Where is Blue Mountain Coffee from and Why is Authentic Blue Mountain Coffee So Expensive?

Professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee

Blue Mountain Coffee, even those who have never tasted coffee are familiar with its name, and it would not be an exaggeration to call it the most famous coffee in the world. While many people have heard of Jamaican Blue Mountain, very few truly know it well.

Jamaican Blue Mountain is a geographical indication product, only grown in the Blue Mountains of the Caribbean island nation of Jamaica. Just like Hangzhou's Longjing tea, only the tea leaves from the mountainous areas of Longjing Village near West Lake can be considered authentic Longjing. According to the quality theory of agricultural products, the initial judgment of green coffee bean quality by coffee-producing countries follows the same principle. The main factors are: variety, growing environment, and processing method.

The island of Jamaica is located in the Northern Hemisphere coffee belt. The Blue Mountains are situated in its eastern part, surrounded by the beautiful Caribbean Sea. The highest peak reaches an altitude of 2,256 meters and features fertile volcanic soil, fresh air free from pollution, and a humid climate with year-round fog and rainfall (average precipitation of 1,980 mm and temperature around 27°C). This unique geographical environment provides excellent growing conditions for Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee.

The Blue Mountain producing area is located in eastern Jamaica, spanning 45 kilometers in length and 20 kilometers in width, with maximum altitudes reaching 2,260 meters, making it the highest mountain range in the Caribbean region. The Blue Mountains are covered with fertile soil with excellent drainage, which is very suitable for coffee cultivation. Mavis Bank is located within Jamaica's legally designated Blue Mountain area and is one of the Jamaican government-certified green bean processing plants, situated approximately 10 miles northeast of the capital Kingston. It has been operated by the Munn family since 1885.

Initially, the Munn family cultivated and processed harvested coffee cherries on Strawberry Hill on the west side of the Blue Mountains. In 1920, Victor Munn established the current Mavis Bank processing plant, which was later taken over by Victor's nephew, Keble Munn. Keble was not only an agricultural operator but also Jamaica's first certified cupper. Currently, Mavis Bank has become Jamaica's largest coffee collection center. To ensure coffee quality, the processing plant gathers green beans from specific Blue Mountain producing areas, including single farms or small-scale farmers. Coffee cultivation and processing facilities are situated in mountainous areas with average altitudes ranging from 1,600 to 900 meters. Sufficient altitude, gentle afternoon clouds providing shade, ample sunlight, and mineral-rich soil provide excellent growing conditions for coffee trees and extend the maturation period of coffee cherries.

Previously, most Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee in China was counterfeit, yet the prices were not low, with a cup selling for over a hundred yuan. Now, there is a considerable amount of genuine Blue Mountain Coffee in the domestic market, and the price per cup remains relatively expensive, with some coffee shops still selling it for over a hundred yuan.

Knowledge Point: The coffee variety of Jamaican Blue Mountain is one of the oldest varieties - Typica.

In Summary

FrontStreet Coffee is a research-focused coffee establishment that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation simply to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Additionally, we hold three coffee promotion events with significant discounts each month. This is because FrontStreet Coffee wants to allow more friends to experience the best coffee at the lowest possible price, which has been our mission for the past six years!

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473