How to Brew Blue Mountain Coffee Beans - Pour-Over Grind Size & Brewing Parameters

Understanding Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee: Origins and Characteristics

The highest elevation in the middle section of Jamaica's Blue Mountains reaches 2,256 meters. Areas above 1,700 meters are designated as natural ecological reserves where coffee cultivation is prohibited.

Before diving deeper into Blue Mountain coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee would like to highlight some important key points:

Coffee grown between elevations of 910-1,700 meters is classified as Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee beans;
Coffee grown between elevations of 460-910 meters is classified as Jamaica High Mountain coffee beans;
Coffee grown below 460 meters is classified as Jamaica Prime coffee beans.

Surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, the Blue Mountains get their name from the brilliant blue light reflected from the sea when the sun shines directly on the azure waters on clear days. This geographic isolation has allowed Blue Mountain coffee to maintain a single, superior coffee variety, ensuring its clean and delicious flavor profile.

The highest peak of Blue Mountain reaches 2,256 meters, making it the highest peak in the Caribbean region and a famous tourist destination. Located in the coffee belt, this area boasts fertile volcanic soil, fresh and unpolluted air, a humid climate with year-round fog and rainfall (average precipitation of 1,980mm and temperature around 27°C), creating perfect conditions for growing Typica coffee.

True Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee beans can only be grown within designated Blue Mountain regions. East of Kingston in northern Jamaica, the mountain ridge extends to the eastern part of the island, with the Blue Mountain range reaching elevations above 2,100 meters.

FrontStreet Coffee · Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1

Region: Jamaica Blue Mountain Region
Estate: Clifton
Elevation: 1,310 meters
Variety: Typica
Processing Method: Washed

Of course, you may also find Blue Mountain coffee beans grown in other coffee-producing countries. Don't worry - they also grow Blue Mountain coffee varieties, specifically Typica coffee varieties introduced from Jamaica's Blue Mountain region. Over time, coffee trees adapt and change to suit their environment. For example, Typica coffee from Sumatra and Blue Mountain Typica coffee may show slight morphological differences despite being the same variety.

Located in eastern Jamaica, the Blue Mountains' island geography surrounded by sea has meant that the Typica coffee variety has been minimally influenced by other coffee varieties. This isolation has helped preserve the ancient Typica coffee flavor profile. Combined with the prestigious reputation of "Blue Mountain coffee," when other countries import Blue Mountain Typica coffee varieties, they directly refer to them as "Blue Mountain coffee varieties."

FrontStreet Coffee · Jamaica Blue Mountain Clifton Estate Introduction

FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee beans come from Clifton Estate.

Clifton is Jamaica's oldest coffee-producing estate still in normal operation and is the only estate in Jamaica with "Rainforest Alliance" certification.

As early as the mid-18th century (around 1750), Clifton Farm began cultivating and producing coffee. Today's Clifton Farm is the largest estate in the region, though by international standards, it's considered "small-scale cultivation."

FrontStreet Coffee would like to highlight another important point:

According to CIB standards, the basic requirements for No. 1 Blue Mountain coffee green beans include: beans sized 17 screen or larger, defect rate below 3%, moisture content around 13%, and other quality criteria.

FrontStreet Coffee · How to Identify Authentic Blue Mountain Coffee Beans

1. Exported by companies designated by the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board

Explanation: Some authentic Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans in the Chinese market are primarily exported to China through direct branches from Japan, Australia, and Europe. According to 2013 statistics from the International Coffee Organization (ICO), Japan accounts for 85% of the allocation, while the United States, Europe, and other countries each account for 5%. ICO statistics show that China accounts for 15% of Blue Mountain coffee consumption. Notably, limited Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans are mostly allocated to Japan, the United States, and Europe. Due to Japanese investment in Jamaica's coffee industry, most Blue Mountain coffee is purchased by Japan. In 1992, Jamaica sold 688 tons of Blue Mountain coffee beans to Japan, 75 tons to the United States, and only 59 tons to the United Kingdom.

Additionally, the officially registered logo of the Jamaica Coffee Board is only used for certifying and inspecting exported Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans. The BLUEMOUNTAINCOFFEE® trademark is the identifying mark on authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee bean packaging.

Coffee Industry Board (CIB)

2. The only coffee region that uses wooden barrels for green beans

Blue Mountain coffee beans remain the only coffee region that uses wooden barrels for packaging green beans, while all other coffee regions use burlap bags.

3. The frog on Clifton Estate's barrel lids

Clifton Estate is Jamaica's oldest coffee estate, and only Clifton Farm in Jamaica has the "(RFA) Rainforest Alliance Tree Frog" certification.

