The Romantic Meaning and Symbolism of Blue Mountain Coffee | How Does Blue Mountain Coffee Taste?

Before specialty coffee culture became widespread, authentic Blue Mountain Coffee was widely seen as the most expensive coffee in the world — and the one most people first heard of and came to know. Everyone knows Blue Mountain Coffee is expensive, but not everyone knows why. In the past, whenever coffee came up, people would naturally think of Blue Mountain. Because its name is so recognizable, many products on the market are promoted with labels like "Blue Mountain Coffee flavor," "Blue Mountain taste," or "Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee" — but these are never authentic Blue Mountain Coffee. Only beans grown above 666 meters in Jamaica's Blue Mountain range can be called Blue Mountain Coffee.

Authentic Blue Mountain beans were so expensive in the past because the growing area is small, production is relatively low, and Blue Mountain Coffee was monopolized by Japanese buyers, which drove the price up. Today there are more and more high-quality, flavorful coffees, some of which cost several times more than Blue Mountain beans. In addition, in 2008 the Jamaican government canceled Japan's preferential purchasing rights, making authentic Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee easier to buy — which FrontStreet Coffee can provide.

Authenticity Verification

Why are we so certain that the Blue Mountain Coffee beans sold by FrontStreet Coffee are authentic? The raw beans of authentic Blue Mountain No. 1 arrive packaged in wooden barrels, and Jamaica is the only country that packages coffee beans this way. When the beans are exported, the Jamaican government also issues certification. The Blue Mountain Coffee that FrontStreet Coffee provides carries certificates issued by the Jamaican government's Coffee Department. FrontStreet Coffee sources its Blue Mountain beans from Clifton Mountain Estate, the only coffee estate in Jamaica with Rainforest Alliance certification, so the wooden barrels also carry the green frog logo. You can see all of this for yourself at FrontStreet Coffee's physical store.

Japan's Historical Role

So why did Japan once hold priority purchasing rights for Blue Mountain Coffee? In 1969, the Blue Mountain region was struck by a hurricane that threw the coffee industry into crisis. Japanese companies provided loans that helped Blue Mountain Coffee recover to normal levels and secure its market. To thank Japan, Jamaica signed an agreement with it in 1972, granting Japan shares in the estates and priority purchasing rights, with 90 percent of Blue Mountain Coffee sold to Japan after each harvest matured.

As a result, other countries could buy very little Blue Mountain Coffee, and the price was very high. The situation has improved in recent years. By 2008, Blue Mountain Coffee production had recovered to normal levels. Japan had already been buying preferentially for several decades, which in turn allowed more enthusiasts from other countries to experience Blue Mountain's charm. Since 2008 it has become easier to buy Blue Mountain beans — but when purchasing, remember to look for the certificates issued by the Jamaican government and the coffee wooden barrels.

Clifton Mountain Estate

FrontStreet Coffee chooses Blue Mountain Coffee beans from Clifton Mountain Estate because it is the oldest coffee estate on the Blue Mountain range, having begun planting and producing coffee around 1750. FrontStreet Coffee often says that the higher the altitude at which coffee is grown, the more refined its flavor. Although coffee grown above 666m can already be called Blue Mountain Coffee, good coffee always needs higher altitude to give it "soul."

Clifton Mountain Estate grows its coffee at 1,310m altitude. The high elevation gives the growing area abundant sunlight and a gentle afternoon cloud mist, along with mountain forest shade and mineral-rich soil — an excellent environment for the coffee trees, which naturally enhances the flavor of the coffee. The Rainforest Alliance is a global non-governmental organization (NGO) established in New York in 1987. Its aim is to prevent over-development through traditional agricultural methods, protecting natural ecosystems while sustaining the livelihoods of farmers on well-run farms. It protects ecosystems and the people and wildlife that depend on them by changing land-use methods, business practices, and consumer behavior, achieving biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.

Brewing and Flavor Profile

Blue Mountain Coffee has been loved by generation after generation of enthusiasts because its flavor is so balanced, mellow, and solid. To showcase that mellow, balanced character, FrontStreet Coffee's roasters use a medium-dark roast. After you place an order, we ship Blue Mountain Coffee beans within 5 days of roasting. However, the structural changes beans undergo during roasting cause large amounts of carbon dioxide to accumulate inside them, which can disrupt even extraction. So after receiving the beans, you can wait a little before drinking: leave them in their original sealed packaging in a cool, dry place until 5-6 days after the roast date. Once the one-way exhaust valve (which only lets gas out, not in) has released some of the carbon dioxide, brew the coffee — the flavor will be even better.

Brewing Recommendations

Blue Mountain Coffee brewing parameters: 88°C water temperature, a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, 15g of coffee, and a grind size of 70-75 percent pass-through on the #20 standard sieve.

Recommended brewing method: use a conical filter with paper and a three-stage pour. First stage: pour 30g of water to bloom, with a bloom time of 30 seconds. Second stage: pour to about 125g, then wait for the coffee to drain. When it drops to about half, pour the final stage to 225g. Wait until all the coffee has dripped through before ending extraction. Total extraction time is generally about 2 minutes and 10 seconds.

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FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Authentic Blue Mountain Coffee is defined by where it grows and how it is certified: only coffee grown in the designated Blue Mountain area of Jamaica and certified by the government may use the name. FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 comes from the historic Clifton Estate, which has grown and processed coffee since around the mid-18th century on land averaging 4,300 feet (1,310.64 meters), and each lot ships in the traditional wooden barrels bearing detailed batch information, with full origin certification.

FrontStreet Coffee roasts its Blue Mountain within five days of shipping and uses a medium-dark roast to bring out the coffee's mellow, classic character. The beans themselves are even and plump, with a slight upturn at both ends and a greenish color, and the flavor is rich and dense yet clean and tranquil, with no off notes.

For brewing, FrontStreet Coffee suggests choosing a Kono dripper to heighten the mellow body. Use 15g for one serving and let the beans rest 4-7 days from the roast date (counting the roast day as day one), grind slightly coarser than a light roast — about the texture of white sugar — and brew with 87-88°C water. A 1:15 ratio works best; too fine a grind or too hot a water will push the cup toward bitterness, while too cool a temperature leaves it flat.