Jamaica Blue Baron Blue Mountain No.1 Flavor Characteristics & Story: How to Buy Authentic Blue Mountain No.1 Coffee Beans

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Introduction to Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee

When it comes to drinking coffee, many friends will immediately say, "Give me a cup of Blue Mountain." Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is renowned for its high reputation, limited production, and long history. It can be said that even if you haven't had specialty coffee, you've probably heard of Blue Mountain Coffee. On the market, you often see "Blue Mountain Coffee," "Blue Mountain Flavor Coffee," and "Blue Mountain Blend," which can be dazzling. Not all coffees with "Blue Mountain" in the name are authentic Blue Mountain Coffee. If you're not careful, you might drink fake Blue Mountain. So how do we distinguish which Blue Mountain coffees are real? FrontStreet Coffee will take you to understand Blue Mountain Coffee.

Authentic Blue Mountain Growing Region

The Jamaican certified authentic Blue Mountain coffee growing region refers to four eastern administrative districts: St. Andrew, St. Thomas, St. Mary, and Portland, which happen to be the foothill areas where the Blue Mountains cross. The altitude ranges from 1,000 to 1,700 meters, covering an area of approximately 6,100 hectares. Only coffee grown within this region and meeting the altitude requirements of 1,000-1,700 meters can be considered authentic Blue Mountain. Even if coffee is grown within these four administrative districts but at an altitude of only 500-1,000 meters, it must be downgraded to Jamaica High Mountain Coffee. Coffee grown below 500 meters is classified as the even lower-grade Jamaica Supreme Coffee. The other 12,100 hectares outside this region cannot be called Blue Mountain Coffee at all. The Jamaican authorities have strict regulations for Blue Mountain Coffee, with at most 25% of Jamaican coffee qualifying for Blue Mountain status.

The Blue Mountain region is a small area with only 6,000 hectares of plantation land, making it impossible for all coffees labeled "Blue Mountain" to be grown there. Today, Clifton Farm is the largest estate in this region, which by international standards is still considered small-scale cultivation. Many of the estate owners are small landholders whose families have been working this land for two centuries. FrontStreet Coffee, through comparison, believes that the Blue Mountain No. 1 from Clifton Farm performs exceptionally well and can serve as one of the outstanding representatives of Blue Mountain Coffee.

Blue Mountain Coffee is the only coffee growing region to date that uses wooden barrels to package green beans, while all other coffee exports use burlap sacks.

Clifton Farm

Jamaica Clifton Mount Estate

Owner: The Sharp family

Certificate: Rainforest Alliance Certified

Location: Newcastle region

Total area: 250 acres

Coffee cultivation area: 180 acres

Average altitude: 4,300 feet (1,310.64 meters)

Processing method: Washed

Variety: 100% Arabica Typica

Flavor: Perfect and balanced acidity, body, and aroma

Processing Method

Until this year, Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee was only available in washed processing. The washed method uses water and fermentation to remove the fruit pulp and mucilage. Farms using the washed method must build washing pools and have access to a continuous supply of fresh water. During processing, the fruit pulp is first removed, allowing fermentation for 12-18 hours. Then the fermented beans are placed in the pool and moved back and forth, using the friction of the beans and the power of flowing water to wash the coffee beans until smooth and clean. After washing, the coffee beans are still encased in parchment, with a moisture content of 50%. They must be sun-dried to reduce the moisture content to 12-14%, otherwise they will continue to ferment and become moldy and spoiled. Afterward, the coffee beans are screened and then stored in special warehouses. These procedures must be strictly controlled; otherwise, the quality of the coffee will be affected.

Coffee Grading

Coffee from the Jamaican Blue Mountain region has three grades: Blue Mountain Coffee, Jamaica High Mountain Supreme Coffee Beans, and Jamaica Prime Coffee Beans.

Both Blue Mountain Coffee and High Mountain Coffee are further divided into two grades each. Ranked by quality from highest to lowest: Blue Mountain No. 1, Blue Mountain No. 2, High Mountain No. 1, High Mountain No. 2, and Jamaica Coffee. By quality, they are ranked from highest to lowest as: NO.1, NO.2, NO.3, and PB, where PB refers to peaberries. According to CIB standards, the basic standards for NO.1 Blue Mountain green beans include beans above 17 mesh, defect rate below 3%, moisture content around 13%, etc.

Here we share the documentation records of Blue Mountain No. 1 from the 2017-2018 fiscal year, from ordering to customs clearance, entry, and delivery to FrontStreet Coffee.

CIB Authorization

Customs Declaration Form

Arrival at FrontStreet Coffee Store

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Curve Analysis

Simply put, the goal is to roast Blue Mountain coffee thoroughly from inside out, using excellent roasting techniques on top of proper roasting to express the flavor of these beans.

Caramelization is the most significant step affecting coffee flavor. After six to seven minutes of roasting, the green beans absorb a large amount of heat energy, initiating the pyrolysis reaction and producing the first cracking sound. Some sugars convert to carbon dioxide, water continues to evaporate, new aromatic components gradually develop, forming what is known as coffee oils, which combine with hundreds of aromatic substances such as nicotinic acid, citric acid, quinic acid, malic acid, acetic acid, caffeine, and more.

