Is Blue Mountain Coffee a thing of the past? Let's explore the charm of Jamaican coffee

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The Rise and Fall of Blue Mountain Coffee

When specialty coffee had not yet entered the public eye and most people's understanding of coffee remained at vague classifications like "black coffee" and "milk coffee," Jamaica Blue Mountain stood at the pinnacle of the coffee world with its extraordinary reputation, winning public respect for its balanced and mild flavor profile.

However, as the saying goes "fortune turns like a wheel," with the wave of specialty coffee that has swept across the globe over the past decade, new varieties represented by Panama Geisha have made Blue Mountain coffee seem like a thing of the past with their more impactful presence.

The Blue Mountain Controversy

Today, it seems the term "Blue Mountain" has become ubiquitous. Searching for coffee beans on various online platforms will reveal many Blue Mountain varieties.

However, there's a significant catch here!

If you look closely at the names of these coffees, they're rarely simply "Blue Mountain Coffee" but rather similar to "Blue Mountain Flavored Coffee" or "Blue Mountain Blend." At least reputable coffee brands follow this practice, though some disreputable coffee brands might directly label them as Blue Mountain. These major brands go to great lengths to use such names because these coffees are not strictly Blue Mountain coffee.

Because of this, in the eyes of many baristas, discussing "Blue Mountain Coffee" is often one of the three topics in the coffee world considered "uncultured" or "outdated." (The other two are "Kopi Luwak" and "Why is this coffee sour?")

Everyone who knows Blue Mountain coffee knows it's one of the most expensive coffees in the world, but not everyone knows why. Like Rolls-Royce automobiles and Stradivarius violins, when something gains the reputation of "the best in the world," this reputation often gives it its own character and turns it into an eternal myth.

Origin of the "Blue Mountain" Name

The Blue Mountains are located in eastern Jamaica. Because the mountain is 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.

What is Blue Mountain Coffee?

The coffee variety grown in Jamaica's Blue Mountains is Typica, a world-renowned excellent coffee variety. Besides Blue Mountain, famous Hawaiian Kona and Sumatran Mandheling also come from this coffee variety.

The unique geographical advantages are essential factors in achieving Blue Mountain coffee's balanced flavor. As an island nation in the Caribbean Sea, the sea breeze and Blue Mountains together bring abundant rainfall and fertile land to this coffee-growing region. The volcanic rock soil and relatively moderate altitude give Blue Mountain coffee its mild and balanced flavor.

Green Bean Grading of "Blue Mountain Coffee"

In 1950, the Jamaican government established the CIB (Jamaica Coffee Industry Board), a government agency responsible for coffee affairs in Jamaica, overseeing, regulating, and guiding Jamaican coffee cultivation, processing, and trade. The board established quality standards for Jamaican coffee:

Blue Mountain coffee must be grown at an altitude of 910-1,700 meters

High Mountain coffee must be grown at an altitude of 460-910 meters

Jamaica coffee is grown at altitudes of 460 meters and below.

Blue Mountain coffee and High Mountain coffee are each further divided into two grades. From top to bottom by quality: Blue Mountain No. 1, Blue Mountain No. 2, High Mountain No. 1, High Mountain No. 2.

The Coffee Industry Board has also established strict requirements to ensure the quality of Blue Mountain coffee, with clear requirements for the production area, cultivation techniques, harvesting, processing, and roasting methods. Such strict requirements have resulted in low production of Blue Mountain coffee. Additionally, since Japan has consistently invested in Jamaica's coffee industry, most Blue Mountain coffee is controlled by the Japanese, who also have priority purchasing rights. 90% of Blue Mountain coffee is purchased by the Japanese. Since the rest of the world can only obtain 10% of Blue Mountain, Blue Mountain coffee is always in short supply regardless of price.

Flavor of Blue Mountain Coffee

The best Blue Mountain coffee is undoubtedly one of the finest coffees available. Although the price ensures a sufficient supply of Blue Mountain coffee, it cannot guarantee that this coffee has the best flavor. Moreover, this coffee tastes much more expensive than it appears. To taste its best flavor, more coffee beans need to be added than for other coffees, otherwise the flavor falls somewhat short, so expressing its flavor requires adding 10% to 15% more coffee beans than coffees second to it in price.

It is said that genuine Blue Mountain coffee is made from the best local green coffee beans, which is where the connoisseur's pleasure lies. Its flavor is rich, balanced, and fruity with acidity, satisfying people's various needs. In addition, high-quality fresh Blue Mountain coffee has a particularly lasting flavor, just as wine drinkers say—it leaves an endless aftertaste.

Today, Blue Mountain coffee, whose fragrance has long faded, finds it difficult to compete on the international stage. Wave after wave of new coffee stars has rapidly emerged. Among them are coffee-producing countries with advanced agricultural techniques: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, representing improved coffee varieties, plus Ethiopia with its ancient complex flavor profiles from the old world. The international coffee scene is in full bloom.

Opening Teacher Han Huaizong's "Specialty Coffee Studies," there is this evaluation of Blue Mountain coffee: "It holds romantic feelings, fascinated by its poetic and dreamy beautiful name, fascinated by its subtle fragrance and light sweetness, but this infatuation has now vanished like smoke and clouds."

Jamaican Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted Jamaican coffee - [Blue Mountain NO.1 Coffee Beans] offers full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, it offers extremely high value for money. A half-pound (100g) package costs only around 158 RMB. Calculating at 15g per cup, one package can make 6 cups of coffee, with each cup costing only about 25 RMB. Compared to café prices that often exceed 100 RMB per cup, this is truly a conscientious recommendation.

Related recommendations: Jamaican Blue Mountain pour-over suggestions, temperature, grind size, water-to-coffee ratio introduction, flavor profile description

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473