FrontStreet Coffee Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 Coffee: Origin, Varieties, Flavor Characteristics, and Taste Profile

The flavor characteristics of FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee are: nutty flavors with black chocolate notes, low acidity, aromatic richness, gentleness, and a smooth mouthfeel. So what creates these sensory qualities?

I. Varietal

Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is one of the world's renowned island coffees, with the varietal being Typica. In fact, FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee flavor is very easy to identify - it's the distinctive black chocolate flavor found in very traditional, classic Typica coffees. It's not milk chocolate, but a black chocolate flavor with purity above 92%, a taste profile brought by the pure Typica varietal. Typica coffee is highly susceptible to leaf rust disease; originally widely planted Typica coffees in Central and South America were continuously replaced due to rampant leaf rust, but Jamaica, due to its unique geographical advantages, still maintains Typica as the main cultivated variety, with very low incidence of leaf rust.

Because Jamaica is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea, Blue Mountain coffee doesn't have the advantage of high altitude cultivation, so it lacks the pleasant bright acidity found in high-altitude Central American coffees. Mild and low-acidity is the characteristic of FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, despite Blue Mountain's soil also being volcanic. Because the growing altitude is not particularly high, the body of Blue Mountain coffee is medium. We shouldn't describe FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee as full-bodied, but rather as having a gentle aromatic richness.

II. Processing Method

Since the beginning of its cultivation, Jamaican Blue Mountain has consistently adhered to the fully washed processing method. The Jamaicans are quite rigid about this - they absolutely refuse to process Blue Mountain coffee cherries using different methods, which has contributed to the refined and smooth sensory characteristics of FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. As is well known, Japan is the main consumer of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. The reason lies not in its prestigious origin, but rather in its low bitterness, aromatic richness, and low-acidity flavor profile, which better aligns with Japanese sensory preferences for coffee.

III. Roasting

The Jamaican Coffee Industry Board (CIB) has strict and unwavering requirements for roasters authorized to use the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee logo - the roast level must be medium, formerly known as City roast. When certifying roasters, CIB officials repeatedly conduct roast result tests. From this, we can understand that Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is not suitable for light roasting, and coffees bearing the official Jamaican logo are also not allowed to be lightly roasted.

Not only is there strict control over the roast degree, but CIB also has its operational standards for different stages throughout the entire coffee roasting process. Whether it's dehydration time, the time from the start of the Maillard reaction to first crack, or the development time after first crack begins, there are relatively clear technical requirements. Looking at these standards today, they may not be suitable for presenting coffees with floral and fruit-forward flavor profiles, but I believe they are suitable for the green bean characteristics of FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. This approach is precisely based on consideration for Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee from varietal to growing conditions.

Time flies - Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee has a history of over 200 years from its rise to fame to its development today, and I hope it will continue to endure.

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