Jamaican Blue Mountain

Waitforme

It’s the cupping score, a method to determine the quality of the coffee.

Take this for example … https://www.djangocoffeeco.com/collections/coffee-beans-online-order-coffee-online/products/el-salvador-los-angeles?variant=42095368569088

Pompeyexile

Waitforme Ah I see… sort of. So, is this scoring an official thing (done on some sort of machine that measures chemicals and stuff) or again like the Strictly judges, done on an individual’s personal taste opinion? If it’s personal, then surely it could be a case of like one man’s Ryvita is another man’s cardboard.

Hotmetal

Waitforme Django Los Angeles is what I’m drinking right now! Great coffee, and a good price if you get it by the kg. I like that they tell you the cupping score. However as with wine or whisky, just because its “good” doesn’t mean you’ll like it. But it’s at least a sign that you’re starting from quality beans. Beyond that, it’s personal taste and your ability to to a decent job of the extraction!

gotters

I have bought a couple of bags from these guys https://www.jamaicacoffeetrading.co.uk/whole-beans/jbm-number-1-whole-beans-250-grams

As others have said the price is a function of scarcity and it’s got some ‘old school’ cache to it hasn’t it, I recall my dad back in the 80s getting a bag as something special to try.

It is a delicious cup, I’ll never say it’s worth the money, value is too personal, but it’s a lovely old school cup to my tastebuds. nothing funky going on, no mangosteens or marshmallow, just tastes like really good coffee.

DavecUK

Pompeyexile cupping scores are something in the range 86 to 92 for speciality

Pompeyexile Rafael Amaya No 141

In the area around Timana, there are 150 to 160 growers, that’s probably a farm number, It’s probably going to be quite good. You would need to ask them for the cupping score

Pompeyexile

DavecUK Cheers Dave. I’ll do that.

DavecUK

Pompeyexile It’s a little more like grading precious stones….coffee is a massively traded commodity, and they are very good at grading.

Pompeyexile

You’d have thought if that was the case and high cupping scores mean better beans, more roasters would put the cupping score in the description and on the packets too.

Having said that, I guess when they are dealing with ignoramuses like me who know nowt about coffee, it’s a bit of a mute point. Telling me it should taste like peach or caramel or hazelnuts is far more tempting than saying ’it’s cupping at No 91′ :)

CafeCalando

Pompeyexile Fairly local to York there is a small batch speciality roaster in Malton called Roost. If you check their coffees on the Web they always seem to quote the SCA cupping score along with other interesting background info. I’ve had some really nice coffees from them and they are reasonably priced. No Blue Mountain though.

Pompeyexile

CafeCalando Cheers matey. Just had a look and I’ll give them a punt. Sometimes we go to the market in Malton. I’ll pop into their shop next time we are up there. Mind you, their free delivery on orders over £20 is better than some too, so there’s a good chance I’ll be ordering some before then.

dutchy101

There’s a great description of cupping scores here:

https://www.blackcatcoffee.co.uk/blogs/news/sca-cup-scores-explained

Waitforme

Hotmetal Django Los Angeles is what I’m drinking right now! Great coffee, and a good price if you get it by the kg. I like that they tell you the cupping score.

Good to hear, thanks.

Yes, I’ll be ordering a kilo 👍

Hotmetal

If you get the Los Angeles and intend to pull shots, I’m pulling roughly 18:42@35″ at a group temp of about 94°C (107 on the R58 display) using Osmio water. It’s not a Funk monster like you might expect from the process but there’s nice balance and I see where they’re coming from with mango/papaya and grapefruit. 18:36 is more grapefruit, 18:42 a good middle ground with more mango type thing going on, but it’s clean rather than farmyard.

Back OT with Jamaica Blue Mountain, I bought some once, well before I had all this kit. I had it as French press, probably destroyed it with my blade grinder back in the day. I remember being blown away by the aroma even when it was still in the bag and it’s a real mellow smooth coffee. However it’s overpriced due to rarity and hubris, also not all that’s sold as JBM really is. There are more interesting coffees for less money nowadays, but in the early 90s when I first had it, it was a revelation.

