Blue Mountain Coffee Bean Grading｜What are the Flavor Characteristics of Blue Mountain Geisha Coffee?

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Blue Mountain Coffee is growing Geisha coffee!!! This news surprised both the team at FrontStreet Coffee and coffee enthusiasts, raising curiosity. Many people asked the same question: Is Blue Mountain Geisha considered Blue Mountain coffee? Is Blue Mountain Geisha considered Geisha coffee?

FrontStreet Coffee believes that when approaching the Blue Mountain Geisha coffee beans launched by Clifton Mount Estate, we cannot separate them by saying Blue Mountain means the balanced flavor of Blue Mountain coffee, while Geisha means the charming floral aroma of Geisha coffee. Everything needs innovation. After all, Blue Mountain is a coffee growing region, while Geisha is a coffee variety. We cannot say that Blue Mountain Geisha coffee beans must be exclusively one or the other. The first batch of Blue Mountain Geisha arrived in China in late November 2020, and FrontStreet Coffee was among the first to obtain these Blue Mountain Geisha coffee beans.

Blue Mountain Coffee Growing Region

The Blue Mountains are located in the eastern part of Jamaica, at an elevation of 1,000-1,700 meters. Only coffee grown in this specific region can be considered authentic Blue Mountain coffee. Because the mountains are surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, on clear days when sunlight directly hits the azure sea surface, the peaks reflect the brilliant blue light of the seawater, hence the name. Blue Mountain is situated in the coffee growing belt, with fertile volcanic soil, fresh air without pollution, humid climate, and year-round fog and rain (average rainfall of 1,980 mm, temperature around 27°C). Such climate conditions have created the world-renowned Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.

Here, people use mixed cultivation methods to grow coffee trees, planting them alongside banana and avocado trees on terraced slopes. The terrain is rugged and uneven (all coffee trees are planted on steep mountain slopes), making the harvesting process extremely difficult. Only local experienced female workers can handle this challenging task. It's also crucial to select coffee beans at the perfect stage of ripeness during harvest, as under-ripe or over-ripe beans will affect the coffee quality.

Clifton Mount Estate

All Blue Mountain coffee currently available at FrontStreet Coffee comes from Clifton Mount Estate. The estate began cultivating and producing coffee as early as the mid-18th century (around 1750). The coffee cultivation and processing areas are located at an average altitude of 4,300 feet (1,310.64 meters). The sufficient elevation, gentle afternoon clouds and mist surrounding the mountains for shade, ample sunlight, and mineral-rich soil provide excellent growing conditions for coffee trees and also extend the maturation period of coffee cherries.

Clifton Mount Estate is also the only estate in the Blue Mountain growing region with Rainforest Alliance certification. Rainforest Alliance certification refers to traditional cultivation methods that grow coffee under the shade of native forest trees, benefiting ecosystem protection. Part of the alliance's revenue is also used for wildlife protection in tropical rainforest reserves and improving the living conditions of workers.

What are Blue Mountain No.1, No.2, No.3, and hand-selected PB?

• Blue Mountain No. 1: 96% of coffee beans must be screen size 17/18, with no more than 2% defective beans.
• Blue Mountain No. 2: 96% of coffee beans must be screen size 16, with no more than 2% defective beans.
• Blue Mountain No. 3: 96% of coffee beans must be screen size 15, with no more than 2% defective beans.
• Blue Mountain Peaberry: 96% of coffee beans must be screen size 10 single round beans, with no more than 2% defective beans.

What's the difference between traditional Blue Mountain coffee and Blue Mountain Geisha coffee?

Next, FrontStreet Coffee will conduct a comparative analysis of the most traditional washed Blue Mountain coffee and Blue Mountain Geisha coffee through varietal roasting, cupping, and brewing.

The traditional Blue Mountain coffee variety is Typica: Blue Mountain Typica was transplanted from Martinique to Jamaica's Blue Mountains in the 1720s. After more than 200 years, Blue Mountain Typica has evolved to have better disease resistance, particularly showing superior resistance to coffee berry disease compared to typical Typica varieties. However, when Blue Mountain Typica is grown outside Jamaica, it cannot replicate its characteristic clean, sweet, and subtle aroma. In contrast, the Blue Mountain Geisha coffee variety is Geisha coffee beans: Geisha traveled from Ethiopia to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Costa Rica, and finally to Panama, where it became famous overnight in 2004 after the owner of Hacienda La Esmeralda discovered it and entered it into competition. Geisha coffee beans are elongated in shape, with fresh and pleasant flavors.

