Nothing excites a connoisseur like a great cup of Joe. Even finer is freshly brewed, and better yet, a cup o’ roasted liquid pleasure enjoyed in Blue Mountain country. Café Blue’s Irish Town location was the checklist stop for the Jamaica Observer Food Awards judging panel last Monday, and to say the caffeine-happy among the judges were thrilled would be an understatement.

Navigating the sharp-cornered ascent into the hills of St Andrew for our late-afternoon coffee appointment, there was a tingle of anticipation (more so for yours truly, whose coffee fix could border into intervention-necessary territory), and Café Blue director of sales and marketing Jason Sharp stood primed and ready to both entertain and educate the caffeine-conscious as well as the lukewarm types.

There was much to digest, and Sharp, the consummate coffee guru, offered an insightful Coffee 101 session that also served as an exclusive showcase to the Observer of Café Blue’s ‘pour-over method’ of making and serving coffee, which it will debut at its Irish Town outlet soon, ahead of a roll-out to the coffee chain’s other four locations.

Exclusive introductions were not limited to coffee alone, as the judges also made acquaintance with Café Blue’s recently hired pâtissier, Nadine Burie, who presented a six-course serving of decadent desserts. The Ivory Coast-born Burie was a hit, her boundless creativity and precise confectionery techniques evident as each pastry tray arrived, and found instant gratification, with clean plates returning to the kitchen as the next dessert put in an appearance. Share in scenes from Thursday Life’s delectable Café Blue experience.

— Omar Tomlinson

Coffee Talk with Jason Sharp

Thursday Life (TL): What makes the Café Blue blend different from others?

Jason Sharp (JS): Café Blue Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is a freshly processed and roasted coffee which are key factors in ensuring maximum aroma, flavour and mouth feel. The coffee is also packaged in valved bags to trap freshness and ensure that whether you consume our Coffee at one of our cafés or purchase a package at a retail outlet, you will always receive an excellent product. Few coffees in the world can offer their customers that on a consistent basis.

TL: What are the coffee beverage varietals Café Blue serves in-house?

JS: At Café Blue we have a variety of coffee beverage options. These are broken down into hot and cold options. The hot options include the traditional Latte, Cappuccino, and Espresso beverages, but the Jamaica Blue Mountain brew remains our most popular. In regards to cold coffee we have the Blueccinno and Mochaccinno which are very popular, while our slow-drip Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee has become a huge hit.

TL: Where have been some of the most surprising destinations that Coffee Traders has found a customer base?

JS: Our parent company Coffee Traders Ltd. is one of the island’s top exporters of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee and sell to most of the major markets around the world, including Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, USA, Canada and most of the EU. There have been a few very unusual destinations, but the one that comes to mind is a small boutique coffee shop in a suburb of Shanghai, China, that was selling our coffee by ‘pour-over’ method only. The owner was a Japanese gentleman who had married a Chinese national and he was bringing this new coffee culture to a traditionally tea-drinking market. This was extremely satisfying and reminded me of how small the world really is and how important it is to maintain quality.

TL: What are the growth plans for Café Blue and Coffee Traders?

JS: We have been expanding our farm footprint to increase our internal production as well as we are in the final stages of building our new roasting plant which will triple our capacity and allow us to grow our roasted brands. We are also looking at several new locations mainly in the corporate area in which to open new coffee shops and to make our Café Blue product more convenient for our customers.

JASON’S GUIDE TO POUR-OVER COFFEE BREWING

‘Pour-over’ is a very old and simple way of making an excellent cup of coffee. The brewing mechanism is very inexpensive and it is a relatively easy process, making it an ideal brewing method.

You will need:

o Pour-over mechanism (funnel)

o Filter Paper

o Kettle (gooseneck)

(Our suggested brands include Kalita and Hario).

Method:

1. Use a medium ground coffee (we suggest using Café Blue Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee)

2. Use one heaping teaspoon to make a 6oz cup of coffee.

3. Boil filtered or spring water (at approximately 200° F). This is essential in ensuring maximum extraction.

4. Use a gooseneck kettle to pour water over the ground coffee. The gooseneck spout allows for an even and consistent flow.

5. Pour about 2oz of water initially into the centre of the grounds until the coffee has swelled allowing the gases to be released. This process is called pre-infusion.

6. Allow this to settle for about 30- 60 seconds.

7. Pour approximately 6oz of water over the coffee grounds slowly and evenly, never over-saturating the brew basket, for a period of 2-3 minutes.

8. Once the coffee is extracted and has percolated, it is ready for drinking.