Only those meeting "Sustainable Agriculture System Standards" can receive certification, with rainforest certification marks on their wooden barrels.

Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Bean Processing Methods

Before 2019, Clifton Farm's Blue Mountain coffee beans were always processed using the washed method.

Before processing, workers first remove the coffee cherry's skin and pulp, allowing natural fermentation for 12-18 hours. The fermented beans are then placed in pools and moved back and forth, using the friction between beans and flowing water to wash the coffee beans until smooth and clean.

After washing, the coffee beans still have their parchment layer on and contain 50% moisture. At this point, they must be dried to reduce moisture content to 12-14% (otherwise, they would continue fermenting, becoming moldy and spoiled). After this, the coffee beans are screened and stored in dedicated warehouses. The washed processing method ensures Blue Mountain coffee has rich aroma, balanced flavor, and maintains its essential character without any single flavor being overpowering or lacking.

The adoption of natural processing for Blue Mountain coffee beans primarily follows market developments.

In 2019, Clifton Estate broke from its traditional model, using natural processing for the first time. Blue Mountain coffee beans underwent natural processing trials in 2019, and in 2020, began exporting small batches of natural-processed Blue Mountain coffee beans for the first time.

However, for FrontStreet Coffee, natural-processed Blue Mountain coffee beans change the processing method, which alters the "inherent flavor structure" of Blue Mountain coffee beans. In fact, when FrontStreet Coffee introduces regional coffee beans to customers, we always recommend washed-processed coffee beans first, because the washed method best represents the flavor profile of that coffee region.

FrontStreet Coffee · Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee Bean Brewing Approach

For the coffee-to-water ratio, FrontStreet Coffee uses 1:15, with a grind size that achieves 75% pass-through through a #20 standard sieve.

When brewing this Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee bean, FrontStreet Coffee aims to highlight the rich body and gentle fruit acidity of Blue Mountain coffee beans. We use water at 88°C. For filter cone selection, we first consider slower-flow equipment such as KONO filter cones, Kalita trapezoidal filter cones, and flannel filters.

FrontStreet Coffee · About Filter Cones

When brewing washed Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee uses a KONO filter cone.

Let's examine the KONO filter cone design. The ribs of the KONO filter cone stop at halfway up the filter cone's height. This design ensures that when the filter paper is wetted in the filter cone, it adheres closely to the cone wall, achieving the purpose of restricting airflow. This increases the water absorption time of the coffee particles, resulting in more uniform overall extraction and effectively enhancing the rich body. Additionally, the grooved frame at the bottom of the filter cone is a key design that creates a "siphon effect."

When brewing Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee uses a three-stage water flow method. This is a very simple pour-over method that everyone can easily learn at home to brew a simple, delicious cup of coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee chooses KONO filter cones in our stores because of their "ribs." The filter cone's rib channels extend to the bottom of the filter cone, with rib designs positioned very close to the bottom, creating high adherence with the filter paper, so KONO's flow rate is slower than V60.

The ribs create small gaps between the conical filter cone and filter paper, allowing coffee liquid to seep through the filter paper, while the parts adhering to the filter cone surface prevent coffee from seeping out.

The KONO filter cone chosen by FrontStreet Coffee has 12 ribs, and the rib design is much lower than Hario V60, not reaching halfway up the filter cone height.

Notably, if the rib design is too short or too shallow, the range where coffee can seep out becomes too small, extending extraction time. Conversely, when ribs are designed too long, the contact time between hot water and coffee grounds becomes too brief, and coffee will seep out quickly, with impurities floating on the surface easily mixing into the coffee. The KONO filter cone's divergent rib design and small-diameter filter holes create slower filtration speed, reducing heat loss and ensuring more even extraction. Combining these characteristics, when FrontStreet Coffee brews coffee beans like Golden Mandheling, we use a coarser grind to achieve full, rich flavor without over-extraction due to the slow filtration speed.

FrontStreet Coffee · Brewing Recommendations

Blue Mountain coffee has excellent clean flavor and is very suitable for pour-over brewing.

Dose: 15 grams
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15
Water temperature: 88°C
Grind size: 75% pass-through through #20 standard sieve
Filter cone: KONO filter cone

FrontStreet Coffee · Brewing Technique

Use 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then slowly pour in a circular motion from center outward with a small water stream to 100g (electronic scale shows 130g). Wait until the coffee bed drops to 1/2, then pour 65g of water with a large stream, reaching a total water volume of 195g. Remove the filter cone after all coffee liquid has flowed into the lower server to finish extraction. Total brewing time is 1 minute 52 seconds.

Flavor: This brewing method showcases Blue Mountain's clean taste with chocolate and nutty flavors, achieving a perfect balance between acidity, sweetness, and bitterness.

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Important Notice :

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