“As Jamaican as the Blue Mountains” goes the saying and the one thing that is immediately associated with the Blue Mountains is coffee. Home to the Blue Mountain coffee brand, this rare coffee is the end product of lightly roasted Arabica beans that have as their distinct feature a subtle acidity and a well-balanced chocolaty finish making it one of the most prized gourmet coffees in the world.
Jamaicans have always heard that their country produces the best coffee in the world but not many had ever consumed this fine brew. Not only was it not easily accessible, but coffee was never the hot drink of choice for the average Jamaican who preferred tea, cocoa or ‘chocolate’ and a variety of herbal or ‘bush teas’. Whenever coffee was served, it was invariably of the powdered instant variety made from a blend of lowland and imported coffee beans. Few were exposed to the luxury of freshly ground and expertly brewed 100% Blue Mountain coffee.
Then suddenly all that changed. Within the last 15 years, the capital Kingston has been ushered into the world of an urban coffee culture with the emergence of the neighbourhood cafes serving varieties of freshly brewed coffee, baked items, sandwiches and salads. Cafes have also become the place to meet and greet friends, for leisurely business meetings away from the office and being equipped with wi-fi and mobile phone charging stations, places for individual work or just quiet introspection. Recently in a quick survey, jamaicaglobalonline found no fewer than 20+ cafes within a 5-mile radius of each other. In Liguanea, one of the fastest growing middle-class neighbourhoods, coffee aficionados have a choice of no fewer than 6 coffee shops within a couple hundred metres of each other – all offering a range of brewed coffee beverages and ALL doing well.
Opinions vary as to the reasons for this change in Kingston’s ‘sipping ‘ habits. However, all agree that it was the inevitable influence of Jamaicans’ exposure to the café culture of Europe and the US that has been a primary factor. Jason Sharpe who runs the family-owned chain of Café Blue shops attributes the growth to lifestyle changes in which the café becomes a kind of third home for busy young professionals on their way to and from work. Women in particular find the café a welcoming and congenial atmosphere in which to meet each other away from the stigma attached to being seen in a bar.
Café Blue coffee shops, though few in number, could claim to be the popularizer of Kingston’s new found coffee culture. Its flagship city location at the busy Sovereign centre in Liguanea made it the place to be and to meet from the early days of its opening in 2008. The initiated were already familiar with its first location opened in 2005 in Irish Town at the foothills of the Blue Mountains where the Sharpe family actually grows its own coffee at Clifton Mount Estate. The Irish Town setting is a magical one – sipping fine coffee under the shadow of the Blue mountains – an atmosphere which Jason Sharpe would like to replicate in other locations in addition to heavily trafficked ones like the Sovereign Centre.
Café Blue can claim one advantage over all other coffee shops, being the only operation in Jamaica that grows, processes, roasts and brews its own coffee. Its motto “From seed to cup” allows it to justifiably claim complete control of the quality of the coffee served in each of its cafes. Quality is a big deal for Jason Sharpe, extending from the beans, to the brewing equipment to the Café Blue baristas and the service they are trained to deliver. Sharpe is equally passionate about maximizing the ‘Jamaicanness’ of every aspect of Café Blue’s operation and utilizing local products, whether its the cafes’ custom designed and produced furniture or the ingredients in the foods they prepare in their own bakery and kitchens. The syrups that are used in flavoured coffees are part of their local Barista brand production and before long the chocolate syrup used to make a Café Blue mochachino will be from their own cocoa production, as will be the condensed milk which so many Jamaicans like in their hot beverages. Sharpe’s vision is to make everything in Café Blue 100% Jamaican, just like the coffee he serves.
Photo Gallery from Cafe Blue:
Café Blue might have stolen the spotlight through its high visibility location(s) but certainly cannot claim a monopoly in serving high quality Blue Mountain coffee in well designed, comfortable and congenial surroundings. Neither can it claim to be the pioneers in neighbourhood coffee shops. The Cannonball chain of coffee shops located in Manor Park Plaza, New Kingston, Loshusan Centre and Sovereign North had their beginnings in 2004, a year before the first Café Blue location opened in Irish Town.
