Jamaican Blue Mountain vs Kona coffee?

[mystang52]

I've come full circle in my coffee taste. As a young adult I liked strong coffee, then gradually got to prefer somewhat weaker coffee, and now I'm heading back to stronger coffee. My current at home coffee - I drink it black, and use a percolator - is 50-50 Melitta European Roast and Melitta Columbian. Back in my youth I splurged and would buy Jamaican Blue Mountain. I recall it being strong without being bitter. A friend suggested Kona. Online research indicated Kona has a hint of chocolate/caramel flavor, which I would not want. I love my chocolate, but coffee should taste like.........coffee. Anyone have knowledge of these 2 types? I have about 3 weeks' supply left of my current coffee, so I'm trying to decide whether I just replace it or try Jamaican/Kona. I don't mind spending the $$$$, but on the other hand don't want to spend the premium costs just to e disappointed.

 

[Jerry1]

I guess you just have to try it. I gave a coffee drinking friend of mine some Jamaican Blue Mountain and he didn’t like it. I thought I was getting him “the best”, but it boils down to personal preference. You might really like the Kona, but sometimes you just gotta BTD to find out.

 

[Sojourner]

I was in Hawaii last year and bought a bag of dark roast Kona beans. They were expensive, but oh my... the coffee those freshly ground beans produced was exquisite. I remember thinking it was some of the best coffee I'd ever tasted, but it was also easily the most expensive. IIRC, the price for a one pound bag of beans was around $50

 

[Koolau]

I was in Hawaii last year and bought a bag of dark roast Kona beans. They were expensive, but oh my... the coffee those freshly ground beans produced was exquisite. I remember thinking it was some of the best coffee I'd ever tasted, but it was also easily the most expensive. IIRC, the price for a one pound bag of beans was around $50

Agree about the cost. A lot of the "tourist" coffee says "Kona" but if you look closely, it's a 10% blend. If you buy "pure" Kona coffee, it's the most expensive that I've ever purchased.

I like the taste of Kona coffee. It is quite flavorful without being too harsh. But for the money, I never thought it was worth it. Full disclosure: I gave up coffee several years back.

 

[Lorenzo]

If you're really committed to finding out what you like and whether it's worth it to you, have your wife or a friend assist you in setting up a blind taste test using those two varieties, your current coffee, and maybe one or two others thrown in.

 

[Surewhitey]

I like the Kona a friend brought me last year but the best I've had is from Costa Rica. Can't remember the name though...

 

[pacergal]

Pure 100% Kona coffee is heavenly, but spendy.
We order ours direct from one of the plantations.
I can never taste the "hint of flavors" they always mention. Just pure bliss.

 

[braumeister]

Everyone's taste preference seems to be unique in the coffee area.

The best coffee I've ever had was the ordinary stuff I bought at the supermarket in Brazil. They claim they export the good stuff and keep what's left, but I always thought it was really the reverse.

 

[YakGrl]

I've had Jamaica Blue Mountain and loved it. I thought that the mountain spring water used also enhanced the taste.

 

[Beldar]

The best coffee I've ever had was the ordinary stuff I bought at the supermarket in Brazil.

Yes, that was my experience when I was there for business in the '90s. I have never found a similar tasting "Brazillian" brand here in the states since, even at specialty coffee-snob shops.

And for the OP, yes by all means try Kona (not a blend). You might be able to purchase a 1/4lb or so at a coffee shop. It is the most richest/smoothest brew I have tasted (next to the Brazilian I mentioned).

_B

 

[ponyboy]

We really like Kona...but it definitely tastes better when you're visiting Kona, Hawaii. Our favorite place to visit is Kona Jones. It is expensive though.

Our daily a local place in our town. They roast beans on site so we buy 10lb bags.

 

[Trailwalker]

I used to buy raw green coffee beans from a Kona farm when I home roasted. The coffee was quite good, and green beans half the price of roasted. Island coffees tend to be well-balanced and mild. JBM and Kona share those traits.

When I had my roasting business, I had a customer brag about their ground Jamaican Blue Mountain that they had purchased for $40/pound in Jamaica. I told them to bring it in, and we would test it against my freshly roasted Mexican Chiapas, which I purchased for under $2/pound green back then in the big burlap bags. After tasting the Mexican first, they spit out coffee made from ground JBM. Who knows how long it had been sitting in that bag after being roasted and then ground? (rhetorical)

When most people taste coffee within a few days after roasting, from whole beans, and that's properly ground and brewed, it changes them for life. At least it did for me, and many of my customers. Other people love their Folgers, and it's certainly a less expensive way to go.

 

[Koolau]

I used to buy raw green coffee beans from a Kona farm when I home roasted. The coffee was quite good, and green beans half the price of roasted. Island coffees tend to be well-balanced and mild. JBM and Kona share those traits.

When I had my roasting business, I had a customer brag about their ground Jamaican Blue Mountain that they had purchased for $40/pound in Jamaica. I told them to bring it in, and we would test it against my freshly roasted Mexican Chiapas, which I purchased for under $2/pound green back then in the big burlap bags. After tasting the Mexican first, they spit out coffee made from ground JBM. Who knows how long it had been sitting in that bag after being roasted and then ground? (rhetorical)

When most people taste coffee within a few days after roasting, from whole beans, and that's properly ground and brewed, it changes them for life. At least it did for me, and many of my customers. Other people love their Folgers, and it's certainly a less expensive way to go.

