Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Brands, Classification, Prices & Characteristics: What Grade and Class Does Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Belong To

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Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans are likely familiar to many people, having become one of the first names that comes to mind when many people learn about coffee. In particular, Blue Mountain No. 1, as the highest grade coffee bean in the Jamaican Blue Mountain region, was extremely expensive years ago due to the immature coffee market and limited production. Consequently, Blue Mountain coffee became synonymous with expensive coffee and high quality.

Today, with adjustments in Jamaican government policies, the domestic market has more opportunities to import Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans, and prices have naturally adjusted to become more accessible. FrontStreet Coffee currently sells Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans from Jamaica's Clifton Estate. When brewed with 15g portions, each cup of Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee costs only about 25 yuan, making it an extremely cost-effective coffee with very balanced and mellow flavor.

Characteristics of Blue Mountain Coffee

Although Blue Mountain coffee is not the most expensive coffee, it certainly serves as a benchmark for good coffee. The Blue Mountain coffee beans sold by FrontStreet Coffee are medium-dark roasted. Through cupping comparisons, Blue Mountain coffee not only has rich and mellow flavor, but also perfectly balances the three tastes of coffee: sweetness, acidity, and bitterness. While being mellow, it maintains a moderate and perfect acidity.

Growing Environment of Blue Mountain Coffee

This balanced flavor profile is attributed to the rich volcanic soil of the Blue Mountains, as well as the suitable climate brought by the island terrain and various microclimates ideal for coffee tree growth.

The region where Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee is grown is located at elevations of 910-1700m in the Blue Mountains, while the Blue Mountain coffee sold by FrontStreet Coffee is grown at Clifton Estate at 1310m elevation. Coffee beans grown at high altitudes have extended growth periods due to the temperature difference between day and night, allowing the coffee to develop more sweetness and flavor complexity.

Varieties of Blue Mountain Coffee

The delicious taste of Blue Mountain coffee is inseparable from the mineral-rich volcanic soil of the Blue Mountains and the year-round warm, rain-abundant microclimate. Additionally, the variety grown here is one of the oldest coffee varieties in the Arabica lineage - the clean and elegant Typica variety.

The first coffee tree on the Blue Mountains 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.

Does Blue Mountain Coffee Have Other Grades?

Blue Mountain coffee beans have three grades: Blue Mountain No. 1, Blue Mountain No. 2, and Blue Mountain No. 3. All Blue Mountain coffee entering the Chinese market is of Blue Mountain No. 1 grade. The difference lies in the size of the coffee fruit (coffee beans), and all three grades must have a defect rate of no more than 2% after processing.

Currently, authentic Blue Mountain coffee beans purchased in China are all of Blue Mountain No. 1 grade. At FrontStreet Coffee's physical stores, you can see the wooden barrels required by the Jamaican government for exporting Blue Mountain coffee, as well as the certificate of origin from the Blue Mountain coffee's source (Clifton Estate).

How to Brew Blue Mountain Coffee Beans for Great Taste?

For specialty-grade coffee beans like Blue Mountain No. 1, FrontStreet Coffee believes that drip-brewed black coffee best allows enjoyment of Blue Mountain's unique aroma. Blue Mountain coffee is roasted darker, with flavors leaning toward rich and mellow profiles. FrontStreet Coffee's baristas use the KONO dripper, utilizing its tight fit between filter paper and dripper to achieve immersion-style extraction during pour-over brewing, resulting in higher coffee concentration. Additionally, to avoid over-extraction that would make the coffee bitter and strong, FrontStreet Coffee uses slightly cooler hot water and a coarser grind setting.

FrontStreet Coffee's in-store extraction parameters: KONO dripper, 88°C water temperature, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, 15g coffee dose, grind size (70-75% retention on No. 20 standard sieve).

Pouring method is as follows: First pour 30g of hot water for a 30-second bloom, then pour from the center with a fine water stream, slowly spiraling outward to 125g. Wait until the water level in the dripper drops to just before exposing the coffee bed, then continue spiraling to 225g. Total extraction time is approximately 2 minutes. Finally, stir the extracted coffee liquid evenly before tasting.

When FrontStreet Coffee brewed Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans, caramel aroma was detected during the bloom stage. Tasting revealed rich mellow nutty and dark chocolate flavors, with a full-bodied overall texture and a sweet, clean aftertaste.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473