alex twyman's old tavern blue mountain coffee estate

Enjoyed visiting the plantation and Mrs Twyman was a friendly and knowledgeable host. We saw here home, an example of the roasting process and some of the plants. Enjoyed some delicious coffee and biscuits and also the views. Well worth the trip.

Visit Old Tavern Coffee Estate in January 2011 and often daydream of returning there often. The drive from our resort in Montego Bay was an adventure in itself! The drive through the Blue Mountains to reach the estate is not for the faint of heart, but you will be rewarded with beautiful views of Kingston on the drive and gorgeous views of the mountains. Dorothy Twyman personally greeted us and spent time with us showing us the roasting process, talking about the history of the estate, and sharing coffee with us. We then hiked the property, the incomparable Carolyn Barrett from Barrett Adventures. It was a long day, but well worth the trip.

My boyfriend and I were staying nearby, and our hotel offered a tour to Mrs. Twyman's. I expected a large plantation and maybe a big building for a factory, but instead it was a lovely home! The view of the mountains from her sun room took my breath away. You can watch storms dissipate in seconds while you enjoy the coffee she prepared for you after explaining the roasting process and tasting the different types of beans. while we were there, some neighbors even stopped by to get some coffee, the whole visit felt as if we were at a close friend's home. Don't miss out!Mrs. Twyman simply shows you the roasting process, let's you taste the beans, gives you a taste of your favorite type and let's the coffee do the advertising for itself. In the end you have an opportunity to buy the coffee, though she took credit cards it definitely seemed to be an inconvenience and I would recommend having cash along. ~$25-30 for a half pound if excellent coffee.

Visited the coffee estate Jan 19th, 2012 with Shawn from Barrett Adventures.Met the lovely Dorothy Twyman and had the best Blue Mountain coffee. When I feel like splurging, buying it on line is a great treat. Thanks for an enjoyable visit.A reply to James F "Blissful week in a Caribbean haven". Being reminded that ignorance, hatred and and racism still exist, I can only feel sorry for you. It must be an awful feeling to have the need to step on other people in order to feel tall. How about educating yourself?

I'm not a coffee drinker at all, after all I'm a tea aficionado through and through, however since I'm already here, why not experience the road less walked on? The road conditions here are terribly horrible with its scary two-way traffic nearly one-land half-done potholes-full mountain roads, on top of the reckless Jamaican drivers who have little regard for safety or traffic rules, in addition to the absolute absence of blindspot mirrors at each and everyone of the many blind corners at the numerous hairpin turns. But once you are up here, you will be handsomely rewarded with good views, warm reception (except from the fierce guard dogs, beware of the chained black one, she bites hard, and my tushy was a victim!) This Old Tavern coffee estate is owned by the local White Jamaican Twyman family, of whom the matriarch and proprietress, Dorothy still lives on the property on a permanent basis, in a cozy cottage perched above the coffee plantation. She's a lovely lady, who when asked about the history of coffee, would dwell on it with detail. She would first give you a short tour of the environs, then next to the small processing room where coffee berries are sorted and later roasted on less technologically advanced equipment, which in fact it's a labour intensive and time consuming exercise to sieve through the good and bad beans. Subsequently she would let you try the unroasted coffee bean and their range of roasted beans, to which you can choose one of them for her to brew a cup of premium joe for you right there and then, and she would then serve it to you with an assortment of cookies, for you to enjoy them in the indoor veranda overlooking the immense beauty of the valley below that her farm is on. Thereafter you can go on a self-guided walk through the grounds, going close to the coffee trees themselves, but be warned, it's quite a hike back up. The entire experience is FOC, and there's no obligation to buy a packet of freshly roasted coffee beans which cost US$20 or J$2000, but unless you are a miserly cheapskate, how could you not get at least one, when it's good coffee at such a good price?

After landing in Kingston, I was fast becoming sick of our commonwealth cousins. Alex Twyman's Old Tavern Blue Mountain Coffee Estate offered me a white haven and i could finally relax. it was only on the fourth day of my stay that i realised slavery was still rife at Alex Twyman's Old Tavern Blue Mountain Coffee Estate, this only added to the trip as I believe in the days of the Empire. Distinct lack of Baby buggy parking but the grandson George seemed to love looking after the kids.Good food, Good (white) people, Great coffee, excellent segregation loved it....Brackenthedeaddog2870

It is a fabulous destination...well rewarded with rich coffee & views memories are made of...BUT, it's the background story of the Tymans that is truly in-depth, for their struggle to have purity of Blue Mountain coffee (without being diluted by other beans, grown at lower elevations), which is soul touching...it cost them the life of their son who was murdered. If you can locate the Saveur Magazine with the story, you'll be touched!

Not easy to find or to drive to but well worth the effort for the more adventurous traveller. Mrs Twyman is a delightful hostess, explaining in detail the process from planting to roasting, with tasting samples accompanied by wonderful home baking, sat on the verandah overlooking the plantation. Bear in mind this is a small family operation and a visit has to fit in with everyday business, so there may be interruptions to the "tour", but the welcome is warm and the coffee is fabulous, do not miss the opportunity to buy some of the world's best coffee at source.

My husband and I took the optional tour to Mrs Twyman's coffee estate high up in the blue mountains. The drive to get there is not for the faint hearted and I felt decidedly car sick when we returned to our accommodation. However it was really worth the discomfort to be welcomed by Mrs Twyman who is a very gracious lady. She answered our endless questions about growing and roasting coffee with patience and then, after trying coffee beans to see which we liked best, made us a pot of it. We sat looking out at her stupendous view drinking coffee and enjoying her homemade baking from her lounge. Even better is the fact that we bout 3 bags to bring home. They will be for special moments!

Hard to find as there is no signpost, yet it offers a great panorama view of the estate and the Blue Mountains. The "tour" is personal and very interesting. The coffee tastes great and is very exclusive.Perfect attraction for individual travelers.

The stay was incredible & we look forward to coming back!The Jamaican coffee was amazing. We took some back home with us and found a lot of coffee recipes online to enjoy and wanted to share the URLhttp://www.jamaicanbluemountaincoffeeonline.com/Coffee-Recipes.htmlStephanie & AlexCalifornia, US

Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is widely hailed as the best in the world. The Twyman's may just have the best Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee. I visited their estate right after Hurricane Ivan in 2004, so it wasn't in the best of shape (nor was the road to get there) - but they were gracious hosts, talking to me and my friend about the coffee business, the process of growing, the intricacies of the exporting coffee, and showed me around their home-headquarters, small roasting facility, and answered my myriad questions (and even sold me some amazing coffee).They're not really "set up" as a tour destination or museum or anything, so call before you show up - you're inviting yourself to their house, and they may be in the middle of harvest or who knows what - but if they're there, they're wonderful people to chat with over a shot of espresso.

Auf einer Tour stoppten wir bei Twymans Coffee und wurden herzlich von Dorothy Twyman empfangen und zu einem Kaffeeplausch eingeladen. Der Kaffee ist wirklich gut und dieser fantastische Geruch trägt viel zu dieser dieser schönen heimeligen Atmosphäre bei. Ein herzlichliches Dankeschön an Dorothy für die Gastfreundschaft und für die leckeren Plätzchen. Ich komme wieder!