TIMEING IS EVERYTHING

I’ve been spending a lot of time online lately talking about my project and beloved coffee.  It has, therefore, been a while since I’ve spent an entire day actually working on the farm.  Not so today.  Before I fell asleep last night, I decided that I would work today. 

It is now the end of the day.  I am tired and sweaty.  But as is the case at the end of each day in the field, I have a very satisfied feeling – a feeling that I have accomplished something sacred. It is almost a religious experience. 

We here on the mountain are so very blessed.  All the natural elements have come together to create the conditions to grow great coffee. It’s almost like the perfect storm.  In order to produce the very best coffee in the world, however, a farmer has to be dedicated to his calling and not compromise the quality of his coffee by taking any of many possible shortcuts.

One of these shortcuts would be picking cherries before the right time.  Every single cherry on each bunch has a specific day when it should be picked.  On each bunch you will find cherries at different stages of maturity.  When you pick the ripe cherries on a bunch, a lot of time could be saved by also picking the ones that are almost ready.  We (my family) will leave these and come back in two or three days when their time has come.  This is very time consuming but it is one of the sacrifices we make in order to produce the best of the best.  Picking cherries at just the right time is the very critical first step of processing.  If the cherry is picked even one day before maturity, the bean will not have the ideal amount of natural sweetness that Blue Mountain Coffee is famous for.  If allowed to over-ripe, the coffee will have sort of a rancid aftertaste.  I found this picture online (I wont say where). This is not an example of good picking.  A few beans are just right.  The majority, however, are either under or over ripe.  Hope to get a camara soon.  I cant wait to share with you more pictures of the farm.

Timing plays a very critical role in many areas of farming and processing.  And even though my father half jokingly refers to me as the “capitalist” (as if it’s a dirty word), I know it is the right time to sell directly to retailers and consumers.  I can feel it in my bones

Thoughts At Dawn

I cannot yet see the sun.  Its gentle rays have just begun to peep over the mountain.  It is the dawn of another blessed day. The bluish fog that the mountain is named for has not yet melted. 

I have long believed that the secret of my coffee’s mild flavor and lack of bitterness lays in the nightly gentle caresses of the beans by this almost mysterious bluish hue.  I believe it provides a natural dilution of flavor and bitterness.  I am sure scientists could conduct experiments and come up with technical answers, but some things are simply better left alone.

As I look upon the majestic beauty of my mountain; the rainbow of colors that is produced by the penetration of the fog by the piercing rays of sunlight; the lush green background of the mountain that has the effect of a canvass for this natural and glorious work of art, I drink in a deep breath of crisp mountain air.  There is absolutely no place in this whole world I would rather be 

Off And Running

The first page of the website is up and running. I have been getting a trickleing of orders, even though the site is not yet outfited with the capability to accept credit card orders. Thank you very much for the orders. I also thank you for trusting us to deliver your product. I know paying for a product through Western Union is a bit risky. I want to wish you all a very prosperous 2010. I love you guys…I really do.

TOUCH OF CONCIENCE?

The coffee estate (I wont name them) we are currently selling to sent out a representative to our farm today. He covered a few issues, but the main item was an increase in the amount they will now pay for our beans. This was a complete shock to us. It came out of nowhere…or did it. Is it possible someone in their organization read this blog? I dont know, but it seems like one heck of a coincidence. Twenty percent increase. I wont say how much they are actually paying, in terms of dollar amount per pound, but it is far less than what our beans are worth. Thanks for the gesture, but how about paying us farmers who do the bulk of the work…we who actually produce the product a fair price. That’s all we ask for, fairness.

BLUE MOUNTAIN

Today was a very non-eventful day.  Not much to write about.  Here though, is a bit of trivia.  Did you know why our coffee has the name of Blue Bountain?  Blue Mountains is a Jamaican region where there is a wide range of hills with an almost permanent mist covering the hills giving it a bluish hue, thus the name.  If  this was in Transilvania, it would be spooky.  But in Jamaica…it’s the stuff that delicious is made from.

PACKAGING APPROVED

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been working behind the scenes preparing the farm for the time when my father would want to try a new way of selling.  We have what is called down here, Jamaica Bureau of Standards.  Before we can export perishable goods, they have to approve your packaging.  I was finally approved today.  Now, the only thing that stands in my way is an export license. I will be the first in the application line in the morning.  By the way, if anyone would like to, in the future, buy a pound or two…or three from our farm, my number is (876) 312-3672.  I know that’s a shameless promotion, but I better start getting use to it.

ENOUGH ABOUT THE FARM

Enough about the farm for today. Lets learn a little about blue mountain caffee.

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee or Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is a classification of coffee grown in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. The best lots of Blue Mountain coffee are noted for their mild flavor and lack of bitterness. Over the last several decades, this coffee has developed a reputation that has made it one of the most expensive and sought-after coffees in the world. In addition to its use for brewed coffee, the beans are the flavor base of Tia Maria coffee liqueur.

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is a globally protected certification mark meaning that only coffee certified by the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica can be labeled as such. It comes from a recognized growing region in the Blue Mountain region of Jamaica and its cultivation is monitored by the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica.

The Blue Mountains are generally located between Kingston to the south and

My Beloved Mountain

Port Maria to the north. Rising to 2,300 meters (7,500 ft), they are some of the highest mountains in the Caribbean. The climate of the region is cool and misty with high rainfall. The soil is rich with excellent drainage. This combination of climate and soil is considered ideal for coffee 

 

 

Bull Shit Day

Got some manure in today. We didn’t have enough to pay for it all, but my fathers word was good enough to get all we needed.  We spent all day spreading manure.  We got almost half-way through before the rain. It rains almost every afternoon this time of the year.  If we get an early start in the morning, we should be able to get it all done tomorrow.

FAMILY MEETING

Since my return to the farm, I have, from time to time, called family meetings to discuss issues relating to the running of the farm.  At the end of all of these, I have been asking my father to slowly take the marketing of the farm in a new direction; to start selling to retailers in America. My father is a man of very few words, but this morning , he called a meeting. At the beginning of this meeting, he stated his reservations in his own way, but in the end, he gave me the go-ahead to start this “new way” to sell. Hallelujah!!! I have been waiting and working towards this day for months. Secretly, I have been doing some work behind the scenes to take the farm in this new direction…but that confession is for another day.

RAINY BUT CERTAINLY NOT A LAZY DAY

It has been raining and drizzling since five this morning.  We went out, however, and picked 12 baskets of cherries.  We have always and forever will only reap by hand-picking.  There simply is no other way to pick  every single cherry in its prime and thereby produce the very highest quality coffee.

Ready For Picking