Siblings Laura and Karen Matalon revealed to Jamaicaglobalonline that the name ‘cannonball’ has nothing to do with coffee but was named after the tree of the same name that still stands in Manor Park Plaza, its first location. Equally revealing is that what is today’s Cannonball actually began life as a coffee shop INSIDE the law firm of Myers, Fletcher and Gordon on East Street downtown Kingston!
Cannonball has loyal followers at each of the four locations who know that they can expect the best there is in quality 100% Blue Mountain coffee, freshly ground for each customer served French-press style. The Matalon girls are not phased by the fact that they do not make money on the coffee because of their affordable pricing. They pride Cannonball equally for the quality of the food they offer which is 100% Cannonball prepared and dare anyone to offer better quiches, sandwiches and pastries. Their vision is to transform Cannonball from being merely a coffee shop into a café known both for the finest coffee and also for good restaurant food.
Four locations in the city make Cannonball the largest ‘chain’ and although all four cafes have a similar theme each location has its own unique ambience. Manor Park is small and cosy while New Kingston has been laid out and designed to cater to the working professional and persons doing business in New Kingston. The café at Loshusan Centre is designed with family in mind and the newest location – Sovereign North on Barbican Road which is large and spacious, is ideal for individuals who wish peace and quiet to work, or for small group meetings. This location has the added feature of an outdoor patio. For menu options and more information on Cannonball Cafe visit the link below:-
Cannonball Cafe – click here to visit their page
Gallery From Cannonball Cafe:
While the Cannonballs and Café Blues might be the best known they are by no means the only game in town. A newcomer to the café community is Brewed Awakenings tucked away behind the Tastee patty outlet at Matilda’s corner in Liguanea. It is probably Liguanea’s best kept secret so far with its understated yet cosy ambience and all-day breakfast menu with the full range of hot, cold and flavoured coffees. And, if there was any doubt of Kingston’s status as a café town, then the latest arrival of the first Starbucks franchise cafe located in the General Foods Plaza must be welcomed news for those familiar with the world’s most ubiquitous international café brand.
Gallery From Brew’d Awakenings:
Down on the Old Hope Road, the Toyota Coffee House is a pleasant surprise. Conceived as a ‘value added’ for its clients, the café must be the most luxurious wait station of any car dealership in Kingston! However, you don’t have to be a Toyota customer to enjoy the 100% Alex Twyman roasted coffee on the mezzanine level of Toyota’s modern showroom. Manager Mick McGrane is proud of his café and welcomes visitors who enjoy quality coffee, but he is cautious about the café being overwhelmed by popularity. The up-side for him is that persons who appreciate good coffee are also likely to enjoy quality cars so a visit to the Toyota Coffee House might end up with more than the purchase of an espresso!
Gallery From Toyota Coffee House:
Even Kingston’s top-rated hotels boast their own stand-alone cafes; the Jamaica Pegasus has its 24-Seven café which is a popular meeting spot for both guests and visitors to the hotel; so is the Spanish Court hotel café and the endearingly stylish Terra Nova has a fine coffee and pastry station which effectively converts its elegant lobby into an equally elegant café.
So, in addition to its numerous rum bars and restaurants, Kingston now has its fair share of cafes and coffee houses and with few exceptions, they all Jamaican owned serving the finest coffee in the world. Yes, Jamaica’s Blue Mountain Coffee has finally come of age in Jamaica.
Jablum Coffe House NCB Oxford Place:
Where else can I get good brewed coffee in Kingston? Jamaicaglobalonline suggests:
Bookophilia (inside the bookshop) at 92 Hope Road
Pastry Passions just below Kings House entrance on Hope Road
Island Coffee at Devon House
CPJ Deli on Lady Musgrave Road
Rituals Coffee House, Village Plaza
Susie’s Bakery and Coffee Bar, Southdale Plaza
Café Dolce (inside Tile City on Constant Spring Road)
Jablum Coffee House (between NCB towers off Oxford Road)
1 comment
Enjoyed review of coffee cafes. There’s a reason why Jamaican coffee has been internationally recognized as The Best.
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