Table of contents
Jamaica
$ 6
| Varieties | Arabica, Typica, Caturra, Geisha, Blue Mountain, Bourbon |
| How to Serve | Typically served in a glass (not a mug) with dark or light rum, and some sugar |
| Flavor | Extremely mild acidity, very smooth, has a natural sweetness almost with a hint of chocolate |
| Recommended Machine | Drip, Pour Over, Precision Brewer, Aeropress, French press |
| Good As | Americano, Mocha, Frappuccino, Macchiato, Affogato |
| Price Range | $6 – $100 for a 12oz pack |
| Caffeine Level | 1.7% on average |
Named after the beautiful Blue Mountains of Jamaica, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is as magical and tasty as it sounds. First introduced in 1728, Jamaican Blue Mountain is among the most pricey yet popular coffees around the world. Loved for its mild flavor and lack of bitterness, this coffee is easily among the most celebrated beans with caffeine lovers.
Blue Mountain coffee is known to be the best type of coffee you can find in Jamaica. Although just a type of Arabica, the smoothness, and taste of Jamaican Blue Mountain take it far from regular coffee. Furthermore, Jamaica is known for other types of coffee as well, such as:
| Arabica | Typica | Caturra |
| Geisha | Blue Mountain | Bourbon |
Jamaican Blue Mountain can be served with or without alcohol and is known for its higher price. Because of its high price, it is not easily accessible in any part of the world, and due to the huge demand, it is actually sometimes quite hard to find legit Blue Mountain Jamaican coffee.
In this guide, I am going to help you find out how and where to buy Jamaican coffee as well as how to make it and why it’s so good!
A very interesting thing about Jamaican blue mountain coffee retailers is that this type of coffee can come from many different parts of the world. Blue Mountain coffee thrives in volcanic soil and higher altitudes, but the actual Blue Mountain region in Jamaica brings a totally different flair and experience.
With its long history, Blue Mountain coffee is among the most popular varieties around the world. It was introduced in Jamaica many years ago, in the early 1700s, and the authentic version of it comes from a very small region of the Blue Mountains of the island. HIgh altitude and volcanic soil paired with cool mountain temperatures give Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee a distinct flavor that can be easily differentiated from others.
Because of its cultural significance, the cultivation of these beans is very carefully monitored and protected around the world by the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica. Only those from the small region of Jamaica can be certified as authentic Blue Mountain coffee. The beans are typically cultivated at 2,000 to 5,500 feet above sea level.
Getting your hands onto a high-quality Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee might actually be a bit harder when compared to other types of coffee on the market, but it certainly is not impossible. While buying it first hand in Jamaica can be a delightful experience, you do not have to travel for hours, or even for days, to have yourself a real Jamaican coffee experience.
I’ve rounded up some options available on Amazon and filtered them down to the top 5 options available. Check out our list below.
We pay attention to the following:
For more detailed information on how exactly we rate the coffee products we suggest in our guides, click here.
While looking for the best Jamaican coffee, you can of course go on Amazon and look around the website on your own. But, might as well stick around and see what I’ve got to say about them too, plus I dug a bit deeper too. You can check out my list below and see what I think makes these beans better than the others.
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Price: $$21.85 (subject to change) (subject to change) |
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Size: 32 oz |
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Type: Arabica |
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Roast: Medium |
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Producer: Magnum Exotics |
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Beans: Whole |
There are numerous options for Jamaican Blue Mountain beans on Amazon. After trying many of them, one of the coffees that I enjoyed most was Magnum Exotics Jamaican Blue Mountain. Coming at a fairly moderate price of $21.85, these medium roasted whole beans are full of taste.
I used several methods of making coffee using these beans, and I was impressed to see how rich and smooth it came out. It gives coffee lovers a perfect balance of flavor, aroma, and just a little bit of spiciness. The company roasts its beans in small batches, which ensures the finest coffee experience.
After trying different methods with this coffee, I found that the best outcome is with the French Press. I totally recommend using a french press with this one. It’s super easy to make, and this medium roasted coffee has the perfect bitterness to it.
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Price: $$65.98 (subject to change) (subject to change) |
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Size: 16 oz |
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Type: Arabica |
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Roast: Medium |
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Producer: Plantation Blue |
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Beans: Ground |
Plantation Blue Premium unsurprisingly makes some of the best Jamaican coffee beans online you can buy. Unlike the previously discussed one, Plantation Blue Premium offers coffee lovers ground beans, which means that half of the job is already done for you.
