normal price is around $30-35...in some stores. The $25 price is from a wholesaler I deal with regularly.

The $13.50 price is 60% off from a new 'source'.


Ok - does anyone want to try a a pound....I'll pick up 5-10 lbs and we'll disperse accordingly.
This is at the $13.50 price...we'll give it a try!

Hey Gary, I'd be down with a pound at that price. I've had true JBM once, but only a cup and it was fantastic

 

[grateful1]

I just spoke with my wholesaler...she's sending me some information.

A few things:

1) The oilyness comes from how the coffee is roasted - makes sense!

2) There are a few 'estates' that are regulated to sell JBM (Wallenford being probalby the best known)
2a) She has now switched to another Estate because Japan has purchased (ahead of harvest) the majority - if not all - of the Wallenford supply.

3) Her current price is $30.50lb (it was $25 when I purchased last year)

As far as the $13.50 a lb coffee:

1) That's 60% off

2) It's been approved by Jamaica's Coffee Board.

3) is it the same....dunno!

 

[tomthirtysix]

Doing a little looking around, this is what I found:

http://www.growersdirectcoffee.com/jamaica.html

GWDC has a strategic partnership with the Blue Mountain Coffee Cooperative Society Ltd. of Jamaica to sell Blue Mountain Arabica green bean coffee. The Blue Mountain Coffee Cooperative Society Ltd. represents approximately 3,000 coffee farmers in the Blue Mountain coffee growing region of Jamaica. The Arabica coffee is grown in tropical rainforest mountain between the altitudes of 2,000 to 4,000 feet above sea level in the eastern side of the island. The coffee is grown organically and is known for its distinct flavor, body, and aroma. Currently, our growers produce about 30% of Jamaica’s annual Blue Mountain green bean coffee crop of 6.6 million pounds. The coffee is marketed under the name of "Penlyne Castle".

Covered with a tropical rain forest and surrounded by mist, the mountain is so lush that it takes on the blue color from which it is famous, It's the perfect environment for the perfect coffee.

Jamaican coffee beans are rare and reasonably difficult to obtain so that always makes them a special treat. The Blue Mountain Coffee Cooperative was founded in 1949 and is owned and manage by small farmers whose families have been cultivating coffee for over 150 years.

And although I can't find anything concrete with a link, this was from the Blue Mountain Coffee Wiki page, noted with a "citation needed." But, these same numbers come up on a bunch of different reports I've seen.

Traditionally, only coffee grown at elevations between 3,000 and 5,500 feet could be called Jamaica Blue Mountain. Coffee grown at elevations between 1,500 and 3,000 feet is called Jamaica High Mountain, and coffee grown below 1,500 foot elevation is called Jamaica Supreme or Jamaica Low Mountain. (All land in Jamaica above 5,500 feet is a forest preserve, so no coffee is grown there.)

Hope this helps.

 

[grateful1]

Yea..that's what I've seen as well, Tom.

This may have some of the high alltitude coffee...but probably mixed with some High Mountain.

Why do they call it High Mountain?

:whistling:

 

[tomthirtysix]

Why do they call it High Mountain?

:whistling:

From what I remember... uhhh...

Funny...I don't remember...

That being said... at 60% off the regular price for "Blue Mountain," is 1000 feet going to make THAT much of a difference? Gary, if you pick up, let me know. I'm in for a pound.

 

[grateful1]

OK - the GB is done.


I needed a good threadjack today!

Thanks 'surfer!

:laugh:

 

[fivebyfifty]

Iwould love to go in on a pound if available