Blue Mountain coffee in Jamaica

squirk

Saw what you did and knows who you are.
Joined
Apr 9, 2011
Does anyone know a good source for this stuff - the 100% real stuff - in or near the port in Falmouth?

If so, is it appreciably cheaper than buying online?

If so, is it sold properly sealed to pass muster with U.S. Customs?
 
There was a Blue Mountain shop in the shopping area just off the pier with all the correct seals/packaging selling coffee slightly less than the cost of platinum. Seriously, it was over $30 USD for a 1 lb bag.
 
I highly recommend TREASURES OF FALMOUTH TRELAWNY (just checked my cc statement). We shop at their place every time we're in Falmouth - excellent coffee. I do believe it's over the $30/lb mentioned above. The family is from India and the woman was very knowledgeable about the coffee so if you tell her what you want (strong, etc.) she will give you the right coffee. I brought some back (again) for my son and he is distraught that he's run out. Nothing compares. If you are facing out towards the town, the store is on the right side - somewhat across from the little market/trams.
 
Thanks to you both. $30/lb. isn’t bad if it’s certified and not a blend. Good to know there are resources in/near the port.
 


We purchased a few pounds from the duty-free shop in the port enclosure area. I was looking for a particular brand of Jamaican rum that isn't widely sold - which they had - and then decided to pick up some coffee at the same time. Coffee was more expensive than the rum but I considered it to be worth it; we liked it a lot. It was properly sealed so it will pass customs no problem.
 


A plain venti coffee at SB costs about $2.50 (on the low side) before tax, and is 20 oz. So, $0.12/oz.

Lowballing how many 8-oz. cups of coffee can be made from a pound of beans to 36 cups, we get 288 oz.

So, $30 for 1 lb. of Blue Mountain beans to make 288 oz. of coffee. That’s $0.104/oz.

To look at it another way, if SB is $0.12/oz., then 288 oz. of brewed coffee from them would cost $34.50.

So, even though I made an assumption in SB’s favor (many markets sell a venti for more than $2.50), the Blue Mountain still wins.

Granted, SB is grinding and brewing the coffee for you, and if you’re at the drive-thru, they are adding cream/sugar/sweetener for you, so there is some value in that.

I’ll call it a “push”.
 
I've never bought it, but there is coffee at many of the shops. There is one store what sold rumcakes and several different types Jablum Cafe/Tortuga Rumcakes. That is all they sell. When you go through the port entry, it is located in the buildings on the left side almost to the end.

I did a little google search here is a link to an article that shows the store front (3/4 down the page). https://www.iqcruising.com/ports/ca...th/overview-falmouth-cruise-port-jamaica.html

I hope it helps. Nothing beats a great cup of coffee!
 
We purchased a few pounds from the duty-free shop in the port enclosure area. I was looking for a particular brand of Jamaican rum that isn't widely sold - which they had - and then decided to pick up some coffee at the same time. Coffee was more expensive than the rum but I considered it to be worth it; we liked it a lot. It was properly sealed so it will pass customs no problem.
What was the rum you were looking for???🤔
 
This was my sole purpose of going onto the island during our last cruise and we bought tons for ourselves as well as to bring home for people.

My personal brand recommendation, and the one we brought 12 lbs of to bring home, is the JaBlum brand. They have two types (amazon will help with this) and the pricing is consistent. It's also very easy to find because JaBlum has a company store directly inside the Falmouth port area and that is where I would recommend you find it. They also have the coffee drinks for sale so you can order a cup before you decided to drop the serious $$ on the coffee.

Ironically this is NOT where I sourced mine. I got mine at one of the 3rd party retailers, but I was very specific about finding the Jablum brand because it's only one of three officially certified as true Jamaican Blue coffee and double and triple checked the merchandise.

I also bargained. HARD. The poor shop lady was flummoxed by me and my mother (we're both Chinese-American) when we started yapping away frantically in Mandarin. Having said that, OUR PRICE WASN'T ANY BETTER THAN THE OFFICIAL STORE. I think maybe... $10 difference? When you're spending so many hundreds on coffee, it really wasn't a difference to consider.

So really, I recommend making yourself life easy and just buying directly from the JaBlum store.

As for the coffee itself? I love it and drank 4 pounds slowly on my own, one drip pour cup at a time over the last 6 months. I still have a a few cups of beans left and wondering how long it's going to take for me to break down and buy more. Having said that, my DH did NOT like the coffee as much. He prefers a dark roast and being European, likes a really thick, gritty coffee that JaBlum really isn't meant for. It's more of a medium with a really clear and clean taste. No problem for me though since that meant I could steal his portion without any guilt.
 