Pompeyexile

Just had a call back from Rave Coffee and the tin of Colombia Rafael Amaya No 141 I got from them has a cupping score of 87. So, according to DavecUK a score of 86-92 for speciality coffees is the norm, then it should be pretty good.

DavecUK

Pompeyexile Just had a call back from Rave Coffee and the tin of Colombia Rafael Amaya No 141 I got from them has a cupping score of 87. So, according to DavecUK a score of 86-92 for speciality coffees is the norm, then it should be pretty good.

yes, because anything above 90 is rare…e.g. why the belya 90 is in such high demand when it comes out. 87 is a good score., small increments mean a lot in the cupping scores e.g. an 88.5 would be a fairly exceptional coffee.

CoffeePhilE

Pompeyexile What makes it so expensive, and has anyone here tried it and if so, is it worth the money? Or like many things in life like art, wine, music etc, just a matter of personal taste?

What makes it so expensive? As with pretty much anything, demand > supply.

Has anyone tried it? Oh yes. Used to be my daily driver many years ago.

Just personal taste? Well, yes and no. Ultimately, everything to do with food and drink pretty much is, which is why some people love Marmite and others can’t stand it. But is it just that? I guess not. In order for prices to get that high, there has to be enough people willing to buy it at that price, or it wouldn’t sell at all. Of course, that could just be due to clever marketing hype that people buy into. I would argue that that is the case with Rolex watches but some people love ’em.

Is it worth the money? That is a matter not just of personal taste and subjective opinion, but also of personal means. What I mean is, well, what does a given sum of money, say £100, mean to you? Does it represent a third of a meal out at your favourite restaurant or does it represent your entire household food bill for a week or two? That sum means rather different things to Richard Branson than it does to the average homeless person. And yes, clearly, that’s citing extremes, but a far more normal example might be …. what will your next car be - used Ford, or new Mercedes? Or Aston Martin? Or, can you afford a car at all? What pretty much anything, certainly any discretionary spending item is “worthe” is highly subjective.

I had good news and bad news a week or two back. The good news was I found some JBM I’d forgotten I had. Not much, about 60g. The bad news was it’s been sitting in that container since I packed it when I moved …. in 1980. I do not propose to try brewing and drinking it, 40+ years later. I think it might be a tad stale. 😉

Note - back in the days when I drank it regularly, it wasn’t the cheapest coffee available but the price premium was nowhere near what it is these days. Would I buy it now? Very occasionally maybe, but mainly for a treat, and largely for nostalgic reasons. Is it worth it? For me, yeah, but very occasionally, and mainly for the nostalgia. It’s weird, but the taste brings back memories of some very happy times. Other than for that, as just as A.N.Other coffee to try? No, it isn’t. IMHO. Very nice, yes, but that nice? No.

DavecUK

CoffeePhilE he bad news was it’s been sitting in that container since I packed it when I moved …. in 1980. I do not propose to try brewing and drinking it, 40+ years later. I think it might be a tad stale. 😉

I think you should definitely give it a try as brewed….

wormpurple

Jamaica developed a reputation for its Blue Mountain coffee decades ago. It’s been overtaken by countless regions and growers in the intervening years, but relative scarcity and effective marketing has kept the price high. I don’t think the price is warranted, compared to much better coffees available, though.

Systemic

wormpurple but relative scarcity and effective marketing has kept the price high.

More JMB is sold than produced - so you need to check provenance of any seller offering it. That said, was gifted some freshly roasted pukka JMB some time back. It was pleasant but nowhere near worth the asking price.

Hotmetal

Brilliant! I agree 100% with your analysis of the relativity of price:means. So does the government, as they changed speeding fines to “multiple of weekly income” rather than a fixed penalty because they realised that giving an Amazon driver £100 fine for 35 in a 30 was disproportionate compared to someone who owns a supercar (or stable thereof) for whom £100 is the change they’d find under the sofa if they could be bothered to ask the cleaner to lift the cushion. He might consider the fine “worth it” just to get the thrill his car is capable of delivering. That guy would buy JBM just because why not. Mere mortals might have to cut back on food budget to buy the same coffee, defo not worth that.

How amazing you found some after all those years though!! I guess the last (one and only) time I had some was maybe 35 years ago and like you say, it was dear but not that much more than a decent bean of different origin. Was worth it back then but I would not bother now.