Types and Origins of Coffee Beans: The Caribbean Champion - Blue Mountain Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee

When Jamaica comes up, everyone thinks of Blue Mountain coffee — indeed, Jamaica Blue Mountain has become a byword for the island itself.

Many people will tell you Jamaica Blue Mountain is the best coffee there is. Its acidity, sweetness, richness, and bitterness sit in near-perfect balance, and the fragrant, silky cup is a genuine pleasure. The catch is the price. It is worth trying once, but there is no need to be obsessed with it.

Plenty of other well-chosen coffees have their own character, taste wonderful, and cost far less — and those are the true everyday coffees of most of our lives.

Here is how Blue Mountain history unfolded:

In 1717, French King Louis XV ordered coffee to be planted in Jamaica.

In the mid-1720s, Jamaica's Governor Sir Nicholas Lawes imported Arabica seeds from Martinique and began promoting cultivation around St. Andrew.

In 1932, production peaked, with harvests exceeding 15,000 tons.

In 1950, the Jamaican government established the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board.

In 1969, the outlook improved when Japanese loans helped raise production quality and secure the market. Today, the coffee enjoys a status close to devoted admiration.

Jamaica Blue Mountain is one of the world's famous island coffees, and its variety is Typica. Typica is notoriously susceptible to leaf rust — across Central and South America it was steadily replaced as the disease spread — but thanks to Jamaica's unique geographic position, Typica remains the island's main cultivated variety, with a very low incidence of rust.

Because Jamaica is a Caribbean island nation, Blue Mountain lacks the high-altitude advantage of its rivals, so it misses the bright, sparkling acidity typical of high-grown Central American coffees. Mild with low acidity is its signature, even though Blue Mountain's soil is also volcanic. With growing elevations comparatively modest, the body of Blue Mountain coffee is medium — we should describe it not as full-bodied, but as possessing a gentle richness.

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a research-focused coffee house that loves sharing coffee knowledge. We share openly and generously to help more people fall in love with coffee — that has been our mission for the past 6 years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you want to taste the legend itself, go for FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 — the highest-grade lot, sourced from the historic Clifton Estate, which has grown and produced coffee since the mid-18th century (around 1750). The growing and processing areas sit at an average of 4,300 feet (1,310.64 meters), where ample altitude, mild afternoon clouds and forest shade, plentiful sunshine, and mineral-rich soil give the trees ideal conditions and extend the ripening of the cherries.

Authenticity is easy to verify: FrontStreet holds the complete Jamaican certification and origin documents, plus the traditional wooden shipping barrels — Blue Mountain coffee traditionally ships in 15, 45, and 70kg oak barrels, each one itself a hallmark of the genuine article. The beans are roasted medium-dark to showcase Blue Mountain's classic balance, and brewed up they unfold layers of nuts, dark chocolate, cream caramel, and gentle sweetness, with acidity, sweetness, bitterness, and aroma in perfect harmony.