Which Brand of Blue Mountain Coffee Beans is Best - How to Choose Premium Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee - Jamaica Blue Mountain · Blue Mountain No. 1

Not all coffee grown in Jamaica can be called Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee. Blue Mountain Coffee is governed by very strict certification standards. In 1951 Jamaica established the Coffee Industry Board (CIB), which defined the production area, altitude and other technical specifications for Blue Mountain Coffee. Under CIB rules, the legal Blue Mountain growing area is limited to three administrative regions: St. Andrew, St. Thomas and Portland.

The CIB also sets strict standards for cultivation altitude:

Coffee grown between 900 and 1,700 meters is called Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee.

Coffee grown between 460 and 900 meters is called Jamaica High Mountain Coffee.

Coffee grown below 460 meters is called Jamaica Premium Coffee, while coffee from outside the Blue Mountain region is called Jamaica Prime Coffee.

Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee

Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1

Among all of these, Blue Mountain Coffee stands out as the finest, and within Blue Mountain Coffee, Blue Mountain No. 1 holds the crown.

Blue Mountain Coffee is divided into four grades: Blue Mountain No. 1 (17-18 mesh and above), Blue Mountain No. 2 (16 mesh), Blue Mountain No. 3 (15-16 mesh) and PB (Peaberry).

Mesh is a unit of measurement for coffee size, where 1 mesh equals 0.4 mm.

Blue Mountain No. 1 is the highest grade among Jamaica Blue Mountain varieties.

Blue Mountain Coffee must be verified by specialized cuppers approved by the Jamaican government and can only be exported when packed in purpose-made oak barrels.

Blue Mountain Coffee comes from the Clifton Hill Estate in Newcastle in Jamaica's Blue Mountains - an old coffee estate that is still in normal operation and is recognized as an excellent Blue Mountain producing area. Grown at 1,310 meters and given washed processing, the No. 1 grade has a beautifully balanced taste, fresh and elegant, with acidity, body and aroma in perfect proportion. The acidity is bright and pleasant, with floral and lemon notes on entry, high sweetness and a long-lasting finish.

Knowledge Extension

The Blue Mountain Range lies in the eastern part of the island of Jamaica. On a clear day the sun shines directly onto the azure Caribbean Sea, and the peaks reflect the brilliant blue of the water - which is how the range got its name.

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research center that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We hold nothing back, hoping to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Every month we run three coffee promotion events with deep discounts, because FrontStreet Coffee wants to offer the best coffee at the lowest prices to more friends. That has been our mission for the past six years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Choosing a genuine Blue Mountain means looking at certification first, and FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 makes that easy: it carries full origin certification and the estate documentation behind it, and our listings show the original shipping barrels alongside the certificate. Traditional Blue Mountain is shipped in wooden barrels of 15, 45 and 70 kilograms, and each barrel is itself a mark of authenticity. The beans are also a useful check - genuine Blue Mountain green beans are even, plump and slightly upturned at both ends, with a greenish color.

Our Blue Mountain No. 1 is the highest grade, sourced from the historic Clifton Mount Estate, which has been growing and processing coffee since around 1750. The farm sits at an average of 4,300 feet (1,310.64 meters), where the elevation, the mild afternoon cloud that shades the hillsides, ample sunlight and mineral-rich soil give the trees excellent growing conditions and slow the ripening of the cherries. We roast it medium-dark to bring out body and the traditional "sweetness after bitterness" of classic coffee, then ship within five days of roasting so the beans arrive full of flavor. In the cup it is very clean, complex and gentle, with chocolate sweetness and a strong body - the sweet, tart and bitter notes in perfect harmony, hardly any bitterness at all, a fine, measured acidity and a long fruit finish.