Which Blue Mountain Coffee Brand Has the Best Quality? Will Coffee Taste Harsh If Beans Aren't Properly Aged?

FrontStreet Coffee - Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee and Coffee Bean Aging Period Introduction

RSW 100% Jamaica Blue Mountain Estate Coffee is an abbreviation formed from three coffee estate groups, Resource, Sherwood Forest, and Whitfield Hall, taking the first letter of each. The RSW estate therefore refers to 100% Jamaica Blue Mountain produced within these three estate groups.

Resource: Resource Estate is located in the Yallahs Valley of the Blue Mountains, at an altitude of up to 1,200 meters. It is the westernmost of the RSW estates, about a 1.5-hour drive from the capital, Kingston. Following the road to the Blue Mountain production area, you first pass through Mavis Bank, then cross the Yallahs River, and then ascend along the valley, located just below the century-old Cinchona Tree Medicinal Botanical Garden.

Resource Estate owner Cecil Langford has been operating the estate for over 40 years. Over the years it has expanded from the original 10 acres to 30 acres. Initially the coffee was processed on-site after harvesting, but now all post-harvest processing has been moved to Sherwood Factory. The coffee trees at Resource Estate are mostly planted on the northwestern slopes of the mountains, irrigated by perennial streams flowing from the north. The estate has 4 full-time farmers, and the harvest period runs from November to early May of the following year, when 60 local harvest workers are needed to help.

After all mature cherries from RSW are harvested, they are sent to Sherwood. First, visual inspection removes debris and some defective fruits, and within 12 hours of arrival the depulping process is carried out. There is a sugary mucilage layer outside the pulp that must be removed during processing. Most cherries at this stage use hard brushes to remove the pulp layer and mucilage from the fruit surface to save time. In fact, this time-saving method is similar to semi-washed processing, but RSW uses a fermentation method to let the mucilage layer fall off naturally. Without the aid of other equipment, after fermentation is complete the cherries are washed and these parchment beans are sun-dried on clean concrete grounds. This sun-drying process is called "bar-be-ques."

Long-term natural sun-drying can indeed enhance the sweetness and flavor of the beans. RSW Estates are 100% sun dried (sun-dried, with no machine drying). Drying must continue until the bean moisture content reaches 11% to 13%, after which the beans are moved to a 24°C constant-temperature, constant-humidity environment for 2-3 months of resting, which makes the flavor even better.

During export, small batches undergo low-temperature hulling, polishing, and grading. Once these steps are complete, manual detailed bean sorting is performed: defective beans, broken beans, discolored beans, and poor-flavor beans are all removed. Each worker can sort only 75 pounds per day. After hand sorting, the green beans are moved back to constant-temperature, constant-humidity storage for preservation. Before export, the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board sends personnel for inspection. After passing inspection, the beans are packed into oak barrels at the Sherwood factory and then exported by air.

Coffee Bean Aging Period

Aging refers to roasted coffee beans stored in sealed coffee bags, allowing them to release carbon dioxide and other gases produced during roasting and letting the various substances inside the beans stabilize through several days of resting. Otherwise, overly fresh coffee will taste harsh when brewed.

Knowledge Expansion

In 1950, the Jamaican government established the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board to set quality standards for Jamaican coffee, supervise the implementation of those standards, and grant special official seals to exported green and roasted coffee. It is the highest-level national coffee institution in the world.

In Summary

FrontStreet Coffee is a specialty coffee research house that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge. We share without reservation only to let more friends fall in love with coffee. Every month we hold three low-discount coffee events, because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends drink the best coffee at the lowest price. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's principle for the past 6 years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you want to taste genuine Blue Mountain, the FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 belongs to the highest grade and comes from the historic Clifton Estate, which has been growing and processing coffee since roughly 1750. Its growing and processing area sits at an average of 4,300 feet (1310.64 meters); the sufficient altitude, mild afternoon clouds that shade the hills, ample sunshine, and mineral-rich soil give the coffee trees excellent conditions and extend the ripening of the cherries.

FrontStreet's Blue Mountain is roasted within 5 days of shipping, so the beans are still at full flavor on arrival. A traditional medium-dark roast emphasizes the full body and the bittersweet traditional character. FrontStreet recommends a Kono dripper to further lift the body, 15g of coffee for one serving, and resting the beans for 4-7 days after the roast date for the best flavor. Grind slightly coarser than for a light roast, about the texture of white sugar, and brew with water at 87-88°C; water that is too hot commonly causes scorched, bitter flavors, while water that is too cool leaves the coffee flat. Use a 1:15 ratio, poured in three stages: a 30g bloom for 30 seconds, a slow vertical circular pour to 120g, then a slightly faster pour to 225g to reduce clogging and over-extraction. The cup is very clean, complex, and gentle, with chocolate sweetness and a strong body, its sweet, sour, and bitter notes perfectly balanced and its finish carrying a lasting fruitiness.