If taking to the mountains opens the appetite for hearty Jamaican fare, then the beverage of choice amidst the clinging mist has got to be hot Blue Mountain coffee.

This world famous coffee, sold at premium price at select coffee houses in trendy city capitals, has brought many a chic dinner party to an aromatic close; and many a tourist to the sloppy inclines of the Blue Mountains.

How coffee came to be planted on our slopes is an interesting story.

It’s alleged that some French landowners, during the Haitian revolution, took refuge here, and brought coffee vines with them.

The British under Governor Laws continued its cultivation.

Today it is the Japanese who have become closer allies because of the deliciously strong brew.

That same historical brew has inspired the delicious coffee candle created by Starfish Oil.

Though the purists would quiver at the thought of condensed milk poured over their premium brew; it is the memory of coffee- tea stirred into empty tins of condensed milk which brings a smile to the faces of many.

It is this conjured memory that is the inspiration behind the successful candle.

It is not, however, until you slowly move a cup of this brew under the nostrils and taste the hot black liquid of the Twyman coffee, that you finally understand that all these years of supposedly drinking coffee was a great way of preparing you for the real beans.

Old Tavern coffee which, when sipped for the first time, sends the taste buds into shock. It’s smooth, delicious and intoxicating.

The drinker immediately comprehends that this brew is in a class by itself.

“A bottle of Beaujolais,” says Alex, owner of over 100 acres of coffee land on which Old Tavern beans are grown, “provides pleasure for about 30 minutes, this bag of coffee, provides pleasure for a month”.

Tuesday morning is a crisp, beautiful day, with the comfortable rays of sun, dazzling the eyes as it bounces off the short tops.

Temperatures at the Twyman farm fell to as low as 52oF this week.

The unpolluted fresh air aids our descent into the valley.

The women who pick the coffee berries, are already well away.

It is a tradition, which started over two centuries ago in this mountainous terrain, where the right combination of soil and rain has produced an industry, that ranges from the large Mavis Bank estate to small farmers and roasters, whose families have been involved for generations.

The acidity and sweetness of Jamaican coffee are balanced to perfection. It is all of this, that has given the coffee cachet, the high price tag which serious coffee drinkers and farmers of this black gold, refuse to quibble over.

Dorothy and Alex Twyman are proud members of this club.

The farm is at 4,000′ above sea level and thankfully, in the capable hands of foreman Percy McLarty ó himself a coffee farmer with over 20 years experience.

We, totally inexperienced coffee pickers, examine the steep incline with much trepidation.

The red coffee berries are fat, dewy, and glistening and ready to be plucked by Sylvia Dennis.

Ethlyn Campbell picks feverishly, her pace slowed today by ants (a picker’s nightmare). The crocus sacks fill quickly, care must however, be taken not to discard next year’s crop. For, just like grape harvesting, care has to be taken in just how much of the coffee vine is removed.

As we descend into the terraced coffee maze, the mountain range envelops us on all sides.

McLarty reminds us, that we are in the parish of Portland, and shows us the Buff Bay Road.

No ships are in port today, otherwise we would have seen them, bobbing through on the horizon.

Through the radio carried by Percy McLarty we listen to Twyman checking on our progress warning his foreman that Kingstonians are not used to walking.

We’re up to the challenge, however, and eager to understand that the coffee trees or short tops are cultivated at a certain height –not too high.

A painful legacy left by Hurricane Gilbert.

The heavy rains have wreaked havoc both on the trail, and on some of the newly planted trees whose foundation has not been allowed to take root.

Our guide gives us red coffee beans to taste.

The sweet taste is a surprise. There’s absolutely no hint of coffee.

It’s hard work, trying to access the many branches of coffee berry deep in the lush foliage, and there are tightly wrapped branches to move.

Stepping up and slipping on muddy terrain is no fun and it’s almost time to give up. I try my cell phone and pick up Cuba.

The thought does indeed cross our minds that we just might walk to some hidden trail and get lost forever!

Our guide goes for the tractor and we’re reminded of Alex’s words, “what goes down must come up!”

So clinging desperately to the John Deere’s, tractor we climb, plunge and finally reach terra firma — two hours later.

Alex Twyman is all smiles, he walks towards us with the aid of his hunting stool and walking stick. His bushy eyebrows almost hiding his clear blue eyes.

The second part of the Coffee Module is about to start. His wife Dorothy, ushers us into their cottage for coffee.

Old Tavern coffee is cultivated, processed, roasted and packaged by this formidable husband and wife team who fell into the coffee business by accident.

He came to Jamaica on a two-year contract as a quantity surveyor met and fell in love with his Jamaican wife Dorothy whose family owned the Bonnie View Hotel and bought a weekend cottage in the mountains in 1968.

A hobby has developed into a 26-year passion. The pragmatic passion for the land as well as the coffee is revealed as he confesses that, “I don’t believe in organic farming in coffee as an economical probability.”

He does, however, believe that there must be a balance between cultivation and the land.

“A lot of the land is a natural forest, a botanical paradise … chemicals are only used when necessary and I do not use insecticides for coffee bora bora (the pesky bug which has been known to demolish entire crops). Bush and coffee is the reason why there’s no erosion.” He adds that composted chicken manure is used on his farm as a fertiliser.

Old Tavern coffee is the only estate licensed to produce Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee.

This ensures the high quality of this product as no other coffee bean can be used.

This is what allows, according to Twyman, total control of the product.

Inside, Pamsy Miller carefully sorts flawed beans, those too light, too dark, beans with any visible defect. Coffee orders are made to order. There is no mass production here.

It’s a carefull process — three to sfive days to dry, two or three months to rest.

Coffee, says Alex Twyman, is much more complicated than wine. This cup of coffee needs 21 distinct processes before it can be called Old Tavern Blue Mountain coffee.

But what we ask makes a good cup of coffee.

Without missing a beat he tells us that the quality of water, is a major factor.

Chlorine ruins coffee.

Fresh, untouched rainwater is used here.

Coffee must be stored properly.

Never put coffee in the refrigerator and always remember that coffee absorbs smells.

If coffee is left uncovered it picks up odours of other foods.

Not one to shun controversy Twyman tells us never to buy ground coffee. “After five minutes of grinding you’ve lost 40 per cent of the aroma and flavour”.

Buy beans and a grinder and grind just the amount needed, he advises.

And how does one make a good cup of coffee?

The old-time Jamaican way, we are told, by grinding coffee and placing in butter muslin.

Place in your earthenware jar and add water.

Leave to stand for three to four minutes before serving.

The paper filter, although when used with recycled paper can interfere with the flavour and also removes a lot of the natural oils, gets a nod from Twyman who advises coffee drinkers to place filtered coffee in a thermos to keep warm .

Do not leave on a burner, for after the first cup, subsequent cups lose the true coffee flavour. The French Press is another option as this gives you enough for two cups of coffee. Eschew all thoughts of a sleepless night after copious cups of this fine brew. The coffee expert tells us that Blue Mountain coffee is low in caffeine and does not interfere with sleep pattern.

Therefore, it does not make a good espresso.