The Ardent Epicure

 with Allspice Coffee Drinks

Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is grown in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica
 at altitudes of up to 5,000 feet. These rare coffees are strictly regulated
 and globally protected and certified. They are also one of the most
expensive coffee beans in the world at $30 and upwards per pound.

There are 3 levels (Blue Mountain #1, etc) of beans that distinguish
from each other by bean size. An additional 2 types of beans one being
Triage, which is a blend of the first three categories. Then there is the
Peaberry, my personal all time favorite :) The Peaberry and this beauty
is distinguished by it's round pea like shape. This anomaly occurs when
only one seed verses two becomes fertilized. This rare coffee yields only
5%  of the coffee harvest.

For more history on Jamaican coffees see this article on Jamaican Coffee.

Currently and though September 5th 2011, Starbucks is featuring a
limited supply of this coffee through their Starbucks Reserve ™ selections. 

You are probably already familiar with allspice, but did you know that it is
actually the dried  Pimenta dioica berry? The spice was named by the English
due to it's multi spice flavor. And since we are enjoying coffee grown in
Jamaica and since pimenta berry/fruit is grown and utilized in Jamaican
cuisine we will be flavoring our coffee with it.

You can purchase these dried berries of many times find them ground
under the name allspice in many grocery and specialty stores. However
is you are not able to find it in your area, a simple combination of
cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and black pepper in equal amounts
to get a close proximity. 

What you will need:
(measurements based on 6 ounces of coffee)
6 ounces water
2 tablespoons coffee, ground
1/4 teaspoon allspice, ground
or
one pinch each cinnamon, clove,
nutmeg and pepper, ground

*Note: depending on your preferred method of brewing, use
a similar grind of spice to that of the coffee.
Coffee Press - course grind
Automatic Drip - medium grind
Espresso machine - fine grind
You can use a finer grind of spice in an automatic drip, but be sure
not to use in a press as your ending results will be muddy.

Let's get brewing:
Set up your coffee preparation as you typically would. Grind your coffee
beans just prior to use for best results, then grind your pimenta berries or
allspice mix (see above) separately. Mix your spiced directly into your
ground coffee and proceed as usual.

Serve with sweetener and cream if desired, and either
as a hot or chilled beverage :)

Alisha ~ Magic of Spice


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