Ridgelyne 100% Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee.

First, thank you David for sending us a sample of your Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee!

Actually, he sent two samples, one medium roast, and one dark roast, both of which are reviewed below.

If you don’t know already, Jamaica Blue Mountain is one of the finest coffees in the world.

It is grown only at the eastern end of the Island of Jamaica, north of Kingston.

The mountains reach their highest point at the Blue Mountain Peak, rising 7,402 feet above sea level. This high altitude along with cool, misty weather results in the coffee beans taking longer to mature – up to 10 months from bloom to harvest...twice as long as most growing regions.

Whether it’s the altitude, the weather, the soil or a combination of all three, Blue Mountain Jamaica coffee has a unique taste and is coveted by true coffee lovers.

This is 100% Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, and is certified by the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica.

Should you care about the 100% figure and the certification? Absolutely. In fact, when buying any Blue Mountain coffee, you should check the label very carefully.

Some companies package a coffee which is largely a blend of Central American coffees, add 10% Blue Mountain, and then promote it as “Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee”.

This Ridgelyne coffee is the real thing.

So what does it taste like?

We’ll start with the dark roast.

As always, we make a brew and drink it black. We’re not professional cuppers, but we do take our coffee tasting seriously.

As expected, this is a beautiful coffee.

It is a mild coffee, with no sharp edges. Silky, but rich with flavors. A hint of citrus, a touch of nuts.

One of the things we liked best about it is that the flavor is even and consistent, from the first taste through to that lingering aftertaste.

It is sweet-toned and delicate, but without being bland. Far from it.

We were a little concerned that the dark roast might have burned off some of the subtleties of the flavor, but that wasn’t the case at all.

Is this one of the best Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffees? I wouldn’t trust my palate to distinguish the quality of coffee at that level.

But I will say it is a joy to taste coffee of this quality, without the sharp edges or blandness one gets accustomed to when buying regular coffee beans.

Now for the medium roast…

First, when you look at the beans, you can see a significant difference in the roasts. The medium roast beans are a much lighter color.

As for the difference in taste, let’s try an analogy.

If the dark roast were a painting of a summer’s day in the country, painted in oils, the medium roast would be the same picture, but painted in water color, with a few more details included.

The picture is the same, but this medium roast reveals all the different elements with a softer palette.

The hint of acidity in the dark roast is rolled back, allowing all those softer, more subtle tones to come forward.

With either roast, this is a beautiful, smooth coffee. If you love coffee, you should try it, just to remind yourself what a really fine coffee tastes like.

You can learn more about Ridgelyne 100% Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee here....

Learn more about Blue Mountain Jamaican coffee.

Read about my visit the the Blue Mountains of Jamaica.

About the author: Nick Usborne, aka Coffee Detective, is a writer and long-time coffee enthusiast. Read more…