History of Jamaican Coffee |
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Under
strictest control, coffee plants were allowed
to mature and fruit. The process takes from three to five years. After maturing, the coffee
is hand-picked from the tree to ensure that only ripe, well-formed berries are made available
for drying and roasting. |
The abolition of slavery
in 1834 marked the beginning of a dramatic
decline in the Industry and by 1850 only 186
plantations remained in operation. Despite
efforts at revival in the early twentieth
century, the lack of organisation within the
Industry, the shortage of labour and the activities
of unscrupulous produce dealers brought the
industry to virtual collapse in 1943. |
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| Export
markets, disgruntled with poor quality and
the lack of consistency, particularly with
Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee, stopped buying. In 1953 the Colonial Secretary,
following the recommendations of the famous
"Wakefield Report," established
the Coffee Industry Board and charged it with
the development of the island's Coffee Industry. |
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| THE JAMAICAN PROCESS |
. All Jamaican coffee has
for many years been hand-reaped to ensure
the proper ripening of the berries when they
are removed from the trees. After reaping,
the berries are sent to pulperies where they
are pulped and then washed to remove muscilage.
The resulting "wet parchment" is
dried, cured, hulled, graded and then sorted.
Jamaica is one of only a handful of countries
where the 'parchment' is allowed to sit and
age for a minimum of six weeks to ensure its
proper consistency.
Before the coffee is exported,
rigorous cup testing and other quality control
measures are done to ensure the appearance
and cup-quality of the beans to meet the 'Finest Export Standards'. |
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| Learn more about Jamaican coffee here. Types grown, some background, history / origin, and some general roasting terminologies. |
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 Jamaican Coffee 101 |
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