Old Tavern Coffee Estate Review

Old Tavern Coffee Estate Review in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica

As a coffee lover, a tour of a coffee farm in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica is like going to the coffee hall of fame.  Most coffee lovers and experts will agree that some of the best coffee in the world comes form the Blue Mountain area of Jamaica.  Without going into a bunch of details, the location and blah blah blah make the Blue Mountain coffee one of the most sought after coffee beans in the world!

On my trip last September to the Blue Mountains I was able to take a tour with Rafjam to visit Twyman’s Coffee Plantation.  At first I thought it would be a “see the beans, taste the coffee now buy our stuff and leave so we can make way for the next tour”.  BUT, the tour was more of a laid back experience.  We started the tour meeting Mrs Twyman and after a brief tour of her mountain edge roasting house we were able to spend some time in her roasting/bean sorting room.  There we were able to watch how coffee beans are sorted and we were able to taste all of their different coffee bean roasting styles.  For the first time in my life I actually ate fresh coffee beans!   A little while later we were seated on their porch overlooking the Blue Mountains to enjoy some pastries and a fresh brewed pot of coffee.  While enjoying our Blue Mountain coffee, we were able to read through her library of coffee books and ask a million questions that were all answered like a flash from a coffee expert.

Outside in their garden area we saw how coffee beans are grown (saving a trip to see their plantation) and after tasting the coffee and seeing the actual plants the whole cycle came alive for us.  The whole tour was almost intoxicating with the fresh coffee, the Jamaican coffee history and the laid back vibe of sitting on the edge of a mountain just enjoying life!  There was NEVER any pressure to buy coffee but we bought 3 pounds because honestly it was one of the best coffee beans that we ever tasted.  Rafjam was nice enough to lend us a bean grinder so we could enjoy the beans while we stayed at their resort a few miles down the road.

A short slide show of the Blue Mountain Coffee Tour:

Links:

Old Tavern Coffee Estate <—The coffee tour place.

Blue Mountain Cottage and Nature and Tours <—The tour guides and where we stayed

Blue Mountain Lodging Review <—Our review of Rafjam

Jah B’s Food Review

Jah B’s Food  Review:

Location: Jah B’s has a perfect mid beach location.  From any area on the beach road you are no further than a $1.00 route taxi ride or a 15 minute walk.   Even from the far ends of Negril, Jah B’s is only a cheap taxi ride away or a refreshing walk away.

Seating: The Seating at Jah B’s is under a roof in case it’s raining or you just want to get out of the sun.  But… if you want the sun they also have plenty of outdoor tables!

Time from seating until order is taken: It’s sort of like walking into your favorite local restaurant, you walk in and say hello to Miss Joyce and say what you want or look at the menu.  It’s not a “for the love of god does this define island time” type of place, the service is fast!

Time from seating until drinks are delivered: Less than a minute!

Time from seating until food was delivered: It really depends on what you order, everything is cooked to order so if rice takes 10-20 minutes at home it takes that long at Jah B’s.  ALL (in caps) of the food is fresh and it’s cooked to order= no heat lamps or cooked food sitting around.

Food quality: Excellent!  Generally I’ll ask for a bottle of hot sauce to spice up my food if it’s bland in taste and I never once added any to my food at Jah B’s!  While the food was not “hot in taste”, in was full of natural flavor.  Since I stayed there for 2 weeks I can attest to how fresh their produce was, it was delivered several times a week and as a guest I was able to buy it directly from the vendor.

Service quality: Relaxing!  Between Joyce (the owner) and Tim (the cook) they are both watching over you from a comfortable distance making sure your facial expressions show a love for the food and that you don’t need another drink.  Before you could even think of looking around for service, one of them will rush over to see what you need.

Food & Drink prices: Fair to cheap!  On a 1-10 of prices in Negril I would give Jah B’s a 3.  I really can’t think of many other places on the beach road area of Negril that offer better prices and not many that can match the level of service.

Overall quality: Excellent!

Overall price: Outstanding!  For me it’s more than price, being able to walk into the kitchen and talk to the cook while he prepares my meal is priceless!  Being able to throw my menu on another table and say “this is what I want” is priceless as well.

A Special Thanks: To Seveen, ExOchiGirl and several other members of a few on-line forums for suggesting Jah b’s to me!

A Review of Jah B’s Cottages: My review of Jah B’s Cottages <—-click there

Negril Wood Carvings

Negril Jamaica is full of wood carvers and people selling carvings! From carvers selling their blood sweat and tears to the “carvers” selling cheap imports from China and other places around the globe. The prices range from a few dollars up to several hundred dollars depending on size, how complex the piece is and how willing the tourist is to pay for something they want on their mantle at home. Several of the “real” carvers are willing to do pieces that you dream up or something that is special to you instead of “stock art”. Others are willing to sell whatever they have in front of them for whatever you are willing to pay…..so long as they agree.

