Jamaica Blue Mountain - Fire roasted; Single source; Freshly harvested

David18

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Jamaica Blue Mountains - Whole beans from the Hon. James Dennis Coffee Estate - since 1919
Single source, Freshly harvested, Fire roasted

I currently have available on E-Bay unique whole beans from Jamaica's Blue Mountains. They are from a very independent 95 year old coffee farm on the north side of the Blue Mountains in Section, Portland. There is an article about the farm on the National Geographic web site. All processing is by hand and the beans are fire roasted. My seller name on E-Bay is LionMountainTrading18.

Feel free to send any questions.
 

David18

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Perhaps I didn't read the guidelines as thoroughly as I thought - I thought things were for sale in Deals and Specials - it didn't appear to me that all the listings in Deals and Specials are exclusive offers to Coffee Forum members. If someone orders and tells me about Coffee Forums, I'll add an ounce. That is 5%+. As to Specials - the coffee is extremely limited - even less than that as far any current sales. Check the National Geographic article - I think it shows a bit of why this coffee is unique. In Jamaica this coffee is hard to get - it does not get out of Jamaica. To me, just to be available without going to the farm, it is a "special offer". This is not Jablum or one of the other big companies Blue Mountain pre-packaged blends that sell for a bit more.
Also, I am not a coffee company of any sort except in aspiration. I work in music. I put a bunch of coffee in my suitcase from a farm I know. A small suitcase so not really all that much coffee. I sell records on EBay - EBay provides a safe place for buying things - consumer is well protected. Apologies for any rules violated.
 

PinkRose

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If someone orders and tells me about Coffee Forums, I'll add an ounce. That is 5%+. . . .
. . . . Apologies for any rules violated.

David,

Thanks for offering the Forum members an extra ounce of coffee if they mention the Coffee Forum.

Was the coffee that you put in your suitcase already roasted? How long ago was that?
 

ensoluna

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David,
Was the coffee that you put in your suitcase already roasted? How long ago was that?

good question, Rose. I was going to ask the same thing. Jamaican blue mountain coffee is very good coffee, but it is matter of how long it has been since it got roasted, whether they have sorted out all the defectives (not to spoil the cups), roasted properly by expert roasters...etc
 

Hogfish

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Jamaican blue mountain coffee is very good coffee, but it is matter of how long it has been since it got roasted, whether they have sorted out all the defectives (not to spoil the cups), roasted properly by expert roasters...etc

Correct me if I am wrong, but if it is authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee (unblended), then it I assume it passed through the hands of the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica and was certified as a result. From research I did a few years back, I recall that the CIB takes place in evaluating and grading lot samples in order to ensure the standard of BMC quality is upheld. Anything uncertified, would fall into the category of "high" and "low" mountain coffee, correct?

Ensoluna, no jab intended here, but could you please define what an expert roaster is? Sounds to me like labeling an "expert" is entirely subjective and I would like to understand more on where you are coming from.

On a closing note, suite case coffee for sale sounds sketchy, IMO. I like giving away coffee after my trips. :coffee:
 

PinkRose

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Ensoluna, no jab intended here, but could you please define what an expert roaster is? Sounds to me like labeling an "expert" is entirely subjective and I would like to understand more on where you are coming from.

I have a feeling he meant to use the word experienced instead of expert. An experienced roaster should know how to properly roast Jamacian Blue Mountain beans. It would be a shame to ruin those little gems!
 

Hogfish

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I have a feeling he meant to use the word experienced instead of expert. An experienced roaster should know how to properly roast Jamacian Blue Mountain beans. It would be a shame to ruin those little gems!

Aha! Makes perfect sense, I do not disconcur! (I wish that was a word) :grin:
 

ensoluna

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certified coffee does not mean much, to say frankly. mostly, about 95%, it is marketing purpose. it is another way of "trying to differentiate your coffee from others" to sell them at higher pricing. certificate of organic costs you $25 per 100 lbs. fair trade is about $15 per 100 lbs. rainforest certificate goes by annual payment of about $10K. certificate of APCA (Asociasion de Productores de Cafe genuino Antigua) will cost you $45 per 100 lbs....etc (we have to pay these extra charges to Gov't and other related organization in our country)

let me give you simple example. Antigua coffee is the most famous coffee in Guatemala.
88 cupping point Antigua green coffee WITHOUT ANY CERTIFICATE will cost you RIGHT NOW about $3.80 per lbs (FOB Quetzal port in Guatemala)
But certain customers asked me to get all the certificates, organic, fair trade, certificate of genuine Antigua..etc.
then, it will cost them $5.00 per lbs, Fob Quetzal port.
Exactly same beans, same quality. Only difference is that the customers can charge more from their customers with the papers that I give them, saying that it is better and healthier coffee because it is organic, fair trade, genuine...etc.

all of these certificate will not guarantee the quality of the beans. it is purely marketing side of business and in order to protect their own interests, interests of gov't, organization, cooperatives..et

the most important thing about the export coffee (export standard coffee = quality standard) is from Beneficio Seco. this is the process they sort out all the defective beans, broken beans, quakers, fermented beans, small beans, ...etc there is ratio, such as 8 defective beans per 300 grams...and such.
because one quaker or fermented bean can ruin whole batch of beans.

after that, how it gets stored in the hands of customers. if it is too dry, if it is too humid, stored too long... it all affects the quality of beans.
So, basically, forget about the certificate this or that. that is just pc of paper for marketing purpose and for someone to make extra money.

expert or experience roaster : they should be able to tell "the characteristics of beans" high density beans, soft beans, humid beans, small beans, big size beans, which country they are from, which region they were produced...etc temperature control & time control...so many different factors for each different lot of beans,...etc there are so many different factors to roast coffee beans. it is an art/skill that needs practice after practice, handling all different kind of beans from different countries.

