Lion Coffee 100% Jamaican Blue Mountain Peaberry

Whoa!  What do I see here?

On one of the several weekly stops I made to Lion Coffee’s ‘Iwilei cafe and factory, I spotted something different in the premium rack.  The apparently managed to get their hands on some rare Jamaican Blue Mountain beans, and peaberries (single bean per berry) no less!  The vast majority of this production goes straight to the Japanese market, so it is rare to see it outside of Jamaica or Japan.  I’ve had Blue Mountain blends in Japan before, but being blends, they were unremarkable and indistinct.  Here was some 100% stuff, so now was the chance to taste what the fuss was all about.

Grinding a serving and brewing up a cup, the flavor was fantastically smooth but still richly full-bodied with a clean finish that left a hint of a chocolatey taste from the abundant oils.  Even simply handling the beans leaves a lingering dark chocolate aroma on your fingers.   The medium roast that was selected was perfect, bringing out the best flavor without any hint of bitterness or burnt taste.  Wow.  I’ll have to do a side-by-side with some Kona peaberry, but if my flavor memory serves me correctly, the Blue Mountain brings more flavor to the table while carrying less bitter baggage.  They’re both good, but they are different.  Now to find some Kopi Luwak…

 Highly recommended

$20 USD for a 7-oz. bag of whole bean (ouch!)

Four out of four coffee-sipping monkeys

Update:  I brewed up some Lion 100% Kona this morning, and in comparison, the flavor is distinct from the Blue Mountain.  Although not as bitter than the vast majority of coffees, the Kona definitely carries more bitterness than the Blue Mountain, especially on the front end.  The bitterness isn’t upsetting, but is more like the bitterness of 80% or higher dark chocolate.  The Kona has a vanilla or good cigar (unlit) aroma and a hint of a “greeniness” in the flavor.  Both coffees are definitely good, but which one is better is definitely personal choice.  The Blue Mountain wins hands down for smoothness and dominance of lipid-carried flavinoids, but the Kona has a more robust and complex depth to the flavor.  It’s hard to say which one has a richer flavor experience.