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 recognized as the most expensive coffee and the one that most Chinese people first heard of and knew about. Everyone knows that Blue Mountain Coffee is expensive, but not everyone knows why. Therefore, whenever coffee was mentioned in the past, people would naturally associate it with Blue Mountain Coffee. Due to its extremely high recognition, many coffee 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 coffee beans grown above 666m altitude in Jamaica's Blue Mountain range can be called Blue Mountain Coffee.

The reason why authentic Blue Mountain Coffee beans were so expensive in the past was because the growing area was small, coffee production was relatively low, and the Blue Mountain Coffee was monopolized by Japanese buyers, which led to the high price. Today, there are more and more high-quality, flavorful coffee beans, some of which even cost several times more than Blue Mountain Coffee beans. Additionally, in 2008, the Jamaican government canceled Japan's preferential purchasing rights, making it easier to buy authentic Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee beans, 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 Coffee are packaged in wooden barrels, making Jamaica the only country that packages coffee beans in wooden barrels. Additionally, when exporting, the Jamaican government issues certification. The Blue Mountain Coffee that FrontStreet Coffee provides has certificates issued by the Jamaican government's Coffee Department. Furthermore, FrontStreet Coffee sources its Blue Mountain Coffee beans from Clifton Mountain Estate, the only coffee estate in Jamaica with Rainforest Alliance certification, so the wooden barrels also feature the green frog logo. You can see all of these at FrontStreet Coffee's physical store.

Japan's Historical Role

So why did Japan have priority purchasing rights for Blue Mountain Coffee in the past? In 1969, the Blue Mountain region was affected by a hurricane disaster that put the coffee industry in crisis. Japanese companies provided financial loans to help Blue Mountain Coffee recover to normal levels, thus ensuring the market. To thank Japan, in 1972, Jamaica signed an agreement with Japan, giving them shares in the estates and priority purchasing rights, with 90% of Blue Mountain Coffee being sold to Japan after maturity.

Therefore, other countries could purchase very little Blue Mountain Coffee, and the price was also very high. However, this situation has improved in recent years. In 2008, Blue Mountain Coffee production had recovered to normal levels. Since Japan had already been purchasing Blue Mountain Coffee preferentially for several decades, this allowed more coffee enthusiasts from other countries to experience the charm of Blue Mountain Coffee. Therefore, after 2008, it became easier for everyone to buy Blue Mountain Coffee 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 this estate is the oldest coffee estate on the Blue Mountain range, having started planting and producing coffee beans around 1750. FrontStreet Coffee often says that the higher the altitude where coffee is grown, the more refined the flavor will be. Although coffee grown above 666m can already be called Blue Mountain Coffee, good coffee always needs higher altitude to give it "soul."

The area where Clifton Mountain Estate grows coffee is situated at 1310m altitude. The high altitude provides the growing area with abundant sunlight and gentle afternoon cloud mist, while also having mountain forest shade and mineral-rich soil, providing an excellent growing environment for coffee trees, naturally enhancing the coffee's flavor. The Rainforest Alliance is a global non-governmental organization (NGO) established in New York in 1987. It aims to prevent over-development through traditional agricultural methods, protecting natural ecosystems while maintaining the livelihoods of farmers on excellent farms. It protects ecosystems and the humans 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

The reason why Blue Mountain Coffee has been loved by so many generations of coffee enthusiasts is because its flavor is very balanced, mellow, and solid. To showcase the mellow and balanced flavor of Blue Mountain Coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's roasters use a medium-dark roast. After you place an order on Taobao, we will ship Blue Mountain Coffee beans within 5 days of roasting. However, the structural changes in coffee beans during roasting cause large amounts of carbon dioxide to accumulate inside the beans, which can affect even extraction during brewing. Therefore, after receiving the coffee beans, you can wait before drinking. Let the coffee beans rest in their original sealed packaging in a cool, dry place until 5-6 days after the roasting date. Wait until some carbon dioxide has been released through the one-way exhaust valve (which only lets gas out, not in) before brewing. The flavor will be even better.

Brewing Recommendations

Blue Mountain Coffee brewing parameters: 88°C water temperature, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, 15g coffee dose, grind size (70-75% pass-through rate on #20 standard sieve).

Blue Mountain Coffee brewing method recommendation: Use a conical coffee filter with filter paper for brewing, and use a three-stage water pouring method. For the first stage, pour 30g of water for blooming, with a bloom time of 30 seconds. For the second stage, pour water to about 125g, then wait for the coffee liquid to drop. When it drops to about half, pour the final stage of water to 225g. Wait until all the coffee has dripped through before ending extraction. The total extraction time is generally about 2 minutes and 10 seconds.

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473