18 Cool Jamaican Gifts That Will Show You Did Your Research

I was inspired to draw up a post of things Jamaicans love for the friends of my islanders who are overseas and missing a little home during the holiday. I’m sure your friends and family will love any of these unique Jamaican gifts that bring a little bit of warmth from home.

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If you’re looking for something fun to give to a Jamaican for Christmas or their birthday then this is for you! These Jamaican gift ideas are traditional to my island people, things we love when we’re home and appreciate even more when we’re abroad.

You’ll find some unique Jamaican gifts for him too so if you snagged a Jamaican man, keep reading!

1. Clarks: A classic gift for a Jamaican man

This shoe brand is so popular in Jamaican culture that there’s an entire Dancehall song by Vybz Kartel called Clarks. Jamaican men love them a good Desert Boot or Wallabee Shoe.

2. A Solid Dutchie

You can’t be a Jamaican without a Dutch pot in your collection, really. And if they have one already, they can use another, trust me. Look through the kitchen wares and see if they need this deep one or if they’re missing the frying pan version. These Lodge brand pans come very highly rated and will make the brown stew chicken, curry goat, and stew pork seriously more delicious than any non-stick skillet. It’s a must for Sunday dinner cooking!

3. A Jamaican Towel

High on the list of Jamaican presents is everything with our flag. Because we love to represent! This one is a large beach or bath towel or you could go with a smaller hand towel for the bathroom or a set of bandanas, you know, to throw over the headrest in the car.

4. Jamaican Decor for the Car

Speaking of car decor, we Jamaicans love to represent where we’re from and these mini boxing gloves might go over as a corny joke or they might actually really hang them in the car. Give it a try and see which one happens. Of course, they’ll need a Jamaican bumper sticker to match.

5. A Jamaican Cookbook

I have this book and it has been fun to go through it and try some traditional recipes to teach my little one. Growing up, I wasn’t a big fan of meat so things like oxtail, curry goat, and stew beef were a no-go for me. This book has helped me to get down with these traditional Jamaican dishes. This book is sadly now out of publication so may be hard to get. If so, you can snag this one I found below:

I’m intrigued and would check it out! I didn’t realize the Marleys had a cookbook but then why wouldn’t they? They’ve built quite an empire.

Here’s another that features not only Jamaican dishes but Caribbean cooking and some fusion recipes as well. A great one to have for the West Indian home chef in your life. As you can tell, I love books and I think any Jamaican would do well to have a few cookbooks lying around on the coffee table to spread a little of our culture around.

6. Blue Mountain Coffee

Of course, our highly-rated Blue Mountain Coffee would be on this list. Why not try the Marley Coffee brand of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee? Or get the highly-rated Wallenford brand, a company based in Jamaica. Here’s a 16oz bag of Jamaican Coffee Roasters beans if you’re more of a bean person.

You can also try the Marley brand single cups that are compatible with Keurig single-serve coffee machines.

7. Sorrel and Tea

Talk about gifts from Jamaica! Put together a little Jamaica care package of teas and sorrel leaves that we use to make the sorrel drink that’s a Christmas staple.  Sorrel is a rich and delicious drink that’s brewed with ginger and pimento spice and is usually spiked with white rum for adults.

It’s a must at a Jamaican Christmas table along with our ham, jerk chicken, curry goat, and other Christmas favourites. It’s also available as sorrel tea. You’ll notice there’s ginger in that bag to mimic the Christmas drink. We Jamaicans think a little ginger tea will solve any stomach ailment. And sorrel and ginger is a winning combination.

This brand and combination of tea is always in my cupboard. Mint tea is another staple in the Jamaican household and those who do not have access to the plant use these tea bags to get their fix.

I get the straight peppermint tea for my munchkin and the cerasee tea mix is for me. It’s bitter but very good for you! And we both love cinnamon which I tend to mix with other teas such as chamomile or floral teas. These would be some cool things to buy in Jamaica as well and bring back with you to share with your tea lovers.

8. Football Socks

If you’re looking for gifts for a Jamaican man, this is it. You might be inclined to call it soccer but your Jamaican friends know it’s football. As a Jamaican, it’s highly likely he loves him some football! He might not get a chance to play but will probably still appreciate repping Jamaica by way of Jamaican-themed socks. Here’s an ankle sock version and ladies here are some over the knee socks if you’d like.

