South American Coffee|Introduction to Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Region: Not All Jamaican Coffee is Called Blue Mountain

Once hailed as the "King of Coffee," FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee was famous even among elders who didn't drink coffee. In recent years, although its fame may not be what it once was, its elegant and mellow aroma still captivates many coffee enthusiasts.

How Suitable is Jamaica for Coffee Cultivation?

The Blue Mountains are located in eastern Jamaica on the Caribbean Sea. The mountain range is surrounded by seawater, and under sunlight, it reflects a blue luster, hence the name "Blue Mountain." This area is far from cities, with peaks reaching over 2,000 meters in altitude, making it a renowned local tourist destination. Fertile volcanic ash soil, abundant sunlight, and rainfall provide rich nutrients for crops grown here. Locals cultivate coffee alongside bananas and avocados.

Compared to other crops, coffee is a more particular and delicate plant that not only requires a warm, humid, frost-free environment and adequate nutrition but also proper shade. The Blue Mountain peaks are often shrouded in clouds and mist, surrounding the coffee plantations and providing unique natural conditions for coffee growth. The Blue Mountain coffee variety is the particularly pampered Typica, and the unique microclimate and terroir of the Blue Mountains play a crucial role in helping Typica integrate into the local environment and develop its excellent aroma.

Typica was introduced to this country by Sir Nicholas Lawes in the 18th century and soon spread to Blue Mountain cultivation, with a history of over two hundred years. The Blue Mountain Typica has also adapted to the local island tropical rainforest climate, evolving stronger disease resistance, particularly against coffee berry disease, which is much stronger than typical Typica varieties. Excellent varieties, growing environment, green bean quality, and processing methods together create the very balanced and harmonious taste of Blue Mountain Typica coffee.

The high altitude terrain of the Blue Mountains is uneven, making management and harvesting very difficult. This requires high skill levels from harvesting personnel, further affecting yield. In recent years, less than 15% of coffee beans produced in Jamaica can be labeled as Blue Mountain coffee, approximately 900 tons. After harvesting, coffee cherries are immediately transported to processing plants for processing. This is one of the reasons why Blue Mountain coffee is so precious.

Not All Jamaican Coffee is Called "Blue Mountain Coffee"

The CIB (Coffee Industry Board) has designated an area of about 6,000 hectares in the Blue Mountains, strictly stipulating that only Typica coffee produced in this region can be called "Blue Mountain Coffee." Coffee from other regions is called High Mountain Coffee or Jamaica Prime Coffee.

According to the CIB's designated areas, the forest areas for growing Blue Mountain coffee are at altitudes of approximately 910-1,700 meters, mainly distributed in St. Thomas, St. Mary, St. Andrew, and Portland, accounting for one-third of the entire Blue Mountain growing area.

In terms of green bean quality control, the CIB regulates the cultivation, production, and sales of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee to improve coffee quality, standardize coffee production and processing procedures, and coordinate the market sales of Blue Mountain coffee. The CIB is also responsible for grading and quality testing of coffee produced in the Blue Mountains. This means that Blue Mountain coffee sold worldwide must be certified by the CIB and carry its label.

Compared to other coffee-producing regions, Jamaica was the first country to recognize the "regional flavor" of coffee. The standards for evaluating Blue Mountain green bean quality cover multiple categories: green bean size, defect rate, color, uniformity, cupping performance after roasting (including dry aroma, wet aroma, acidity, flavor, body, cleanliness, etc.). Based on these various standards, Blue Mountain coffee is divided into 4 grades, from highest to lowest: Blue Mountain No. 1, Blue Mountain No. 2, Blue Mountain No. 3, and Blue Mountain Peaberry. Top-grade Blue Mountain No. 1 green beans must meet specifications of over 17 screen, defect rate below 3%, moisture content around 13%, and exhibit rich coffee aroma in cupping, with smooth, balanced taste, low acidity, and persistent aftertaste.

Which Packaging of Blue Mountain No. 1 is Authentic?

Blue Mountain coffee beans that have completed quality inspection are transported using different materials according to different grades. Blue Mountain No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 are the only coffees in the world exported in wooden barrels, available in three specifications: 70kg, 30kg, and 15kg. Other grades of Jamaican coffee are exported in 60kg burlap bags. Compared to coarse burlap bags, oak barrels have the advantage of absorbing and releasing internal and external humidity while preventing coffee aroma from escaping, helping maintain more stable moisture content in the beans and making roasting more stable. Later, wooden barrels also became one of the identifiers for authentic Blue Mountain coffee. FrontStreet Coffee's store displays a wooden barrel used for transporting FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain No. 1 green coffee beans.

Producers and distributors of Blue Mountain coffee must be licensed by the Jamaican government and authorized by the Jamaican Coffee Industry Board. All Blue Mountain batches exported from the local area must undergo quality inspection and certification by the Coffee Board and carry its label. FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee is produced by Clifton Estate and has a quality certificate issued by the Jamaican Coffee Board, an authorized sales certificate issued by the Blue Mountain coffee manufacturer, and a certificate of origin for Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.

Come Have a Cup of FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain Coffee

Brewing parameters: 15g coffee powder

Powder-to-water ratio 1:15

Grind size: EK43s setting 10.5 (75% pass-through rate with China No. 20 standard sieve)

Water temperature: 87-88°C

Brewing method: Segmented extraction

Place the filter paper in a KONO dripper, pour water to wet the filter paper and make it fit better. Pour in the coffee powder and tap gently to distribute the powder layer evenly. For the first segment, gently inject 30g of water for blooming, with a blooming time of 30 seconds. For the second segment, inject water to about 125g, circling evenly and steadily outward. Then wait for the coffee liquid to drop, and when it drops to half, inject the final segment of water to 225g. Wait for all the coffee to drip through, with a total extraction time generally around 2 minutes.

Pour-over FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee has notes of dark chocolate and nuts, with a very rich body and distinct almond aftertaste. As the temperature decreases, it reveals roasted hazelnut and creamy sweet smoothness, with a hint of gentle acidity and caramel sweetness. The aroma persists in the mouth.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473