This was my sole purpose of going onto the island during our last cruise and we bought tons for ourselves as well as to bring home for people.

My personal brand recommendation, and the one we brought 12 lbs of to bring home, is the JaBlum brand. They have two types (amazon will help with this) and the pricing is consistent. It's also very easy to find because JaBlum has a company store directly inside the Falmouth port area and that is where I would recommend you find it. They also have the coffee drinks for sale so you can order a cup before you decided to drop the serious $$ on the coffee.

Ironically this is NOT where I sourced mine. I got mine at one of the 3rd party retailers, but I was very specific about finding the Jablum brand because it's only one of three officially certified as true Jamaican Blue coffee and double and triple checked the merchandise.

I also bargained. HARD. The poor shop lady was flummoxed by me and my mother (we're both Chinese-American) when we started yapping away frantically in Mandarin. Having said that, OUR PRICE WASN'T ANY BETTER THAN THE OFFICIAL STORE. I think maybe... $10 difference? When you're spending so many hundreds on coffee, it really wasn't a difference to consider.

So really, I recommend making yourself life easy and just buying directly from the JaBlum store.

As for the coffee itself? I love it and drank 4 pounds slowly on my own, one drip pour cup at a time over the last 6 months. I still have a a few cups of beans left and wondering how long it's going to take for me to break down and buy more. Having said that, my DH did NOT like the coffee as much. He prefers a dark roast and being European, likes a really thick, gritty coffee that JaBlum really isn't meant for. It's more of a medium with a really clear and clean taste. No problem for me though since that meant I could steal his portion without any guilt.

Thanks for the info. Just curious - why did you go to the 3rd-party retailer? Were you hoping to haggle a substantially lower price than the official store?

Also, what did you wind up paying per pound? The JaBlum site lists $54 for 16oz. of whole beans.
 
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What was the rum you were looking for???🤔

Blackwell. We stayed at a resort owned by the same person who owns the distillery a few years back and they had put a bottle in our cottage. We loved it and then found it simply wasn't available at home (though coincidentally, we found some on board the Magic on our Baltic cruise. They didn't have much - I think DH and I drank it all over a few days since they didn't have it later on the cruise). I bought two bottles and then immediately hid them when we got home so that I can ration it out until I can return to Jamaica and buy some or unless I can find it elsewhere.
 
Thanks for the info. Just curious - why did you go to the 3rd-party retailer? Were you hoping to haggle a substantially lower price than the official store?

Also, what did you wind up paying per pound? The JaBlum site lists $54 for 16oz. of whole beans.

If you would believe it, we simply MISSED the JaBlum store all together in our first circle around the port area. My two sons were very young (newly 3 and 5 and half) so rather than tax them too much hunting for it, I sorta went with the first place that looked like it would have what I wanted.

And trying to haggle seemed like a good option at the time. Now, haggling did end prevent us from being completely ripped off if we had just bought off the shelf at the store, so in some ways it worked out, but I think in retrospect I would just go straight to the store rather than waste some much time and effort.

In terms of what we actually ended up paying, I THINK, and don't quote me on this because it's been a while and my memory is fuzzy, but we got the price down to $45 per 8 oz, I want to say? of the JaBlum GOLD (Yeah, that's how I roll). I want to say $72 for the 16 oz bag of the same JaBlum GOLD roasted whole beans. Something in that range. So really, not that much less than what the official prices are listed online. It is a duty free area though, so that alone is a good savings.
 
A plain venti coffee at SB costs about $2.50 (on the low side) before tax, and is 20 oz. So, $0.12/oz.

Lowballing how many 8-oz. cups of coffee can be made from a pound of beans to 36 cups, we get 288 oz.

So, $30 for 1 lb. of Blue Mountain beans to make 288 oz. of coffee. That’s $0.104/oz.

To look at it another way, if SB is $0.12/oz., then 288 oz. of brewed coffee from them would cost $34.50.

So, even though I made an assumption in SB’s favor (many markets sell a venti for more than $2.50), the Blue Mountain still wins.

Granted, SB is grinding and brewing the coffee for you, and if you’re at the drive-thru, they are adding cream/sugar/sweetener for you, so there is some value in that.

I’ll call it a “push”.

Plus, the blue mountain is going to be great with almost any screw up coffee maker at home. SB can't seem to roast or make a decent cup of coffee even with their expensive machines and highly trained baristas:rolleyes:
 

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