Jamaican Blue - worth it?

[mrs quoad]

Hmmm.

I have a voucher for 50% off Jamaican Blue.

But am seriously debating the worth of spending a fiver on Whittards beans of any hue.

Hmmm.

 

[Cobbles]

I take it we're talking about Blue Mountain coffee in which case it's definitely not worth the premium.

It's hyped to death on the basis that Americans off cruise liners spending a day in Ocho Rios are ritually flogged it as a preeeeeeemium product Maaaaan (fools and money etc.).

I'd rather have a nice cup of something from Ethiopia or India (Malabar) if you want a rich dense mouthfull.

 

[chooch]

Nah. Terrible stuff.
A good Kenya with high acidity will piss all over it. You can also find much much better stuff from Colombia, Brazil and Central America.
According to my dad, who was in the trade like.

 

[kalidarkone]

Recently I discovered 2 half kilo bags of blue mountain coffee in my ma's cupboard, sadly not in airtight packs and had to be chucked, she brought it back from JA a couple of years ago and had forgotton about it. I was very disapointed.

 

[mrs quoad]

I got 125g for a fiver.

Meh, frankly. Meh. It makes a passable cup of cafetiere coffee, but I've been using home-roasted beans (Alaskan (!), Honduran and Brazilian) in preference to it. It's just a bit 'meh'.

 

[gentlegreen]

I think I tried BM or something Whittards claimed as similar a few years back.
I can't say it rocked my world ... a bit bland as I recall.

I like my coffee with a little character :-

Marmitey Nicarguan, nutty Costa Rica, fruity Colombian.

 

[oryx]

I tried some in Betty's in York once - it was nice, but not £11-for-a-small-bag nice!

 

[scalyboy]

I have bought it in the past and my sister bought some back from Jamaica once for me

personally I am not that much of a coffee expert to really appreciate it but it was nice but I don't know if itwas so much nicer for the price

I agree. When I have had it, I thought: nice but not that nice considering the price tag. Also a bit too smooth for my liking, prefer something a bit 'fuller flavour' like an Ethiopian. Re. what Wookey said, I have heard this too - that there is not a huge amount of Jamaican Blue Mountain produced anyway, and 90% goes to Japan so inflating the price of the remaining 10%.

 

[scalyboy]

Hmmm.

I have a voucher for 50% off Jamaican Blue.

But am seriously debating the worth of spending a fiver on Whittards beans of any hue.

Hmmm.

Well if you can get 50% off then maybe try a small quantity just so you satisfy your curiosity.

 

[Herbsman.]

I love guatemalan elephant, but I can't really describe the flavour of it. The flavour seems to actually move around my tongue in a circle. Anyone recommend something similar to try?

 

[gentlegreen]

I love guatemalan elephant, but I can't really describe the flavour of it. The flavour seems to actually move around my tongue in a circle. Anyone recommend something similar to try?

That was my favourite too for a bit - but Whittards roast it to within an inch of its life.

 

[Herbsman.]

Innit. Shame, that.

 

[pogofish]

I agree, tried it once from there when Wittards first opened here & it was dreadful. Had some later from our local guy that was so much nicer.

 

[Vintage Paw]

If you get it, get it from hasbean instead. They are fresher. Whittards aren't that fresh unless you buy green of course and roast yourself.

My last batch from hasbean was roasted 2 days before I got it. I can definitely taste the difference now I've had that batch a couple of weeks, not as up to scratch.

I take it you grind yourself too? Otherwise, I really wouldn't bother.

Haven't tried Jamaican Blue though - don't think I could bring myself to spend that much!

Quoted just so you remember your dear friend Vintage Paw, the wonderful, kind, thoughtful (and sexeh) person who put you on to Hasbean and fuelled your subsequent near obsessive compulsion in all things coffee related.

 

[kalidarkone]

This thread is making me feel better about the kilo of wasted Blue Mountain Coffee that I had to chuck!

 

[psycherelic]

I've had the hasbean blue mountain stuff before, didn't do it for me, I much prefered their colombian

These days I can only drink coffee about once a month though

 

[psycherelic]

If it's the same as when I had it (a couple of years ago so it almsot certainly isn't but it might be similar you never know) then this stuff
http://www.hasbean.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=44_22&products_id=935
is the mutts nuts

Rich dark velevety taste, lovely black