Heh, heh, mom and dad never drank anything but Nescafe instant.

 

[Winemaker]

Coffee, is like wine, beer, cheese, hot peppers, etc. Everyone has their own tastes/ preferences. But the one and only main thing to remember is your mouth can only taste sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami. Your perception of taste all depends on your sense of smell and your own sensitivities.

I sometimes roast my own coffee when my kids buy me a bag of beans.

 

[Koolau]

Coffee, is like wine, beer, cheese, hot peppers, etc. Everyone has their own tastes/ preferences. But the one and only main thing to remember is your mouth can only taste sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami. Your perception of taste all depends on your sense of smell and your own sensitivities.

I sometimes roast my own coffee when my kids buy me a bag of beans.

Okay, I admit it. UMAMI - That's a new one on me. I had to look it up but my "guess" was sorta correct. I guessed that it would involve flavor enhancers like MSG. And I was sorta right. Thanks for sharing. I can relax now. I've learned my one new thing for the day.

 

[Winemaker]

And not all can taste umami, it's the savory side of flavor. It's why some folks go bat **** crazy (like me) on BBQ, beef, sausage, pork and the like.

 

[Chuckanut]

The single thing that most improved my coffee experience at home was to get a burr grinder.

 

[HFWR]

Costco Sumatran, burr grinder, standard drip machine, a splash of cream.

Four cups, to get a pulse.

 

[swakyaby]

I travelled to Hawaii many years ago and visited a coffee plantation there. Their gift shop was giving out free cups of their 100% Kona coffee, and it was the best coffee I recall ever tasting. Some years later, a friend returned from Jamaica and gifted me a pound of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, saying it’s reputation as being very special. But when I tasted it, it was so disappointing . . . it really tasted like dirt. I always wondered if my friend had been sold a counterfeit product. I couldn’t imagine that coffee being ranked as among the best in the world.

 

[BrentN]

I've come full circle in my coffee taste. As a young adult I liked strong coffee, then gradually got to prefer somewhat weaker coffee, and now I'm heading back to stronger coffee. My current at home coffee - I drink it black, and use a percolator - is 50-50 Melitta European Roast and Melitta Columbian. Back in my youth I splurged and would buy Jamaican Blue Mountain. I recall it being strong without being bitter. A friend suggested Kona. Online research indicated Kona has a hint of chocolate/caramel flavor, which I would not want. I love my chocolate, but coffee should taste like.........coffee. Anyone have knowledge of these 2 types? I have about 3 weeks' supply left of my current coffee, so I'm trying to decide whether I just replace it or try Jamaican/Kona. I don't mind spending the $$$$, but on the other hand don't want to spend the premium costs just to e disappointed.

Ya'll gotta forgive me, but for the life of me I can't figure out the dating of these posts. Looks like some were started eons ago, so I search for new posts and it still look like eons ago. My opinion. And only my opinion. Most of the hype of "special" coffee is just marketing. I mean blue mountain has a very limited production and I doubt you are getting the primo stuff. My solution has been to 1) buy a coffee roaster (a Behmor), 2) learn to roast coffee, 3) find a bean you really like (mine is Costa Rican La Minita), 4) figure out a roast profile that works for you and then ... just do it. I totally am not a coffee roaster fanatic. I just want good coffee. So, I get a great bean I like and stick to a set roast profile. La minita, 1 lb charge, go 1 minute and 15 seconds past first crack and then drop the beans. It sound more complicated than it really is. You have to invest just a bit of time learning how to do it, but the coffee is far better than you could possibly buy in a bag. Guess it's not for everyone. I buy green beans 50lbs at a time. Last me a year. I don't even think about it anymore, it's just another chore. Store bought coffee sucks.

 

[Koolau]

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[mystang52]

OP here. A good friend of mine just got back from Hawaii, and at my request got me a pound of the Kona Peaberry coffee. We live quite a distance from each other, so likely won't get together for another week or 2. But I'll report back after a couple of taste tests.

 

[Badger]

Back in the mid 70's I was flown to Jamaica for a couple of weeks staying at a resort that was being prepared for a grand opening. Everything was paid for and I had the luxury of drinking Blue Mountain coffee every day. It was great!
Now retired my wife makes Kirkland coffee in the morning and I find that to be my preference over any other coffee available in the area. I may order some Blue Mountain Coffee just to make a comparison. That could be my mini-Blow the Dough.

 

[MRG]

I got into coffee a couple years ago. I'd drank it for decades but never appreciated it. While beans are important a really good burr grinder and a brew method are the most important thing to me. You can tell a huge difference between a cheap burr grinder and a whirly blade spice grinder with grocery store beans.

Most of the coffee we drink is freshly roasted from online providers. I agree with the folks saying that tourist coffee is generally 10% of what you think you're buying. Many bulk online providers are selling stuff that was stale last year.