9. A Jamaican Flag

A flag! Of course! This is the perfect Jamaican gift. Fly your flag high outside your home or use it as decor somewhere inside. Many of my Jamaican overseas friends hang a flag on their garage walls, behind a door in their house or somewhere else where it will be seen and appreciated by family and visitors. Keep it handy for the West Indian Memorial Day parade too!

10. A Baby Onesie

If you’re looking for gifts for a Jamaican woman or know of a little Jamaican baby on the way, get them this cute onesie! The repping starts from the eye deh a knee!  That’s a Jamaican saying, usually said when referring to one’s own childhood. “Mi a rep Jamaica from mi eye deh a mi knee!” As in when you were yay high. *gestures to the height of a kid*

11. A Jamaican Skin for your Game Controller

This one comes by popular demand, meaning my little kiddo got excited when she saw it. She thinks it would be a great gift for her dad who’s a PS4 fanatic. She proceeded to tell me how to do moves with this controller when playing Mortal Combat, one of her dad’s fave games that they play together. If your Jamaican friend is an Xbox player, there’s a skin for them here too.

12. Bluetooth Earphones

We always need more earphones. This is from the House of Marley brand. I have the wired earphones and can confirm that they’re of really great quality. Now that I’m seeing these I’m thinking of picking them up for myself as well. Here’s a Jamaican airpod case if you’re more of a bud kinda person.

13. A Jamaica Lapel Pin

This lapel pin would make a great stocking stuffer! What an awesome way to rep in the boardroom. I didn’t realize the wide array of Jamaican gifts online, and now I want this for myself. I don’t even know why.

14. Jamaican Swimwear

This one isn’t even just for your Jamaican friends, it’s for you too! Going on vacation to Jamaica? Represent in one of these. These swim trunks, one-piece swimsuit, or incredibly cute one-shoulder bikinis are a fashionable addition to anyone’s wardrobe whether you’re Jamaican or planning to visit soon.

15. Jamaican T-Shirts

I couldn’t leave Jamaican t-shirts out of the list. Everybody loves a good Jamaican tee, whether you’re from Jamaica or not. Here’s a polo shirt for the athletic guys and a Jamaican hat to pull it all together.

16. Dominoes! The Perfect Jamaican Gift

High on the list of things Jamaicans love, are dominoes! A staple at a Jamaican game night, you can find dominoes being played at every bar and street corner in some neighbourhoods in Jamaica. Even if your Jamaican friend doesn’t get the chance to play, they will smile when they realize you researched their culture to think of this Jamaican-themed gift. And for the diehards, keep it on-brand with a Jamaican-themed domino table.

17. Jamaican Jerk Sauce

This one is for you too. Authentic Jamaican jerk sauce right from the source. This jerk sauce was a favourite of mine at home and I buy it from Amazon and use it wherever in the world I am. Use it on fish, chicken, meat, poultry, veggies, and everything you can put your hands on.

18. Jamaican Books

This one will come down to the taste and preference of who you’re buying for but trust me when I say, you can’t miss with the Jamaican Book of Proverbs. Buying books by Jamaican authors is a great idea and we have many many distinguished authors to choose from. But every Jamaican will love this particular book of Jamaican sayings because it hits that nostalgic bone.

They will open it and be reminded of their childhood whether they grew up in Jamaica or had a Jamaican parent or grandparent who used to recite these to them especially when they were in or about to get into some mischief. They’ll want to share these with their kids. This one will be a tearjerker!

The Perfect Jamaican Gifts

Did I leave anything off the list? What other Jamaican-themed presents can you think of that I can add? Listen, if it’s one thing about us Jamaicans, it’s that we’re proud of our heritage. So don’t feel any hesitation regarding these Jamaican gifts, I’ve listed items we all use and love.

Now if you’re in Jamaica and wondering what to bring back home with you, read this post on the Jamaican souvenirs to bring home!

If you’re looking for a gift for a Jamaican friend, did anything on the list tickle your fancy? Let me know in the comments below and please share this post if you found it useful.