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When you hear about prestigious coffee, Jamaica is immediately one of the first origins to pop up. My list of the best Jamaican coffee brands is so you can experience this prestigious reputation for yourself.
Jamaica has been producing coffee since the 18th century. It’s best known for its Blue Mountain coffee, a particularly delicious specialty coffee from its Blue Mountain region. The country is practically tailor-made for high-quality coffee thanks to its high elevations and tropical climate.
The best Jamaican coffee brands source directly from the country to bring you memorable, complex beans. Whether you want whole beans or compostable pods, there’s something for everybody below!
Top Jamaican Coffee Brands
What is Blue Mountain Coffee?
Before I dive into the best Jamaican coffee brands, let’s take a look at Blue Mountain coffee. You can’t explore this origin without knowing about this famous variety.
Blue Mountain coffee gets its name from the Blue Mountain region of Jamaica. This area stretches across roughly a third of the country and is distinctive for its high elevation and proximity to the coast.
Their high elevation creates more stable temperatures to let coffee mature at a slower pace. This longer maturation process creates richer and more complex flavors than more underdeveloped beans.
What Does Blue Mountain Coffee Taste Like?
Blue Mountain coffee earns a reputation as being exceptionally flavorful and balanced. It leans on the sweeter end of the equation with almost no bitterness to speak of.
Some of the most common flavor notes you’ll encounter are milk chocolate, herbal notes, and black tea. You might also get faint notes of hazelnut or subtle citrus.
Why is Blue Mountain Coffee so Expensive?
Blue Mountain coffee fetches premium prices because of three main reasons: hard work, demand, and exporting.
Protecting, cultivating, and harvesting high-quality beans is incredibly difficult. Jamaican coffee farmers combine decades of expertise to bring these beans to your kitchen. They focus on arabica strains, too, which are also more sensitive to temperature changes and environmental hazards.
Secondly, Jamaica produces a relatively small amount of the world’s coffee at $740 million worth. While that sounds like a high number, it’s actually on the smaller side – by comparison, Brazil produces nearly $62 billion worth of coffee every year.
Last but not least, most Blue Mountain coffee goes straight to Japan! They’re the largest importer of this specialty coffee, which means there’s only a little left to go around globally.
Is Blue Mountain the Best in the World?
Determining the best coffee is a personal experience. One person’s specialty coffee is another person’s grocery store instant coffee tin.
However, Blue Mountain coffee has certainly earned its reputation – it’s famously balanced, mellow, and pleases multiple palates.
How Do I Know I’m Buying Authentic Blue Mountain Coffee?
Blue Mountain coffee is carefully protected against imitators. While anyone can technically say they source it, there are a few ways to fact-check this.
Check the Label: Blue Coffee comes with labels that emphasize where the coffee is made. Authentic Blue Mountain coffee is grown and harvested in Jamaica and will say as such on the bag.
Review the Price: As stated above, Blue Mountain coffee is a little more expensive. If you find a very cheap bag, you’re probably holding a fake.
Coffee Board of Jamaica Stamp: Check for the official seal of approval from the Coffee Board Of Jamaica. It’ll outright state ‘Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee’ with a picture of a barrel and a mountain range.
Coffee Percentage: Each bag must have at least 20% beans from the Blue Mountain region of Jamaica to get the seal of approval. Anything lower is an outright fake.
The Five Best Jamaican Coffee Brands
There are quite a few Jamaican coffee brands for you to choose from. I chose brands on multiple ends of the price and variety spectrum so you can enjoy the best option for your needs.
1. Volcanica Coffee
Volcanica Coffee is a brand that shows up regularly on this site for its unbelievable variety. With so many origins in their portfolio, it’s only natural Jamaica would crop up.
They offer a few regular bags of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. First is their Clydesdale bag, made of 100% Blue Mountain with a fruitier flavor than you’ll usually find. Their Blend comes in 30% Blue Mountain with a medley of other origins to create a satisfying blend of chocolate and citrus notes.
If that wasn’t good enough, they have several more Jamaican Blue Coffee estate coffees to choose from. There’s also a roaster’s gift box containing multiple of their Blue Mountain selections in one place.
For decaf drinkers, you also have the option of their Jamaican Rum French Vanilla Flavored Decaf Coffee.
Like much of Volcanica’s portfolio, their Blue Mountain coffee is kosher. Some of their Jamaican coffee is also Rainforest Alliance Certified and Direct Trade Certified.
