Characteristics and Stories of the World's Most Expensive Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Beans - How Much is a Cup of Authentic Blue Mountain Coffee

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What is the Price of the World's Most Expensive Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee? How Much Does a Cup of FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain Cost?

FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Beans - Authentic BlueMount Blue Mountain No.1 Coffee - 100g roasted for 158 yuan, 60 yuan per cup

The History of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee

The history of Jamaican coffee beans stretches back a long way. In 1728, the then-British Governor Sir Nicholas Lawes imported coffee from the French island of Martinique to Jamaica. Due to the local climate being extremely suitable for growing coffee beans, Jamaica exported 83,000 pounds of premium coffee just nine years after introduction. The Blue Mountain coffee production area is located in eastern Jamaica. Only coffee grown at altitudes between 3,000-5,500 feet within this region can be called authentic [Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee]. Coffee grown at altitudes of 1,500-3,000 feet can only be called [Jamaica High Mountain], while coffee grown below 1,500 feet elevation is designated as [Jamaica Supreme] or [Jamaica Low Mountain]. Areas above 5,500 feet are protected forest land where coffee cultivation is prohibited.

The Origin and Characteristics of Blue Mountain

The Blue Mountain Range is located in eastern Jamaica. Surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, on clear days when the sun shines directly on the azure sea surface, the peaks reflect the brilliant blue light of the seawater, hence the name. The highest peak of Blue Mountain reaches 2,256 meters, making it the highest peak in the Caribbean region and a famous tourist destination. This area lies within the coffee belt, with fertile volcanic soil, fresh air, no pollution, and a humid climate with year-round fog and rain (average rainfall of 1,980 mm and temperature around 27°C). Such climate conditions have created the world-renowned Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee, as well as the world's highest-priced coffee. This coffee possesses all the characteristics of fine coffee—not only is it rich and mellow in flavor, but due to the perfect balance of coffee's sweet, sour, and bitter notes, it has no bitterness at all, with only moderate and perfect acidity. Typically consumed as a single-origin coffee, due to its extremely limited production and incredibly high price, the market generally uses similar-tasting coffee as a substitute.

The Secret Behind Blue Mountain's Pure Flavor

The "secret" to why Blue Mountain coffee tastes so pure lies in several factors. Their coffee trees all grow on rugged mountain slopes, making harvesting extremely difficult—only skilled local female workers can handle this demanding task. During harvesting, selecting perfectly ripe coffee beans is crucial, as under-ripe or over-ripe beans will affect the coffee quality. After picking, coffee beans must be hulled the same day, then fermented for 12-18 hours. Following this, the beans undergo washing and screening. The next step is drying, which must be conducted on concrete floors or thick blankets until the coffee bean moisture content drops to 12%-14%. The beans are then stored in specialized warehouses. When needed, they are taken out for roasting and then ground into powder. These procedures must be strictly controlled; otherwise, the coffee quality will be affected.

Jamaican Government's Efforts to Improve Quality

The Jamaican government made serious efforts primarily to increase coffee production and establish central coffee processing facilities to facilitate coffee processing and green bean grading. These measures indeed improved quality but were not entirely successful. In 1943, Canada, then the largest buyer of Jamaican coffee, still could not accept this quality level. In 1944, the Jamaican government established the central coffee [water] processing plant, where all coffee intended for export had to be sent for processing and grading. From this point, the quality of Jamaican exported coffee gradually improved. In June 1950, the Jamaican Coffee Board was established, formally making the state responsible for the quality of exported coffee beans. Currently, there are five government-certified 100% Blue Mountain coffee processing plants: Wallenford, Mavis Bank, Old Tavern, Silver Hill, and Moy Hall.

The Rarity and Value of Blue Mountain Coffee

Blue Mountain coffee is a high-quality Caribbean coffee that, like coffee from other countries, suffers damage from natural hurricanes. Too many damaged beans have been cup-tested and found to have cabbage-like flavors. In years when hurricanes strike, prices are always affected and sometimes the coffee cannot be sold at all. Additionally, the hot and humid environment of island nations often causes coffee to suffer from insect damage or develop white spots. Truly flawless coffee beans are always scarce. Combined with the fact that Japanese buyers purchase 70-80% of Blue Mountain coffee, prices remain high. Authentic high-altitude 100% pure Blue Mountain coffee is produced by Jamaican national processing plants, where the coffee is packed in special wooden barrels, each bearing a certificate.

R.S.W Blue Mountain Coffee - The Pinnacle of Quality

R.S.W Blue Mountain Coffee is composed of three local coffee estates in Jamaica's Blue Mountain region: Resource, Sherwood Forest, and Whitfield Hall. It represents the most stable and highest quality among Blue Mountain coffees. Each estate has a history of over 180 years. The estate owners joined hands in cooperation and, several years later, created the legend of barrel-aged Blue Mountain estate brand coffee. R.S.W only processes coffee from its own group of estates and absolutely does not buy beans from other estates. They primarily use the Sherwood coffee processing plant (built before 1800) as their exclusive processing facility. Coffee cherries from all three estates are sent here for processing. Freshly harvested coffee cherries are placed in a humidity-controlled storage room, and every detail of the processing process is handled with extreme care to provide buyers with the finest Blue Mountain coffee.

Property Characteristics

Estate: RSW Estates (composed of three R.S.W estates)

Grade: Certified 100% Blue Mountain

Region: Blue Mountain

Country: Jamaica

Mark: Sherwood Coffee Processing Plant

Altitude: 3,000-5,500 feet

Coffee Characteristics

Varietal: Jamaica Blue Mountain Cultivar

Processing: Wet-processed

Dripper: Hario V60

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Method:

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 3.5

Brewing Technique: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g coffee grounds. First pour 25g water for 25s bloom. Second pour to 120g, then pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to halfway, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g total. Extraction time approximately 2:00 minutes.

Analysis:

Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, pausing during pouring helps extend the extraction time.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473