The beans are medium roasted, which means that the balance of taste and bitterness combined with the perfect aroma is on a great level.
It comes in two options, you can get one pound for $65,98, or go with 8 Ounces for $35.91. The ground coffee is vacuum packed, which means that it can maintain the taste and aroma for a long time. If you want to get a lot of coffee at the same time, this one can be a great option as it can be stored for a considerably longer time.
The company grows its coffee beans in a small area of the Blue Mountains and ensures very high quality. The taste is very authentic and it does bring all the feelings that you would want from a coffee of such history and culture.
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Price: $38.00 (subject to change) (subject to change) |
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Size: 16 oz |
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Type: Arabica |
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Roast: Dark |
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Producer: Green Coffee Traders |
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Beans: Whole |
I tried many different coffees while looking for the best option, and this one really stood out from others. Green Coffee Traders’ Jamaican Blue Coffee comes for just $38 for 16 Ounces. If you are someone like me and you enjoy bitterness in your coffee, this one can be a great option.
This Jamaican blue mountain coffee is very affordable but is still able to provide a very high-class experience to those who are looking for real Jamaican taste. But, if you do not like your coffee on the bitter side, it would be better to go with the other ones on the list.
The brand behind this coffee has a long history of providing high-quality beans, and this one is not an exception either. Making this coffee was an amazing experience. I used a hand grinder and a Moka Pot to make a perfectly balanced coffee that had all the things I loved about coffee – smooth, bitter, and sweet at the same time.
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Price: $54.99 (subject to change) (subject to change) |
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Size: 16 oz |
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Type: Arabica |
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Roast: Medium-Dark |
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Producer: Cafe Blue |
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Beans: Whole |
Cafe Blue’s whole beans let you have all the experience while making yourself a morning coffee. The best thing about this Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is that it kicks in very quickly so that you start your morning in just the right way.
You can get 8 Ounces of this coffee for $39, or go with the family package and get 16 Ounces for $79. The company has small-batch processing and packaging, which ensures that every single bean is perfect. It comes with a very rich and bold flavor and is very close to what you can get directly in Jamaica.
This high mountain Jamaican coffee is perfect when made with any method, but I enjoyed the french press the most. It has a very distinct taste that brings all the culture and excitement into your cup.
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Price: $0.54 per ounce (subject to change) (subject to change) |
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Size: 2-32 oz packs |
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Type: Arabica |
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Roast: Light |
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Producer: Cameron's |
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Beans: Ground |
Being the cheapest one out of the Jamaican coffee brands that I discussed, Cameron’s Jamaican Blend really did leave me speechless. I had no expectations from this coffee, but I was amused with the aroma it had.
Although it does not directly showcase all the things that we love in Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, it still can be a great option for those who want to save some money. Just opening the bag was enough for my kitchen to be full of the coffee aroma that I have been craving so much.
I made coffee using my Moka Pot and it ended up being great. It comes grounded, which means that you do not have to spend time grinding your coffee, which makes it a perfect option for early mornings.
The thing that I liked most about this coffee is that even when you make a really strong coffee, it does not get too bitter.
The best thing about Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is that it can be made with lots of different methods. It makes this coffee very versatile and can fit any coffee maker you may have. But, this doesn’t mean that all types taste the same, there are some good ones, and there are the best ones.
Depending on the type of Jamaican Coffee you get, whether it is pre-grounded or whole, you can choose any of the methods that I am going to talk about below. Make sure to use the method that you are most comfortable with because the end result is always great with this type of coffee.
Jamaican Blue Mountain goes amazing with alcohol. Because of its natural sweetness, this coffee is a great option for making a coffee cocktail.
For the perfect outcome, you should combine some rum, coffee liquor, and some Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and you are good to go. The taste of alcohol goes really well with this coffee because of its natural sweetness and low acidity. You can pretty much use whatever ratios you like.
Coffee made with any technique will be good in this method, you can use your Moka Pot, or go with a French Press. To make it fancier, you can also use some cream on top of your coffee. Although coffee made this way might taste a bit regular in the beginning, the alcohol gives it an extra zing.
If you ever visit Jamaica, you will actually come across this type of coffee very frequently, since it’s such a big part of the local culture.
This is like the elevated version of the regular cocktail. It’s not really as traditional since it has a little extra ice cream in it, but it’s phenomenally delicious. You will need some Jamaican coffee beans that you will grind up and make yourself some black coffee with any method you prefer. After this, you will need some dark rum, a little bit of sugar, and for extra sweetness, you will be adding ice cream (again, there are no set ratios for the ingredients).