We Recommend This Brand For Drinkers Who
- Want a variety of Jamaican coffee to choose from
- Need a decaf option
- Need kosher options
- Want to buy coffee with more certifications
We Don’t Recommend This Brand For Drinkers Who
- Want more decaf coffee options
2. Blue Mountain Coffee
The name alone tells you you’re in the right place. Blue Mountain Coffee is a coffee importer that specializes in, what else, Blue Mountain coffee!
Their portfolio is truly impressive, sourcing several 100% Blue Mountain coffee bags. There’s a nice variety of roast levels as well as sample bags if you feel like experimenting. Their Small Farmer collection focuses on smallholder farms with a more limited selection. They even have a Jamaica Select straight from the Jamaican Coffee Growers Association.
Each purchase gives you a wealth of fascinating information, detailing the history of the estate, the altitude, and the bean types.
Due to the variety of sources they pull their coffee from, you won’t always get the exact amount you want. Sometimes you’ll be able to buy 8oz or 16oz bags, while other times you have to buy 5 lbs or more.
We Recommend This Brand For Drinkers Who
- Want the most authentic Blue Mountain coffee experience
- Enjoy a variety of bean types and roast levels
- Want to purchase larger volumes of coffee (such as 5lbs)
We Don’t Recommend This Brand For Drinkers Who
- Want continuous access to smaller volumes (such as 8oz or 16oz)
- Are curious about Jamaican coffee blends
- Prefer to buy more affordable coffee
3. Green Coffee Traders
Do you sometimes like to roast coffee from home? Green Coffee Traders gives you access to both roasted and high-quality green coffee from around the world, including Jamaica.
Their featured collection includes a few Blue Mountain varieties. Their most notable is their 100% Blue Mountain coffee, roasted fresh to order and comes in different grind levels. While you can only order a minimum of four pounds, this is a fantastic choice for coffee drinkers who need extra for the family or office.
If you prefer roasting coffee at home on your own schedule, get a bag of their green Blue Mountain coffee. These come in smaller single-pound bags, to boot. Last but not least, you can try their organic Blue Mountain blend (also roasted fresh to order).
If you’re interested in other origins, you can bundle their Blue Mountain with their Kona coffee.
We Recommend This Brand For Drinkers Who
- Want to try Blue Mountain coffee
- Are curious about home roasting
- Also want to try other origins such as Kona coffee
We Don’t Recommend This Brand For Drinkers Who
- Want a larger selection of Jamaican coffee
- Need to buy smaller volumes (such as 8oz or 12oz)
4. Dancing Moon Coffee Co.
You may be wondering if it’s possible to get Blue Mountain coffee in forms other than classic whole beans or grind levels. Dancing Moon Coffee Co. offers up a little extra variety to help you get your fix.
Their portfolio includes their signature 100% Blue Mountain bag, a delicious-sounding coffee with notes of hazelnut and chocolate. While it only comes in whole bean or a coffeemaker grind, its smaller size makes it an accessible entry point.
If you prefer coffee pods, they also offer two Blue Mountain coffee pod options – their 100% Blue Mountain as well as their Blue Mountain blend. Their blend combines multiple Arabica beans from Central and South America for an impressively complex result. All of their coffee pods are compatible with K-Cup machines.
We Recommend This Brand For Drinkers Who
- Want to try Blue Mountain coffee
- Want coffee pod options alongside whole beans or ground coffee
- Are curious about Jamaican coffee blends
We Don’t Recommend This Brand For Drinkers Who
- Don’t want coffee pods
- Want a wider variety of Jamaican coffee
- Prefer to choose specific grind levels
5. Plantation Blue
Blue Mountain coffee may be prestigious, but it’s perfectly okay to start out small. Plantation Blue offers a solid range of 100% Blue Mountain bags and compelling blends at flexible sizes.
You can order as small as 8oz as well as the classic 16oz. Their Blue Mountain and Kona Coffee Bespoke Blend automatically caught my eye for combining some of the most famous specialty coffee. The combination of flavors is nothing short of impressive, ranging from sweet chocolate to floral notes.
If you prefer to focus exclusively on Jamaican coffee, you’ll be more than impressed with their Plantation Blue 100% Jamaica Best Blue Mountain bag. This coffee comes bagged with foil and a one-way valve to keep your purchase as fresh as possible. For those unaware, the one-way valve releases carbon dioxide while keeping oxygen out, retaining your coffee’s rich flavor.
I Recommend This Brand For Drinkers Who
- Are curious to try some of the most famous specialty coffee in one place
- Enjoy blends as well as 100% bags
- Want their coffee as fresh as possible
I Don’t Recommend This Brand For Drinkers Who
- Want K-cups or instant coffee
- Need decaf or half-caf options