As example, an experienced roaster who used to roast Jamaica BM beans for 20 years will not be able to roast properly other beans from Guatemala or Honduras. Also an experienced roaster who used to roast "extra prime beans" in Guatemala (extra prime bean is bit inferior beans) for 20 years will not be able to roast properly Pacamara, Geisha that have very high density with different sizes & characteristics.
 
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ensoluna

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BTW, the photo is certificate of genuine Antigua. probably the most famous and expensive certificate in Guatemala.
80% of entire Antigua coffee farms (that are belong to APCA members) are controlled by "Celaya" family (most rich coffee family in entire Guatemala).
You have to be in APCA organization member to get this certificate and APCA is being controlled by Celaya family to protect their own interests, basically to charge more for this certificate for their farm coffee.

even if your farm is in Antigua and produce 89 point real genuine Antigua coffee, unless your farm is in this exclusive "club", APCA will not issue the certificate for your farm. That is only to protect their own farms (belong to APCA, controlled by Celaya) and to control the prices of coffee.

if you ask me how I know, because I buy APCA certified coffees from few of the APCA member coffee farms in Antigua.

also, we buy some real Antigua coffees from small & Poor Antigua farms. (if you had read my thread on "the most humble cooperative office I have ever visited" Dated Dec 5, you will know. those are the small real genuine Antigua farmers, but since they are weak and small, they can not get the certificate to sell their beans at higher pricing. They can not be a member of APCA organization. It is all about dirty politics.

and this not only applies in Guatemala, it applies all around the world.

View attachment 2836
 
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PinkRose

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As example, an experienced roaster who used to roast Jamaica BM beans for 20 years will not be able to roast properly other beans from Guatemala or Honduras. Also an experienced roaster who used to roast "extra prime beans" in Guatemala (extra prime bean is bit inferior beans) for 20 years will not be able to roast properly Pacamara, Geisha that have very high density with different sizes & characteristics.

I'm not sure about the words "will not be able to roast properly"

If the roaster knows his stuff, he will need some education and practice for each type of bean he attempts to roast, but he eventually will be able to roast the beans properly.
 

ensoluna

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perhaps, I did not explain in detail, Rose.
for roasters in USA (and any other coffee importing countries) can deal with many different beans. some of them buy different beans from green bean importers and roast them and sell by themselves. so in this case, he can be familiar with many different types of beans and characteristics in time.
also same for the roasters who work for bigger companies or restaurants. they have the opportunities to work and learn different beans, from different countries...etc

however, many roasters in "coffee origin countries", mainly they work with same type of coffee. if someone works for a farm, cooperatives, companies that sells roasted beans locally, they are only familiar with same or similar types of beans year after year. Also, in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, they hardly never import any green beans from any other coffee producing countries. So most of roasters here only knows how to roast Guatemala beans, and for some of them, only one type of beans or one region of beans.

even if roasters here want to practice with different origin beans, they are not available at all.

I have been here in Guatemala for long time and visited probably 100 of coffee shops, but I have never had any other country coffees. Always, Guatemalan coffee, nothing else.
 
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ensoluna

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I have been here in Guatemala for long time and visited properly 100 of coffee shops, but I have never had any other country coffees. Always, Guatemalan coffee, nothing else.

sorry, Rose, I just realized that above statement is not entirely true.

I went to STARBUCKS twice in Guatemala city. They have several different types of coffee from different origins/countries. But their coffee is so bad and even for latte, they make them as bad as USA Starbucks latte (probably because of the machine they use, Starbucks own machine)?

Besides this Starbucks, I have never seen any other country chain coffee stores in Guatemala.

***** I am writing this at &Cafe (second largest chain coffee store in Guatemala). I just asked the workers about this question. they also said that none of coffee shops or Guatemalan Chain stores in Guatemala carry other country beans. Except TWO STARBUCKS in Guatemala City. there are only two starbucks in entire Guatemala. *****
 
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David18

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The coffee I have for sale was roasted during the last week of November - it was roasted at the farm, over fire. The beans are fresh from this year's harvest - they were picked in November. It is nice when one has coffee right after it has been roasted but if you will notice - commercially available Blue Mountain coffee has a sell date measured in many months - the time between harvest and consumption can easily be a year or more. And that coffee was roasted in Jamaica before it ever got to the US. I think coffee this fresh is unique - supply chains for US specialty roasters are longer. On teh EBay listing is a picture of the coffee roasting and of Ras Hopeton (third generation coffee farmer) processing beans.
 
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