JAMAICAN CULTURE

Jamaican culture represents a rich blend of cultures that have inhabited the Greater Antilles island, Jamaica. The original Taino Settlers, followed by their Spanish conquerors (who were in turn conquered by the British), all made major contributions. However, it is the West African slaves who became the dominant cultural force as they suffered and resisted the harsh conditions of forced labour. After the abolition of slavery, Chinese and Indian migrants were transported to the island as indentured workers, bringing with them ideas from the Far East. The official national language is English, heavily spiced with local idioms and Elizabethan usage. The primary local language is patois, or Jamaican Creole.

THE BLUE MOUNTAIN COFFEE

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee or Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is a classification of coffee grown in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. The best lots of Blue Mountain coffee are noted for their mild flavor and lack of bitterness. Over the last several decades, this coffee has developed a reputation that has made it one of the most expensive and sought-after coffees in the world. In addition to its use for brewed coffee, the beans are the flavor base of Tia Maria coffee liqueur.

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is a globally protected certification mark meaning that only coffee certified by the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica can be labeled as such. It comes from a recognized growing region in the Blue Mountain region of Jamaica and its cultivation is monitored by the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica.

The Blue Mountains are generally located between Kingston to the south and Port Maria to the north. Rising to 2,300 metres (7,500 ft), they are some of the highest mountains in the Caribbean. The climate of the region is cool and misty with high rainfall. The soil is rich with excellent drainage. This combination of climate and soil is considered ideal for coffee production.

BLUE MOUNTAIN PEAK

The steep faced mountains rise north-east of Kingston and soar in green pleats to a knife- edged backbone - the Grand Ridge - extending west-north-west and east-south-east for about 48 km.

The mountain is 20 km wide on average. The chain is flanked to the east by the lower John Crow Mountains and to the west by the less distinct Port Royal Mountains.

The Blue Mountains dominate the eastern parishes of St. Andrew, St. Thomas, Portland and St. Mary, rising swiftly from the coast to a series of rounded peaks they are culminating in Blue Mountain Peak (2.407 m), the highest point in Jamaica. The Blue Mountains are much more humid and cooler than the rest of Jamaica, so you find a quite different climate. Because of this more than 500 flowering plant species can be found in this area, about 240 of which are indigenous to the island, including 65 species of orchids.

Here you can see the high tree fern, eucalyptus, rhododendron, azalea, etc. Often you can see the doctor bird, a species of humming bird, the Jamaican national bird.