[One of the World's Most Expensive Coffees] Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Bean Grading? How to

[One of the World's Most Expensive Coffees] Grade Classification of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Beans? How Can It Be Called [Authentic Jamaica Blue Mountain]?

Blue Mountain Coffee is the world's most superior coffee. The Blue Mountain Range is located in eastern Jamaica. When the weather is clear, the sun shines directly on the azure Caribbean Sea, and the peaks reflect the brilliant blue light of the seawater, hence its name. The highest peak of Blue Mountain reaches an altitude of 2256 meters, making it the highest peak in the Caribbean region and a famous tourist destination.

Located in the coffee belt, this area boasts fertile volcanic soil, fresh air free from pollution, a humid climate with year-round fog and rain. Such climatic conditions have created the world-renowned Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee, which also commands the highest prices in the world. Blue Mountain Coffee possesses all the characteristics of fine coffee – not only is it rich and mellow in flavor, but the perfect balance of sweetness, acidity, and bitterness means it has no bitter taste, only moderate and perfect acidity.

Typically consumed as single-origin coffee, its extremely limited production and exorbitant price mean that most market offerings are blends with coffees of similar flavor profiles. Among these, Blue Mountain Coffee and High Mountain Coffee are each further divided into two grades. Ranked from highest to lowest quality: Blue Mountain No. 1, Blue Mountain No. 2, High Mountain No. 1, High Mountain No. 2, and Jamaica Coffee. Generally, only coffee grown between altitudes of 457 to 1524 meters can be called Blue Mountain Coffee. Coffee grown between altitudes of 274 to 457 meters is typically referred to as Jamaica Prime Coffee Beans. In terms of price, Blue Mountain Coffee is several times more expensive than High Mountain Coffee.

Three Grades of Coffee from Jamaica's Blue Mountain Region:

Blue Mountain Coffee

High Mountain Supreme Coffee Beans

Jamaica Prime Coffee Beans

The "Secret" Behind Blue Mountain Coffee's Pure Flavor:

All their coffee trees grow on rugged mountain slopes, making harvesting extremely difficult – only skilled local women workers can handle this task. Selecting perfectly ripe coffee beans during harvest is crucial; underripe or overripe beans will affect the coffee quality. After harvesting, coffee beans must be hulled the same day, then fermented for 12-18 hours. Following this, the beans undergo washing and sorting. The next step is drying, which must be conducted on concrete floors or thick blankets until the bean moisture content drops to 12%-14%. The beans are then stored in special 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.

In 1950, the Jamaican government established the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board, which sets quality standards for Jamaican coffee and oversees their implementation to ensure coffee quality. The board grants special official seals to both raw and roasted coffee exported from Jamaica, making it the world's highest-level national coffee institution. Currently, six trademarks can represent Blue Mountain Coffee's origin: Mavis Bank Central Factory (MBCE), M.H.C.C.T., Portland Blue Mountain Coffee Cooperative (PXXSH), Coffee Industry Board (Wallenford), Coffee Industry Board (St. John's Peak), and J.A.S.

By 1969, conditions improved as Japanese loans were used to enhance production quality, thereby securing the market. Today, this coffee has reached a status of fanatical devotion. By 1981, Jamaica had approximately 1,500 hectares more land cleared for coffee cultivation, followed by investment in an additional 6,000 hectares of coffee land. In fact, today's Blue Mountain region is a small area with only 6,000 hectares of cultivation, making it impossible for all coffee labeled "Blue Mountain" to be grown there. An additional 12,000 hectares are used for growing the other two types of coffee: High Mountain Supreme Coffee and Jamaica Prime Washed Coffee.

In 1717, French King Louis XV ordered coffee cultivation in Jamaica. In the mid-1720s, Jamaica's Governor Sir Nicholas Lawes imported Arabica seeds from Martinique and began promoting cultivation in the St. Andrew region. To this day, St. Andrew remains one of Jamaica's three major Blue Mountain Coffee production regions, with the other two being Portland and St. Thomas.

Within 8 years, Jamaica exported over 375 tons of pure coffee. In 1932, coffee production reached its peak, with over 15,000 tons harvested.

Characteristics of Blue Mountain Coffee:

True Blue Mountain Coffee is made from the finest local raw coffee beans – this is where the connoisseur's pleasure lies. Its flavor is rich, balanced, and fruity with acidity, satisfying various preferences. Additionally, high-quality fresh Blue Mountain Coffee has an exceptionally lasting flavor, much like the endless aftertaste described by wine enthusiasts. The best Blue Mountain Coffee beans are NO. 1 peaberry, also called pearl beans – small, round beans carefully selected from products grown at 2,100 meters altitude, truly the cream of the crop. Flavor: Intensely aromatic with lasting fruity notes.

Bean Appearance: Relatively full. Recommended Roasting Method: Medium roast. Blue Mountain Coffee has very low caffeine content – less than half that of other coffees – aligning with modern health concepts. The same coffee tree species, whether planted in similar climates like Hawaii, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, or anywhere else, cannot produce the taste of Blue Mountain Coffee beans.

Pure Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee perfectly blends the unique flavors of coffee – acidity, bitterness, sweetness, and richness – creating a strongly appealing elegant aroma that other coffees cannot match.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Method:

Dripper: KONO dripper

Water Temperature: 88°C

Grind Size: Fuji Rukon grind size 4

Brewing Technique: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:14, 17g coffee grounds. First pour with 25g water for 30s bloom, then continue pouring until reaching 238g water. Total extraction time around 2:30 minutes.

Analysis: The KONO dripper has few ribs at the bottom, causing the filter paper to cling tightly to the dripper and restricting airflow. This allows water and coffee grounds to have longer contact and steeping time in the dripper, ensuring extraction time and rate for coarsely ground coffee. This enables the coffee grounds to be fully extracted, enhancing the rich mouthfeel and making the flavor more concentrated.

Flavor: High balance, clean taste with substantial richness, and a persistent finish with dark chocolate notes.

Important Notice :

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