JAMAIKA BLUE MOUNTAIN MAVIS BANK

It is said that this specialty coffee originated from the plant that Captain Gabriel de Clieu brought to Guadeloupe. Captain de Clieu is credited with playing a major role in the development of the coffee industry in Central and South America. In 1723, he is said to have brought a coffee plant from France to Martinique aboard his ship, the “La Dromedaire.” The coffee thrived there so well in a short time that it could be spread to other countries, first to Guadeloupe, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Haiti, and then to large parts of Central and South America. Captain de Clieu was not the first to bring coffee to the New World—the Dutch had already begun cultivating it in Suriname in 1713, and the French in Haiti and the Dominican Republic in 1715—but the story of his journey has the most flair: after seeing the commercial success the Dutch had achieved with coffee, he wanted to grow it in the French colonies as well.

He obtained the coffee plant he needed through cunning and effort from the royal physician. He transported it in a glass case to protect it from saltwater and the weather during the crossing. On the way to the Caribbean, his ship was attacked by Tunisian pirates, becalmed for many days, and finally so badly damaged by a tropical storm that drinking water had to be strictly rationed. Captain de Clieu now had to defend his coffee plant not only from a Dutch spy on board, but also from thirsty sailors who saw no point in watering a plant while they were dying of thirst. So de Clieu shared his own water ration with the coffee plant. He risked his life to keep the plant alive and bring it safely to its destination. That makes him the first coffee hero in our eyes. Captain de Clieu later became governor of Guadeloupe, where the descendants of his coffee plant continued to be cultivated. Many say it was the plants from Guadeloupe, not those from Martinique, that were later spread around the world (especially people from Guadeloupe say this), and particularly to Jamaica. Jamaica Blue Mountain is one of the world's most expensive coffees due to its limited availability, very slow growth, and the strict selection of the beans. A large share of the harvest also goes to Japan, a major coffee market, which further drives up the price. The beans come from Mavis Bank Estate, where they are grown at elevations between 1,000 and 1,500 meters. The coffees are packed into 35- and 70-kilogram wooden barrels and shipped.