I was quite surprised at the number of Starbucks franchises in Jamaica and funnily they were all packed. However, my café of choice when I'm in yard ( Jamaica ) is definitely Café Blue. I went to this establishment a number of times. Though it’s a bit pricey, the quality is there, as well as the 100% Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. I was happy to see the cafe Blue brand expanding across the island.
My first encounter ....let’s start with second encounter of Café Blue on this trip, it was to kill some time while waiting for Digicel ( a telecommunications or should I say a data provider) to open in a mall called Sovereign center.
Now, a major question that was on my mind before this trip was:
Should I use roaming, mobile wifi or buy a sim card while I am in Jamaica?
Well, there is no perfect answer, but after talking with friends and doing some research, I came to the conclusion that getting a local number and unlimited data via a sim card was the best option. The plan was pretty decent too: 40Gbs of data for 7 days and free calls up to 100 mins. The thing is the plans change frequently as they are always promoting something. I was actually in Jamaica for 10 days so I extended the data plan for 3 more days. Can't remember the exact cost but it wasn't more than $5,000 JMD in total.( $33 USD ). Not good, not bad, but it is what it is.
So I waited and savored the flavor of the freshly brewed Blue mountain coffee. It was my first time without my family on this trip, my first time alone in the streets of Kingston, Jamaica after 7 years. I could relax for a bit and just absorb the moment.
One thing I noticed was that this place had some decent foot traffic at 8:30 on a Monday morning, but that was my 9-5 brain 🧠 thinking. I really need to get out of this 🐀 race.
On a different note, the products Café blue offers, has expanded since the last time I was here. They had snacks made from cashew nuts with a jerk flavor, chocolate covered coffee beans, mugs galore, coffee capsules and more.
I was proud to see such quality products being birthed in Jamaica. 🇯🇲 ( granted the mugs were made in China 🇨🇳 but that can’t be helped.
After a few sips, watching the vibes in the café and in the streets, I grabbed my cup of and went to Digicel to get my chip. They say customer service sucks in Jamaica but I had great service at Café blue and Digicel… but maybe I reeked of a cologne called “foreigner”, but I doubt it was that.
Cafe Blue take 2
Cafe Blue has 7 different locations in Jamaica 🇯🇲.
- Ocho Rios
- Active Home Center
- Super Valu Centre
- Fontana
- Sovereign Center
- NMIA ( Norman Manly International Airport)
- Irish Town
Irish town was the first location and the most unique, overlooking the lower range of the Blue Mountains.
A day after arriving in Kingston, I met up with my cousin who actually lived in Japan for bit. To be more specific we came to Japan together. And a ritual we have is going up to Cafe Blue in Irish Town whenever I’m in Jamaica.
This dude is a coffee connoisseur, I’ve never met anyone else who loves coffee as much as him. He sells it, brews it, drives up the blue mountain to view it and even walks around with a French press to get a good cup of on the go.
The parking for the Irish Town location isn’t the greatest as it is on the side of the road but what else would you expect from a café built on the side of a hill.
But once you get parked and enter, woah 🤯 you feel like you are in the place the word Café was created. It’s relaxing as it is built right in the heart of nature with all the elements and ambience to match.
Café Blue in Irish Town gets real crowded on the weekends, so be prepared to chill out and play a round of Janken ( rock, paper scissors). Well that's what these guys were doing. For a guy that has no kids ( my cousin ) he sure is good with them. But I guess your tolerance can last when you only have few moments with kiddos.
Here is that chocolate covered coffee beans again. Why didn't I try it? Why didn't I take more pics and review it? That could have been a blog post and a vlog post right there. It wasn't pricey either, around $500 JMD. Note to the wise, if you create any kind of content, try shit, especially on trips like this, don't be conservative.
The boys went for fruit smoothies and a slice of cake that was too sweet for their liking. They took two bites and called it quits. Cake on this side of the world seems to be extra sweet compared to Japan. It takes some getting used to. I tried it and it wasn't bad, but I had my cheesecake to tend to. Didn't wanna have my cake and eat it too yuh know. Again, where are the pics of the cake? The balance between content creation and being in the moment must be kept.
Japa Grandpa AKA G went for a French Vanilla Latte and shared it with Japa Grandma. It looked real good but of course I went for the 100% Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. Hmmm shoulda tried it on another occasion though. I know it can't be as sweet as those Starbucks sugar cups.
Oh ,well there is the picture of the cheesecake and chocolate cake. would have been nice to get some close ups before we took a bite right? ( noted for future reference).
Cafe Blue was actually packed, you can't really tell by the pics but there is another seating area around the corner with a view of the hills where most of the customers where sitting. There is also the dessert showcase area and cashier space which people were going in and out for take out orders. The café was so busy I had to actually make an effort to pay the bill. “Hey, take my money”.
Below is part of the view seen from Café Blue in Irish Town. Once you look pass the house you'll see the lower range of the Blue Mountains. Many trees and birds can be seen from this spot as well as the clouds coming in.
Once I finally got to pay the bill, my cousin sad to me:
"Hey, you wanna see a really cool view? One of the best I have seen up this side."
Hmm why not.... little did I know this would be an all day adventure up in the Blue Mountains. Was the view worth it? Find out in my next post.
Oh, the other times we went to café blue? Too many to count, but we ended up eating breakfast here the last few days as the kids and Japa grandparents couldn't get used to the Jamaican food besides Jerk chicken, Jerk pork and chicken curry.
On their plates were pancakes, bagels and sandwiches, imagine that. luckily, beside the café blue in Sovereign center, they have a Jamaican food deli. Imagine me going to Jamaica and eating bagels and pancakes for breakfast...not a backside.🤣
This was what my breakfast looked like the last two days. Real Jamaican food.
✨Until next time, stay blessed!
Give thanks for stopping by✨