What are the different coffee bean varieties and why is Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee so expensive?

FrontStreet Coffee's Introduction to Three Major Coffee Varieties and Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Prices

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The Three Major Coffee Varieties

The three primary native species are Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica. Arabica ranks first in production, accounting for approximately 60-70% of the world's coffee total. It includes sub-varieties such as Bourbon and Typica. Robusta accounts for about 30-40% of the world's total coffee production. Liberica only constitutes 3% of the total, mostly cultivated in the Asia-Pacific region.

Liberica Coffee

Liberica, also known as large bean coffee, has extremely strong vitality, but simultaneously has weak flavor and leaf rust resistance. Its cultivation volume is less than 1%, and it has basically withdrawn from the commercial market, only being preserved for scientific research. Therefore, today we will focus on Arabica.

Arabica Coffee

The excellent flavor and aroma of Arabica coffee make it the only coffee among these native species that can be consumed directly and individually. Single-origin coffees like Jamaica Blue Mountain, Indonesia Mandheling, as well as Yirgacheffe and Brazilian coffee all belong to this category. Typica is a derivative of Arabica, which includes the famous Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee.

Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Production

Pure Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee perfectly blends the unique sour, bitter, sweet, and mellow flavors of coffee, forming an elegant aroma and moderate characteristics. Their coffee trees all grow on rugged mountain slopes, making the harvesting process extremely difficult. Only local skilled female workers can handle this task. When harvesting, selecting perfectly ripe coffee beans is very important, as underripe or overripe beans will affect the coffee quality. After harvesting, coffee beans must be hulled the same day, then fermented for 12-18 hours.

Afterward, the coffee beans undergo washing and screening. The next step is drying, which must be conducted on concrete floors or thick blankets until the coffee beans' moisture content drops to 12-14%. Then they are stored in specialized warehouses. When needed, they are taken out for roasting and then ground into powder. These procedures must be strictly controlled; otherwise, the coffee quality will be affected.

Jamaica Blue Mountain Growing Region and Market

The Jamaica Blue Mountain region has a tropical rainforest climate with abundant rainfall and sufficient sunlight, providing favorable conditions for coffee bean growth. Secondly, because Japan has consistently invested in Jamaica's coffee industry, Blue Mountain coffee is mostly controlled by the Japanese, who have also obtained priority purchasing rights for Blue Mountain coffee. In 1992, Jamaica sold 688 tons of Blue Mountain coffee to Japan, 75 tons to the United States, and 59 tons to the United Kingdom. 90% of Blue Mountain coffee is purchased by the Japanese. Since the rest of the world can only obtain 10% of Blue Mountain coffee, regardless of price, Blue Mountain coffee is always in short supply.

Jamaica Blue Mountain

Origin: Jamaica

Estate: Silver Hill Estate

Flavor: Very subtly blends sour, sweet, bitter, umami, aromatic, and mellow flavors together. Aromatic, smooth, and rich, with even sweetness, harmonious mouthfeel, and excellent flavor.

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