Is There Authentic Blue Mountain Coffee in China? Has Jamaica Exported Coffee Beans to Mainland China?

Has Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Really Been Exported?

The answer is: of course it has.

According to data from the World Trade Organization and China Customs, Jamaica's total global coffee export volumes over the past 5 years look like this:

2011: 842 tons
2012: 592 tons
2013: 692 tons
2014: 449 tons
2015: 555 tons

China's import volumes over the same 5 years:

2011: 19 tons
2012: 17 tons
2013: 3 tons
2014: 2 tons
2015: 2 tons

(All figures are official statistics, for reference only.) China's import volume is admittedly tiny - hardly a national-scale trade. But! By trade value China has cracked the top 20, ranking 17th. Jamaica Blue Mountain is simply that expensive: at prices north of 10,000 yuan per barrel, not every buyer can afford to ship entire containers back home.

Who Are the Major Players in Jamaica's Coffee Trade?

In 2015, the top 10 buyers were:
1st: Japan - 366 tons (the runaway champion for 5 consecutive years)
2nd: United States - 94 tons
3rd: United Kingdom - 32 tons
4th: Germany - 17 tons
5th: Belgium - 16 tons
6th: South Korea - 10 tons
7th: Sweden - 6 tons
8th: Canada - 4 tons
9th: China - 2 tons
10th: Taipei, China - 2 tons

Why Is Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee So Coveted?

The Blue Mountains sit in the eastern part of Jamaica. Surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, the peaks catch the brilliant blue light reflected off the sea on clear, sunny days - hence the name. The range's highest point reaches 2,256 meters, making it the tallest peak in the Caribbean and a famous tourist destination. Lying within the coffee belt, the area boasts fertile volcanic soil, fresh unpolluted air, and a humid climate that is foggy and rainy year-round (average rainfall of 1,980 mm, temperatures around 27°C). That climate, combined with the extreme altitude, created the world-renowned Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee - the second most expensive coffee in the world.

Then Why Is "Blue Mountain" Everywhere in China - on Taobao, Tmall, in Physical Stores and Supermarkets?

:) Start by checking whether the label says "Blue Mountain flavor," "Blue Mountain blend," or something similar. Those are usually not genuine Jamaica Blue Mountain - just products riding on the coattails of a famous name, about as trustworthy as "Chinese-flavor" restaurants in Europe, America, or Australia.

Customs Codes and Import Information

The customs code for raw coffee beans is 0901110000. You can log in to the General Administration of Customs website, register a username, and search import/export data by country and year. Note: the trial version allows only 10 queries per month per username, though you can pay to become a member.

Jamaica Coffee Bean Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted Jamaica coffee - Blue Mountain No.1 beans - offers solid guarantees in both brand and quality, and it is remarkably cost-effective: a half-pound (100g) package works out to roughly 6 cups at 15g of grounds per cup, a fraction of what cafes charge per cup.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For anyone seeking genuine Blue Mountain flavor, the certification trail matters most. Authentic Jamaica Blue Mountain carries no traceability code, but reputable importers hold complete export certification and origin documents - or can show unmistakable details of the green bean itself. On FrontStreet Coffee's product images, for instance, you can see the certificate from Jamaica's Clifton Estate alongside stacks of the wooden barrels in which Blue Mountain green beans are traditionally shipped, in 15, 45, and 70 kg sizes - each barrel itself a hallmark of the genuine article. Other telltale signs of authenticity: green beans that are uniform, plump, slightly upturned at both ends, and green in color; and in the cup, flavor that is dense, aromatic, and impeccably clean, with no off-notes.

FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 comes from the top grade of the classification system, grown at the historic Clifton Estate, where coffee has been cultivated since around 1750. The growing and processing areas sit at an average elevation of 4,300 feet (1,310.64 meters), where high altitude, gentle afternoon cloud cover and mountain shade, ample sunshine, and mineral-rich soil extend the ripening of the coffee cherry. Jamaica's Blue Mountain region produces under 2,500 tons a year, and Japan has historically bought more than 70% of the crop - which is why certified beans are scarce. The beans are roasted to order and shipped within 5 days, using a medium-dark roast that highlights the coffee's mellow, traditional character.

For brewing, FrontStreet Coffee suggests a Kono dripper to accentuate that full body, with 15g of coffee per cup (beans rested 4-7 days from roast date), a grind slightly coarser than for light roasts - roughly white-sugar texture - and water at 87-88°C (hotter water is the most common cause of scorching bitterness). Use a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio in three pours: 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then up to 120g, then up to 225g with a slightly faster pour to avoid clogging the bed. The reward is a cup of remarkable balance: clean and complex, with chocolate sweetness, deep body, gentle acidity, and a long fruit-toned finish - the classic reason Blue Mountain has been called the premium coffee almost everyone loves.