Much like a traditional coffee cocktail, this one is also a combination of different tastes that go really well with each other. The process of making this coffee is very simple. The main drivers of taste, in this case, are coffee and alcohol, much like regular Jamaican coffee cocktails, but it has more sweetness thanks to the additional sugar and ice cream.
The Cocktail Deluxe is more on a fancier side, giving coffee lovers the extra sweetness and taste. If you do not like sweet coffee, you can always make it without any additional sugar. Personally, I think that there is no need for adding sugar to this coffee, as Jamaican Blue Mountain already kinda has that natural sweet taste a bit.
If you end up with a coffee that is too sweet, you can just dilute it with water in a larger mug.
The best way to make a Modernized Jamaican Coffee brew is to use either french press or AeroPress as both of them are really good at retaining the aroma.
If your coffee came as whole beans, you will need to grind them up. You can do this with some good old-fashioned elbow grease or a Burr Grinder. After that, you can use hot water, a french press, and one or two teaspoons of your ground Jamaican coffee. You can go with more if you want a stronger brew.
The best thing about Jamaican coffee beans is that when you make the coffee stronger, it does not get more bitter. This is a huge advantage of drinking this coffee. If you ask me, simply using the press to make this is perfectly enough. There is no more need for fancy recipes because it is really good on its own.
The types of coffees that you can make with Jamaican beans include Americano, Affogato, Doppio, and many others. However, how much is it worth your time and energy is another question. Anyhow, let’s discuss the best and the worst types of coffees you can make using Jamaican Blue Mountain beans.
Probably the most popular type of coffee. This classic type of coffee is enjoyed all around the world. As we both know Americano is just Espresso with more water and is basically designed to stretch out the time you drink it to enjoy it more. This is just the reason why it’s a perfect method to make Blue Mountain coffee.
Without any fancy additions, you will be able to taste what this coffee is really about, and trust me when I say – it is totally worth it. Because Jamaican coffee is full of so many tastes as well as textures, it is really good on its own.
In fact, it is one of the most popular ways of drinking this coffee. Since it is not as bitter as many other types of coffees, you can drink it even without sugar.
Learn How to Brew a Perfect Americano
Affogato is a very popular type of coffee. To make this one, you will be combining your Jamaican coffee with some vanilla ice cream. This can be a great method if you really like the flavor of coffee but not coffee on its own. It will pretty much be like drinking really high-quality melted coffee ice cream.
Affogato is more traditionally known as Affogato al Caffe and originates from Italy (which I’m sure you knew or guessed from the name). But more than a coffee, it is a dessert. Usually, it is made with a shot of Espresso and Jamaican coffee can work perfectly.
Although Jamaican coffee is not bitter, it goes really well with ice cream and other sweet desserts mainly because of its natural sweet tones. I’d even go so far as saying that any coffee-flavored dessert would benefit from Blue Mountain beans.
Learn How to Make a Banger Affogato
If you’re in a hurry to just get your foot out the door, then Jamaican coffee has you covered as well. Now, if you’re a seasoned coffee drinker like yours truly, a cup of Espresso may not be enough to get your juices flowing. So, why not have 2 of them? With the convenience of having them in 1 cup and brewing it only once? Well, that’s what Doppio is.
Jamaican beans can really deliver on the caffeine level here especially when it’s a double portion. Also, if you’re not that big of a fan of Espresso’s characteristic bitterness, then Blue Mountain coffee should be your go-to. Its mild bitterness will in no way overpower the palate when drinking it as Doppio, while a traditional Doppio could be too much to bear.
This way you get a tasty coffee that gets you going in the morning, that’s like happiness squared in just 1 cup.
Learn How to Make Doppio Like an Italian
As much as I might love Espresso, this made with Jamaican Blue Mountain beans is not something that I would recommend. Doppio, sure, but not regular Espresso. The reason for this is the lower acidity and strength of Jamaican coffee.
If you are an active Espresso drinker, the strength, as well as the bitterness of Jamaican coffee, simply won’t cut it. In addition, Jamaican coffee is something that should be enjoyed for a longer time. Having an Espresso shot will only take a few seconds, and the whole experience that makes this coffee so special will be wasted.
I would also avoid making plain cold brews using Jamaican coffee. This coffee only mixed with ice is not going to be too good. Since it is already very mild, once the ice starts melting, the flavor of the coffee will be diluted too much. Latte is not a good idea either. I would simply add some ice cream and that’s it.
However, all of these are very subjective. While some might think that these types might not be good, others might love them. So take what I just said with a grain of salt.
