Adventures in shopping for Jablum coffee in Negril

[claire7676]

Hi everyone. We got back from CSA (WONDERFUL!) this past weekend. I thought I would share our adventures in shopping for Jablum blue mountain coffee since everyone else here has been so helpful and since coffee seems to be a common question. We were shopping specifically for Jablum because we had purchased it the last time we were at CSA and were very pleased with it.

The gift shop at CSA had a pound of Jablum for $33 (all prices US). That was the highest price we saw, BUT if you need to use a gift shop credit, buy it! (We did.)

We only went off resort to Time Square. The best price there was at Sunnyside gift shop, where it was $15 a pound. The rest of the shops had it for the mid to upper $20's. According to a different gift shop owner, the coffee brands have specials in certain months so the shops can offer lower prices at different times of the year. Just a note also: not all of the stores had Jablum coffee.

We peeked into the Coffee & Spice store at MBJ also. That store only sells one brand of coffee and it's not Jablum (I can't remember what kind it is). However, they do make all sorts of coffee drinks with blue mountain coffee. I should have tried one but didn't have a lot of time.

Hope this post helps some people out.

[Chris]

To add to what claire says...

Watch your expiration codes... I don't know what her $15 Jablum might say, and perhaps they move enough of it at the Times Square shops to have fresher lots. For example, the lot dates on our 11# ranged from Nov. 2010 to Apr. 2011.

There are actually a few shops at the airport duty free that carry Blue Mountain coffee. There was one that we visited on Sunday that carried only Wallenfords; another that carried only Jablum (for $28) and a third that carried Country Trader (I might be wrong on that). Suffice to say that Blue Mountain was easy to find.

[Coloradojuli]

You should also check the expiration date on the coffees. Sometimes the prices are so good, because the coffee is expired and the shop is just trying to get rid of it. I agree, Sunnyside does have good prices.

[EinWI]

I bought 5lbs at the airport for $80US

[claire7676]

We were careful to check the expiration dates. All of the coffee we bought expires April 2011 & May 2011. We could not find any dates past a year from now.

[Road Gypsy]

Claire, have no worries...the coffee you bought at Sunnyside is authentic and would not have been past the "sell by" date. Adrian, the gentleman who owns the store, has always been one to have fair pricing and quality merchandise. He is a stickler for having items fresh and never tries to pull anything shady or questionable.

If anyone had ever told me that I could buy my coffee, rum cream, spices, or consumable of any type at a gift shop for less than what I'd be charged at my local grocery store, I would have told them they were crazy. However, thanks to Adrian and his preference for low markup so as not to have items sit on the shelf for long periods of time, that is exactly where I go for these particular items. I have never been disappointed with anything purchased at his store, nor found the items I wanted for less, whether it be in that particular plaza or anywhere else in town.

[rhallva]

It is good to keep in mind that JaBlum is labeled as such. Many folks don't realize that the coffee they are drinking at almost every resort in Jamaica is High Mountain, not Blue Mountain, the differences being the altitude where it is grown, the huge cost difference, and that it be certified officially as Blue Mountain coffee. High Mountain is grown at lower elevations (1500-3000 feet) while Blue Mountain is grown above 3000'. I know many who have bought High Mountain beans thinking they were buying Blue Mountain, or thinking they were drinking it at their resort when they were drinking High Mountain. High Mountain is also excellent coffee. If you like what you are served at most Jamaican resorts, you will like High Mountain. However if you truly want JaBlum be sure to check its authenticity... especially if buying loose coffee beans by the pound and unlabeled.
Roy