Yes, I live right here in “Starbuck’s coffee country”, and I do enjoy a freshly-brewed cup of their French or Italian dark roast coffee ─ but absolutely nothing can compare to the Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee my husband and I enjoyed at the famous Graycliff Restaurant in Nassau.
Our meal at the very elegant Graycliff wasn’t just delicious ─ it was a fabulous experience from beginning to end! Our evening began with cocktails in the tranquil parlour with its high ceilings, and dinners were being enjoyed throughout the famous restaurant in one of their four dining rooms or in the garden. With our dessert course we had some wonderful coffee, and I just had to ask our delightful server, “What coffee are we enjoying?” I explained to him that our home was in “Starbucks country”. He gave me a big smile and said he would get the information I wanted. Within minutes he was back at our table carrying a 50-pound burlap bag over his shoulder. The bag said “Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee”, and he explained to us just why that coffee is so very special.
Indeed it was special ─ so much so that when we got back home I inquired about it at our local Starbucks store and found that I could buy it through them ─ for about $50 a pound. I got a small amount of it to serve for our Valentine’s Day dessert ─ a special coffee for a special celebration.
That was a long time ago. Just a few years ago at a rural area garage sale held in a big barn here in our area I spotted three coffee bean barrels ─ Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee barrels! I took a picture of them, and I’ve used that picture several times since. Just this past week as I researched some more information for a new cookbook I’m working on I came across an article on the amazing coffee again, along with a photo of one of those 50-pound “Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee” burlap bags. I will definitely put that picture to use too. A little more research revealed that the coffee can be purchased directly from its Jamaican source today ─ for $92 per pound. Well, it really is a very special coffee, you know!
