Sherwood Jamaica Blue Mountain FW

With its high altitudes, abundant rainfall and nutrient-rich soils, Jamaica’s Blue Mountain region is well known as an excellent growing region for coffee. At Sherwood Forest Estates, the Bramwell family oversees meticulous cultivation and processing, ensuring a high quality cup.

Founded 1801, Sherwood Forest Estate is one of the few old coffee estates in Jamaica’s Blue Mountain region where visitors can witness the production of traditional Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee in a historic setting. Today, the Bramwell family oversees cultivation and processing at Sherwood Forests.

The higher altitudes of 1,160 to 1,740 meters above sea level provide the ideal environment for growing sweet, dense beans. The warm days and cool night help concentrate sugars and produce a delicious cup.

Typica was – and remains – the main variety grown at Sherwood Forests. Recently, the Bramwells plants Geisha, the beloved specialty variety that flourishes at high altitudes. They produced their first Geisha lots in the 2020/2021 harvest.

Each lot is fully traceable. Contact your trader for more information about your specific lot.

Cherry is selectively handpicked along the steep slopes where it grows. Most of the harvest is done by locals hired for their decades of experience cultivating and harvest coffee in the region.

Once picked, cherry is brought the Sherwood Forests’ wet mill where it is pulped and fermented for 24 hours. Following fermentation, cherry is washed and laid on patios to sundry. Staff rake parchment frequently to ensure even drying. It takes between 7 and 50 days for parchment to dry.

Once dry, parchment is selectively hand sorted to ensure that each lot is consistently high quality. Then, parchment is packed in the iconic wooden barrels (lined with GrainPro bags).

Sherwood Forests also processes cherry for neighboring farms, supporting them by increasing the consistency and quality of their lots.

Geisha (also known as Gesha) is known for its exceptional cup quality, especially when grown at high altitudes. The variety comes from Ethiopian landrace coffees and was collected from Ethiopian coffee forests in the 1930s. The name supposedly derives from Ethiopia’s Gori Gesha forest.

There is some confusion with several genetically distinct varieties that have all been called Geisha, but the most famous variety is the Panama one. The variety was brought to Lyamungu research station in Tanzania and from there to Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) in Central America in 1953. At CATIE, the variety was logged as T2722. CATIE distributed T2722 across Panama in the 1960s for its Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) resistance, but its brittle branches meant it was not widely planted.

Panama Geisha reached its modern fame in 2005 when a Geisha lot won the “Best of Panama” competition and broke contemporary records at over $20/pound. DNA analysis has demonstrated that the Panama Geisha descended from T2722 is distinct and uniform. Today, Geisha is known for its delicate florals, jasmine and stone fruit.

The eponymous Blue Mountain region in Jamaica is well known as an excellent growing region for coffee. In addition to high altitudes, the region is cooler with abundant rainfall, mists and nutrient-rich soil.

The mountainous conditions that help produce such high-quality coffee also make it more difficult and expensive to harvest. The cooler, wetter weather also makes drying more difficult, highlighting the importance of strong processing practices and careful sorting & drying.