Last April I had the honor of meeting Jah Earllocks, a carver on the beach in Negril Jamaica. He sells original carvings along with a mix of touristy types of carvings. At first I was a little shy because I was afraid of the whole beach vendor pushy vibe but once I talked to him for a little bit I knew he was different. After several meetings, I exchanged “goods” for his art work. By “goods” I mean stuff that I brought to trade with instead of using money. Some of the beach vendors are willing to exchange things they need in exchange for things that you want. I traded a pair of new boots that never fit me, a snorkel set that I used for the week, a few golf polo shirts and some fishing line for 5-6 carvings that now adore my home. The $25 snorkel set (Target) can be rented for $10 or so a day or sold for $$ so that alone in the long run makes up for his exchanges.

Along with the wood carvings, I commissioned a few bracelets with a mix of bamboo and beads. After years of buying cheap bracelets that were made of cheap fishing line I wanted bracelets made of the “spider wire” that I brought to Jamaica. Spider wire is a threaded fishing line that has a breaking strength of around 80 pounds at the size of a 10 pound normal fishing line. Also, spider wire does not degrade in the sun like mono line! Generally a bracelet made of fishing line will last me 1-6 months but so far my spider wire bracelets have lasted me almost a year…..and I’m still counting! When I left Negril last April Jah Earllocks still had 100+ yards of my spider wire so there is plenty for you if you want bracelets or necklaces that will last for years!

You can find Jah Earllocks in front of “Herbie’s” which is on the beach 50 yards north of Rooms on the Beach, across the beach from Jah B’s, 100 yards south of Roots Bamboo, a few hundred yards north of Alfreds…..if you can’t figure out where it is by now leave a message and I’ll give you directions from something you know! Also, you can find Jah Earllocks playing music at Roots Bamboo and several other venues around Jamaica.

Contact info:

Jah Earllocks AKA birth name “Charles Nunes”

Business Name: The Roots Corner

Phone: 876-349-8834

Blue Mountain Lodging Review

Review of Rafjam Bed and Breakfast in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica

Location: High up in the mountains above  Kingston there is a valley where the waterfalls from the mountain start a stream and where these all come together you will find RafJam.  By car it is about 30-60 minutes outside of Kingston, so close to a big city but at the same time so secluded!

Booking a room at Rafjam’s:  Rafjam’s is very prompt answering phones calls, responding to e-mails and responding if you send them a message on Facebook.  I booked by sending them an e-mail with a few questions which they answered and I think by the second e-mail my vacation was booked.

Checking in at Rafjam:   Checking in was very relaxing and much more pleasant than the typical hotel check in process.  We were given a tour of the property and our rooms before we started the quick check in process.

Room quality:  The rooms and living areas were decorated with a personal touch which gave us a feeling like we were staying with family and not at a hotel with stock art and furniture that was ordered by the tractor trailer load.  All of the furniture and kitchen appliances were in perfect working order and everything was very clean.

Staff:  Staff is sort of the wrong word to describe the husband wife team who own and run Rafjam.  Imagine staying with family that magically leave you alone when you need private time but are right there when you need something, that is what you will find at Rafjam.

Food: While Rafjam’s offers 3 meals a day we stocked up on food to save a little money.  Looking back at all of the start up costs of buying food and then the stuff that we had to buy to cook and spice the food it would of been cheaper to eat their meals.  Susan and Rafael donated some fresh veggies from their gardens which really gave our meals a local flavor.  A mile up the road in Redlight there are some vendors as well if you want to take a hike a get a snack or meal.  On my visit to Rafjam I plan to eat their meals and give up on cooking my own food.

Security:  100% secure!  Since Rafjam is located pretty much in the middle of nowhere and since it’s 3 times removed from being on a main road nobody goes there or in the area unless they live there.  I felt very comfortable leaving my camera gear, money, laptop and luggage in my room without locking the door.  Having stayed at places where I have to find dozens of hiding places for my gear, I really enjoyed the sense of security.

Overall Rating of  Rafjam Bed and Breakfast:  After spending a few weeks in tourist areas (Ochi Rios and Negril) over the past year I found Rafjam and the Blue Mountains to be a very nice place to take in the Jamaican food, sights and culture without some of the headaches that come with staying in the tourist areas.  From the relaxing waterfalls to Susan’s beautiful gardens to the perfect accommodations to Rafael’s tours, I can not paint a more relaxing vacation in my mind.  On a 1-10 and while I hate to give out 10’s they get a 10!

A Slide Show of The Grounds at Rafjam’s Bed and Breakfast:

Rafjam Tours:

While we were staying at Rafjam’s, Raf took us on a tour of a coffee plantation but since then we have learned that they also offer tours for their guests all over the Blue Mountains and Jamaica!  Check out the following link to their Facebook page and look at some of the exciting places they tour.

Contact Information for Rafjam: Website:  Rafjam Blue Mountain Lodging Facebook: Rafjam Bed Other Contact:
Telephone / Fax: (+1.876)944.8009
Susan de Campos: (+1.876)426.3667
Rafael de Campos: (+1.876)885.1653
Email: rafjam.productions@gmail.com