Roasting curve: Preheat the roaster to 170°C, set the damper to 3. After 1 minute, adjust the heat to 140°C, keeping the damper unchanged. At 5'10", when the temperature reaches 153°C, the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy smell completely disappears, and dehydration is complete. Adjust the heat to 115°C, change the damper to 4.

At the 8'00" minute, ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, and the toast smell clearly transitions to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 8'12", first crack begins. Reduce the heat to 90°C, fully open the damper (be very careful when adjusting heat, not so low that there's no cracking sound), and discharge at 201.3°C.

FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain Coffee Cupping

Cupping characteristics: A perfect and subtle balance of acidity, body, and aroma. Its acidity is bright and delicate. Its body is as smooth as velvet. Its aroma carries a slight penetrating quality, accompanied by floral, spicy, and citrus notes. There's a hint of cocoa aftertaste upon entry. The taste is very clean, complex, very mild, with chocolate sweetness and very strong body. The flavor is rich and mellow, with a perfect balance of coffee's sweet, sour, and bitter notes. It has no bitterness at all, only moderate and perfect acidity, with a persistent fruity finish.

Dry Aroma:

Roasted peanut, hazelnut, melon, chocolate-like

Wet Aroma:

Rose tea, caramel, honey, black chocolate, almond skins, silky mouthfeel, brightness

Why Did Japan Have Priority Purchasing Rights Back Then?

In 1950, the Jamaican government established the Jamaican Coffee Industry Board, which sets quality standards for Jamaican coffee and supervises the implementation of these standards to ensure the quality of Jamaican coffee. The board grants special official seals to both green and roasted Jamaican coffee exports. Because Japanese loans were used to improve production quality, market access was guaranteed.

By 1981, Jamaica had opened up approximately 1,500 hectares of land for coffee cultivation, followed by investment in another 6,000 hectares of coffee land. In fact, today's Blue Mountain region is a small area with only 6,000 hectares of plantation land, making it impossible for all coffees labeled "Blue Mountain" to be grown there. The additional 12,000 hectares are used to grow two other types of coffee: High Mountain Supreme Coffee and Jamaica Coffee.

According to 2013 Jamaican Coffee Board export statistics, of the limited Blue Mountain coffee bean quota, 85% is exported to Japan, 5% to the United States, 5% to Europe, and 5% to other countries. However, in global authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee consumption distribution, according to International Coffee Association statistics, China accounts for 15% of consumption. This is because some of Jamaica's Blue Mountain coffee shares from Japan, Australia, and Europe are exported to Taiwan through directly operated branch companies.

How to Identify Authentic vs. Fake Blue Mountain?

1. Appearance: Blue Mountain coffee green beans are blue-green in color, very uniform in appearance, medium to small in size, with slightly upturned ends. After roasting, they increase significantly in volume and become very full.

2. Grinding: Authentic Blue Mountain coffee beans grow at high altitude, and their cellular structure is relatively loose. When grinding by hand, they feel very crisp, smooth, and continuous, without any sense of resistance.

3. Aroma: The aroma is very rich and dense; so-called blended Blue Mountain coffees do not have this aroma.

4. Taste: Authentic Blue Mountain coffee has a balanced, rich taste, without any flavor being overly prominent or lacking, which is also something no other coffee bean can achieve—the most critical identification point. Blue Mountain peaberries have a more reserved aroma and a relatively stronger taste.

Authentic Blue Mountain coffee and Blue Mountain flavor coffee are two different concepts. The latter generally uses other coffee varieties roasted to imitate the taste of Blue Mountain coffee. "Blue Mountain Blend" beans are mixed, with relatively large differences in shape, making them easier to identify. Also, don't believe in "premium Blue Mountain" that costs only a few dozen yuan per pound or "Blue Mountain coffee" that costs only a dozen yuan per cup.

Not all coffees labeled "Blue Mountain" are genuine Blue Mountain. I hope this helps everyone distinguish~

However, Blue Mountain coffee beans are such high-quality coffee beans that they taste best when fresh. FrontStreet Coffee suggests using freshly roasted coffee beans for brewing to maximize the rich flavors of the coffee. The coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are all roasted within 5 days because FrontStreet Coffee deeply understands that coffee bean freshness has a significant impact on flavor. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "freshly roasted good coffee," ensuring that every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee when it arrives. The coffee's resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive it, it's at its peak flavor.

Blue Mountain Coffee Brewing Method Suggestions

Dripper: KONO dripper

Coffee amount: 15g

Water temperature: 88°C

Grind size: Coarse grind, 75% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve

Water-to-coffee ratio: 1:15

Extraction time: Around 1:55

FrontStreet Coffee uses a three-stage pour: 30g water for bloom, bloom time of 30s; first pour to 120g then stop; vertical water flow, small flow with slow circular motion; second pour to 210g, water flow and circular speed slightly faster to reduce fine particles blocking the dripper.

The taste is very clean, complex, very mild, with chocolate sweetness and very strong body. The flavor is rich and mellow, with a perfect balance of coffee's sweet, sour, and bitter notes. It has no bitterness at all, only moderate and perfect acidity, with a persistent fruity finish.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473