My recent trip to Jamaica included a day-long expedition into the Blue Mountains and a visit to two coffee plantations. I hired an excellent driver, Paul, who took me and my host, Elise Yap, owner and proprietor of The Blue House Bed & Breakfast in Ocho Rios, down the coast to Port Maria, south to Kingston and north into the Blue Mountains. We left Ocho at 7 a.m. and, thanks to Paul’s excellent driving skills, arrived at our destination alive.

Anyone who’s visited Jamaica knows that renting a car there is expensive and the driving is treacherous. Rental cars typically go for $200-plus per day because the car agencies have to cover the cost of damage from the roads and collisions. The roads in Jamaica are riddled with potholes you can lose a Hummer in. Coupled with the aggressive nature of Jamaican drivers, it’s a constant gut-check on every turn. Paul said, “You realize, I’m a PhD, right Mon?” I said, “Really, in what?” “Pot hole detection,” he laughed.

Kingston is a bustling metropolis and we stopped there for patties, the traditional meat-filled pastry that’s like a turnover, but tastier. From there we headed north up Highway B1 toward the Blue Mountains. The road is a series of steep switchbacks and elephant-sized potholes that, at 3,100 ft., takes the visitor past the Strawberry Hill resort owned by Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records and the man responsible for launching Bob Marley’s career. One of the island’s top resort destinations, it’s also a popular venue for Kingston residents looking for a posh dinner or evening out.

We drove through, literally, through the middle of, Newcastle, a military facility built in 1841, where we were stopped on the road by a young Jamaican Defence Force recruit who kept us there until the soldiers just down the mountain finished their small arms target practice. The gunfire stopped, Paul drove on.

We arrived at Old Tavern Estate just before 11 a.m. and were greeted by owner, Dorothy Twyman. Dorothy and her late husband, Alex, founded Old Tavern Coffee Estate farm in 1972.

The family farm is perched on a Blue Mountain hillside some 4,000-plus feet above sea level.

Mrs. Twyman, ever the gracious hostess, invited us in and gave us a tour of her family business. The entire farm operation is run out of the cottage, so we were able to see the hand-sorting process as well as the two commercial roasting machines where Mrs. Twyman personally roasts the estate’s beans. She carefully sorted a batch of the roasted peabody beans and brewed dark and medium roasts for tasting. Fresh beans, roasted by the owner and served piping hot in her cottage overlooking the farm’s 100-plus acres of coffee plants–it’s an unparalleled tasting experience. While we sipped, Mrs. Twyman talked about her late husband, Alex, and his passion for growing what many consider the finest coffee on earth.

David Twyman, Alex and Dorothy’s son, arrived while we were tasting and filled us in on more of Old Tavern’s history and the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Ivan, which hit Jamaica on Sept. 11, 2004. According to David, the farm is still recovering from the storm that destroyed 70 percent of the crop.

Old Tavern Coffee Estate beans from Jamaica's Blue Mountains

David runs the day-to-day operation of the farm and deals with clients around the world. Varying sources estimate that as much as 90 percent of the Blue Mountain crop is exported to Japan.

The cool temperatures, constant rainfall, excellent drainage and altitude of the Blue Mountains all combine to make perfect growing conditions for Old Tavern Estate’s crop.

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