If you like good quality coffee beans, you must have heard of excellent ones such as Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans. These coffee beans are appreciated by coffee lovers for their smooth taste.
And it’s no surprise. Coffee is one of the best-grown cash crops in Jamaica. That’s why it’s one of the Caribbean countries that’s famous for its tropical-themed coffee beverages.
These coffee drinks are characterized by flavorful coffee and liquors such as Rum and Kahlua. A good example is Jamaican Me Crazy Coffee. A beverage that brings to mind a feeling of lying on the beach, and enjoying the sun, as you relax to the slow beat of island life.
What makes it so good? Let’s find out.
What is Jamaican Me Crazy coffee?
Jamaican Me Crazy coffee is a twist on Irish coffee with a Caribbean feel. It is made by mixing caramel, vanilla, and hazelnut-flavored ingredients such as Kahlua coffee liqueur and Rum.
People often garnish their cup of Jamaica Me Crazy coffee with coffee beans or have it with some chocolate-covered coffee beans on the side.
Rum is used in this well-loved Caribbean coffee because it is often taken in Jamaica after a meal or served in after-dinner desserts. It also blends well with other alcoholic beverages used in Caribbean cocktails, such as Irish cream and coffee liqueurs. That’s why Kahlua is an important part of the Jamaican Me Crazy coffee recipe.
The ingredients used in Rum, such as pure cane sugar, give Jamaican Me Crazy coffee a sweet, smoky flavor. Dark Rum is preferred, although some people use Rum-inspired liqueurs such as Tia Maria.
Why Tia Maria? Tia Maria is a dark coffee liqueur, which makes it a great addition to any coffee recipe requiring dark Rum. It is also of Jamaican origin and is made with vanilla, Jamaican Rum, and cane sugar (essential ingredients in Caribbean coffee cocktails).
The alcoholic ingredients in Jamaican Me Crazy coffee may have you thinking it can only be made of alcohol. Is that so? Does that mean Jamaican Me Crazy coffee can only be made using alcohol? No!
You can also prepare a non-alcoholic version of Jamaican Me Crazy coffee. That will require you to replace the alcoholic dark Rum with alcohol-free Rum or spiced molasses. There are also those who make a rum replacement drink made by combining water, molasses, raisins, butter, black tea, and salt.
You don’t have to worry about Kahlua because there are simple non-alcoholic Kahlua substitutes you can use for this recipe.
The Best Coffee Beans for Jamaican Me Crazy Coffee
Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is the most popular brand of coffee beans used to make Jamaican Me Crazy coffee. And because it is expensive, people use other coffee beans such as Dominican, Nicaraguan, Cuban, and Costa Rican coffee beans.
Why are Jamaican coffee beans so expensive? They are grown in high-altitude, cool areas that get plenty of rainfall. The result is dense, uniquely flavored coffee beans that are well-known worldwide for making rich and delicious coffee. These coffee beans are characterized by creamy, sweet, chocolatey flavors.
Medium roast Arabica coffee beans are preferred for making Jamaican Me Crazy coffee. They create a coffee beverage with a smooth mouthfeel and vibrant taste.
Another thing that gives Jamaican Me Crazy coffee an unforgettable taste is caramel syrup. It’s a great alternative to sugar because it adds a candy flavor to coffee without giving it a cloying taste. Caramel also merges perfectly with the flavor notes in Rum and Kahlua, which is why Jamaican Me Crazy coffee is so amazing.
What Else Makes Jamaican Me Crazy Coffee Taste So Great?
You may wonder if caramel-flavored syrup, Rum, and Kahlua are all that make Jamaican Me Crazy coffee delicious. No, the vanilla syrup or coffee beans used in this recipe marry perfectly with the floral and fruity notes in the alcohol and Arabica coffee beans used to make it.
All these ingredients give Jamaican Me Crazy coffee a powerful fragrance that makes it quite inviting. That’s why vanilla is often used as an ingredient in desserts and cakes. When combined with Rum and Kahlua, vanilla makes Jamaican Me Crazy coffee one of the best coffee cocktails to have when you want to relax.
You may also be surprised to know that vanilla adds medicinal properties to Jamaican Me Crazy coffee. It is known to reduce inflammation in the stomach, making it an excellent ingredient to add to coffee as it reduces its acidic properties.
The dollops of whipped cream used to garnish Jamaican Me Crazy coffee also give it an appealing creamy consistency and cut down the alcoholic content in this beverage.
So you can expect a mug of Jamaican Me crazy coffee to go down smoothly while improving your mood and giving you a nice relaxing feeling without suffering any physical discomfort.
Here is a recipe for Jamaican Me Crazy coffee you can try at home.
Jamaican Me Crazy coffee cocktail recipe
Ingredients
A cup of coffee brewed with Jamaican Me Crazy coffee beans
A shot of dark Rum
A shot of Kahlua
Caramel syrup
Vanilla extract
Dollops of whipped cream
Procedure
- Pour the Rum, Kahlua, and some drops of vanilla extract into a glass coffee mug and stir.
- Add the hot coffee and caramel syrup to the coffee mixture.
- Spoon dollops of whipped cream on the coffee.
- Sprinkle cinnamon, cocoa, or chocolate shavings on top to garnish.
- You can also top your glass of Jamaican Me Crazy coffee with a coffee bean, as is often done in the Caribbean.
- Enjoy your cup of Jamaican Me Crazy coffee with a slice of caramel cake.
What if you don’t like alcoholic coffee beverages? Does that mean you can’t try some Jamaican Me Crazy coffee? Yes, you can.
A non-alcoholic version of Jamaican Me Crazy coffee is easy to make using flavored syrups instead of the alcohol recommended above.
Some of the ingredients to include are rum-flavored syrup, vanilla beans, chocolate syrup, heavy cream, whipped cream, and strong Espresso coffee.
You can also use non-alcoholic Rum and Irish cream. If these non-alcoholic beverages are hard to find, make Irish cream and Kahlua at home for your non-alcoholic Jamaican Me Crazy coffee recipe.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to make Jamaican Me Crazy coffee, why don’t you use this recipe to prepare coffee cocktails during a special occasion? It makes a great after-dinner or dessert drink. You can also take it during the weekends whenever you feel like switching from your regular coffee beverages.
Although Jamaican Me Crazy Coffee is not something you can have every day due to its high-calorie content, it’s a great beverage to have once in a while when you want to relax.
Also read: The Establishment of Coffee Plantations in Central and South America
