Where is the World's Best Coffee and How is Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Ranked

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange

FrontStreet Coffee - Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Introduction

Coffee comes in myriad forms, with different origins, varieties and flavors. Coffee from the same region can taste completely different depending on harvesting methods, roasting techniques and preparation styles. Even coffee from the same brand will yield different flavors when brewed by different people using different methods. Fame doesn't represent everything—good coffee always comes from the hands of a skilled barista.

Everyone's taste buds are different, and so are their preferences for mouthfeel. Some coffee lovers will adore a particular coffee while others may not enjoy it. Simply put, some prefer light roasts, others favor dark roasts; some enjoy pure black coffee, while others prefer adding milk and sugar. Every cup of coffee has its own fan base. What one person rejects, another affirms. What one person dislikes might be your personal favorite.

There is no "best" coffee in this world—only the coffee that's most suitable for you. Coffee is ultimately a beverage, a drink you consume, and only what suits your taste is truly the best.

Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee

Take Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee, for example. This is probably the most renowned coffee in China, always appearing before us with an image of being "the most expensive and the best." Blue Mountain Coffee comes from the Blue Mountains near Jamaica's capital, Kingston. Due to limited production and a Japanese market monopoly, very little reaches other countries, which has kept prices consistently high. The finest Blue Mountain beans are NO.1 peaberry, also called pearl beans—small, round beans carefully selected from high-altitude crops within the certified Blue Mountain zone, representing the pinnacle of premium coffee.

Pure Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee perfectly blends coffee's unique flavors—acidity, bitterness, sweetness and richness—creating an intensely captivating and elegant aroma that other coffees cannot match, earning it the nickname "Coffee Beauty."

Its liquid appears golden under sunlight and drinks exceptionally smooth. This coffee possesses all the characteristics of fine coffee: not only rich and fragrant, but also perfectly balanced in sweet, acidic and bitter notes, with no bitterness at all—only a moderate and perfect acidity.

Authentic Blue Mountain Coffee must be made from beans grown between 910 and 1,700 meters altitude. Coffee planted at 460-910 meters is called Jamaica High Mountain Coffee, while coffee grown below 460 meters is called Jamaica Prime Coffee. Like wine, Blue Mountain Coffee has different estates to distinguish growing regions, with three main production areas: St. Andrew, Portland and St. Thomas. Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee ranks among the finest coffees in the world.

Knowledge Bonus

Pure Blue Mountain Coffee has four grades: NO.1, NO.2, NO.3 and PB, where PB stands for peaberry (round beans).

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If this article has you wanting to taste genuine Blue Mountain rather than a look-alike, FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 is the place to start. It is the highest grade of Blue Mountain, from the historic Clifton Mount estate, whose coffee fields sit at an average of 4,300 feet (1,310.64 meters)—within the certified Blue Mountain zone this article describes—where altitude, gentle afternoon cloud and shade, ample sunlight and mineral-rich soil let the cherries ripen slowly. FrontStreet Coffee roasts it medium-dark to draw out the classic, mellow balance and ships every bean within 5 days of roasting, so it arrives at full flavor. Because Blue Mountain is so balanced, it is unusually forgiving to brew: FrontStreet Coffee recommends a Kono dripper for extra body, 15g of coffee, a 1:15 ratio and 87-88°C water—many bitter, scorched results come simply from water that is too hot, and water that is too cool flattens the cup—with a grind slightly coarser than for a light roast, about granulated sugar, and 4-7 days of resting counted from the roast date. The result is a very clean, complex and gentle cup with chocolate sweetness and a strong body, balanced sweet-acid-bitter without real bitterness, and a long fruit finish. No.1 is the grade to look for if you want the honest expression of Jamaica's most famous coffee.