How Much Does Authentic Blue Mountain Coffee Cost for 100g? What's Included Under Jamaica's Blue Mountain Coffee R.S.W. Estates

Authentic Blue Mountain Coffee: Price, Estates, and Identification Guide

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R.S.W Blue Mountain Estates

R.S.W Blue Mountain Estate is located in the mountainous region of southeastern Jamaica. R.S.W refers to 100% Blue Mountain coffee beans produced from its Resource, Sherwood Forest, and Whitfield Hall estates. The coffee in these three regions is grown at altitudes between 700 and 1,600 meters, where the mountains are often shrouded in cool clouds, creating ideal conditions for coffee tree growth. After harvesting, all coffee cherries are centrally processed at the Sherwood Forest washing station.

The Sherwood Forest processing station uses a "fermentation" washing method to remove the coffee's mucilage layer. This "fermentation" approach differs from many modern processing plants that use stiff brushes to forcibly remove the mucilage layer for faster processing. The fermentation method allows green beans to undergo moderate fermentation in a controlled environment, followed by thorough washing with clean water. The green beans absorb transformed sugars during the fermentation process, resulting in cleaner, fuller coffee flavors.

After washing, instead of using machine drying, all parchment beans are sun-dried to reduce the moisture content to 11-13%. This sun-drying process allows the green beans to undergo another transformation, making the overall coffee aroma richer and fuller. Finally, defective beans are removed through manual selection, ensuring the green beans are both complete and visually appealing.

To maintain the reputation and quality of Blue Mountain coffee, the Jamaican government requires that all processed Blue Mountain coffee be sent to the C.I.B. Coffee Industry Board warehouse for actual sampling and subsequent export. Several cuppers at the C.I.B. Coffee Industry Board conduct a series of grading steps upon receiving anonymous coffee samples, including defect bean inspection, green bean color assessment, and actual cupping.

Blue Mountain Coffee Grading System

Currently, Blue Mountain coffee grades are divided into No.1, No.2, No.3, PB (Peaberry), and Triage grades. No.1 is defined as having 96% of green beans pass through 17/18 mesh screens, with a defect rate not exceeding 2%, and the green beans must be emerald green. Throughout the grading process, cuppers do not know which estate the tested samples come from, making the entire process extremely rigorous and meticulous.

Mr. Willie, who is responsible for quality control, states that Blue Mountain coffee's greatest pride lies in their extremely strict quality control system. From green bean grading and cupping to export, everything is handled by the C.I.B. Coffee Industry Board without outsourcing to third parties. Only through these strict quality control processes can Blue Mountain coffee maintain its quality and reputation throughout the coffee industry.

FrontStreet Coffee's Seasonal Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee's seasonal Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Beans - Authentic Blue Mountain No.1 Fresh Coffee 100g - 158 yuan per 100g

Light Roast Profile

Features aromas of apple, lemon, jasmine, and rose, with a delicate elegance and rich coffee fragrance. The soft fruit acidity has distinctive brightness, with the vivid fruit acidity transforming into a gentle sweetness. The layers are distinct, creating a pleasant and comfortable leisurely feeling. Not too intense, with moderate richness and body, moderate oil content, smooth and easy to drink, all flavors achieve perfect and excellent balance.

Medium-Dark Roast Profile

The coffee fragrance contains subtle cream aromas, along with walnut, chestnut, and nutty notes. In the barely perceptible fruit acidity, there's a hint of bitterness and sweetness. Moderate intensity and richness, smooth and easy to drink with a pleasant aftertaste. After tasting, you can feel that besides the aforementioned sensations, this coffee also possesses several essential characteristics of top-tier coffee: the cleanliness of mountain spring water, natural sweetness, and delicate, smooth texture.

How to Identify Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee

1. Country of Origin

Blue Mountain coffee is produced in Jamaica. Sometimes products with "Blue Mountain" labeling appear on the market, but they are not produced in Jamaica, so caution is needed.

2. Blue Mountain BLEND Coffee

BLEND means blend, and the standard is containing 30% Blue Mountain coffee. Some packaging uses large fonts to indicate "Blue Mountain Coffee" while inconspicuously using small fonts to label "BLEND." In reality, these contain only a small amount of Blue Mountain beans and differ from pure Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee in terms of aroma, taste, and price.

3. Jamaica Blue Mountain Classification

(1) Jamaican Coffee "Grades"

Only coffee from the specific Blue Mountain region at elevations of 800-1500 meters can be called Blue Mountain coffee.

Coffee produced in high mountain regions at elevations of 500-1000 meters is called High Mountain coffee.

Coffee produced in regions at elevations of 300-500 meters is called Jamaica coffee.

(2) Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee "Grades"

Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is divided into 4 grades: No.1, No.2, No.3, and No.4. Among these, No.1 commands a significantly higher price.

(3) No.1 Quality Inspection Standards

• Coffee bean size grade: 17-19
• Defect bean mixing rate: less than 3%
• Moisture content: 10-12.5%
• Must pass evaluation by at least three nationally certified inspectors on six taste attributes: roasted bitterness, aroma, bitterness, richness, acidity, aftertaste, and off-flavors

Due to these extremely demanding requirements, only 30% of Blue Mountain coffee can meet the No.1 quality standards.

4. Japan and Blue Mountain Coffee

In 1969, when Jamaica's Blue Mountain coffee production was in crisis due to hurricane damage, it received substantial assistance from Japanese companies. Consequently, an agreement was signed to provide 90% of the annual production to the Japanese market. This agreement has been strictly honored to this day.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Method

Dripper: KONO dripper
Water Temperature: 88°C
Grind Size: Small Fuji grinder setting 4
Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:14, 17g coffee grounds. First infusion: 25g water, 30-second bloom. Second infusion: continue to 238g total water. Extraction time: approximately 2:30 minutes.

Analysis

The KONO dripper doesn't have many ribs at the bottom, causing the filter paper to fit tightly against the dripper, achieving the purpose of restricting airflow. This allows water and coffee grounds to have longer contact and soaking time in the dripper, ensuring extraction time and rate for coarse grinding. This enables the coffee grounds to be fully extracted, enhancing the rich mouthfeel and making the flavor more concentrated.

Flavor Profile

High balance, clean taste, thick and solid mouthfeel, with a persistent dark chocolate aftertaste.

Important Notice :

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Tel:020 38364473