Geisha coffee beans must be grown in high-altitude regions to develop rich, charming floral aromas. For example, Hacienda La Esmeralda grows Geisha at an average altitude of over 1,500 meters, while the Blue Mountain coffee region only has an altitude of 1,310 meters. Through cupping Blue Mountain Geisha coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee found that the floral aroma of Blue Mountain Geisha is not obvious. Only careful tasting reveals a subtle jasmine fragrance.

Washed Coffee Bean Processing Method

Both the Blue Mountain Geisha and traditional Blue Mountain coffee obtained by FrontStreet Coffee use Jamaica's specialty washed processing. During processing, the fruit skin and pulp are first removed, allowing fermentation for 12-18 hours. The fermented beans are then placed in pools and moved back and forth, using the friction between beans and the power of flowing water to wash the coffee beans until smooth and clean. After washing, the coffee beans are still encased in parchment, with a moisture content of 50%. They must be sun-dried to reduce the moisture content to 12-14%, otherwise they will continue to ferment and become moldy and spoiled. Afterward, the coffee beans are screened and then stored in specialized warehouses.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Recommendations

Blue Mountain Geisha Coffee Bean Roasting:

Preheat to 180°C, heat at 130, damper opened to 3; return to temperature at 1'32", when the drum temperature reaches 97°C, keep the heat unchanged; at 3 minutes, adjust the damper to 4, at 4 minutes increase heat to 140. When the drum temperature reaches 153.5°C, the bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, entering the dehydration stage. At 8'36", ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, toast aroma clearly transforms into coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. First crack begins at 9'31", develop for 1'28" after first crack, drop at 192°C.

Washed Blue Mountain Coffee Bean Roasting:

Preheat to 165°C, heat at 130, damper opened to 3; return to temperature at 1'32", when the drum temperature reaches 95.8°C, keep the heat unchanged; at 3 minutes, adjust the damper to 4, at 4 minutes increase heat to 140. When the drum temperature reaches 153.3°C, the bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, entering the dehydration stage. At 8'36", ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, toast aroma clearly transforms into coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. First crack begins at 10'06", develop for 3 minutes after first crack, drop at 198.5°C.

FrontStreet Coffee Cupping Comparison

FrontStreet Coffee conducts cupping within 8-24 hours after roasting sample coffee beans. FrontStreet Coffee's baristas typically use 200ml ceramic bowls for cupping. Cupping water temperature is 94°C. Grind size is controlled to achieve 70%-75% pass-through rate on a #20 standard sieve (0.85mm). Ratio: 11 grams of coffee powder to 200ml of hot water, or 1:18.18, which extracts a concentration precisely within the 1.15%-1.35% Golden Cup range, with a steeping time of 4 minutes.

Blue Mountain Geisha Coffee Bean Cupping:

• Dry Aroma: Caramel
• Wet Aroma: Floral
• Flavor: Citrus, berries, grapefruit, caramel, honey

Washed Blue Mountain Coffee Bean Cupping:

• Dry Aroma: Nuts
• Wet Aroma: Chocolate
• Flavor: High cleanliness, good body, balanced acidity, sweetness, and bitterness

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Insights

For comparison purposes, FrontStreet Coffee uniformly used the V60 dripper to brew both Blue Mountain coffees.

• Dose: 15g
• Grind size: Medium-fine (78% pass-through rate on #20 standard sieve)
• Ratio: 1:15
• Water temperature: 91°C
• Dripper: V60 #01

FrontStreet Coffee Segmented Brewing Method:

1. First pour 30g of water, bloom for 30 seconds.
2. After blooming, pour the second segment of water, pouring 100g in a circular motion from center outward. This pour can be done slowly, as Geisha coffee is very extraction-resistant and requires sufficient pouring time to extract its aroma. After pouring, wait for the water level to drop to half.
3. When the coffee bed is about to be exposed, pour the third segment of 95g, for a total of 225g. Wait for the coffee to finish filtering, then remove the dripper. Total brewing time is 1 minute 50 seconds - 2 minutes 5 seconds.

Brewing Flavors:

Blue Mountain Geisha Coffee Bean:

Entry shows citrus acidity, grapefruit's sweet and sour notes, jasmine floral notes in the middle, with a finish of honey and caramel sweetness.

Washed Blue Mountain Coffee Bean:

Entry shows dark chocolate and nut flavors, high clarity, very bright, good body, balanced acidity, sweetness, and bitterness.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473