What Coffees Does Jamaica Have? Flavor Characteristics of Blue Mountain Coffee Beans, What is Rainforest Certification

Jamaican Coffee: Blue Mountain Coffee

Jamaica's Blue Mountain coffee is known the world over, and even people who rarely drink coffee have heard of its reputation. It is prized for a sweet-and-sour balance that never tips too far in one direction, and for a rich, rounded body. Because the growing zone is so small, output stays severely limited and prices stay high; the near-perfect harmony of sweetness, acidity, and bitterness only adds to its value. Fame has a downside, though: a great many counterfeit "Blue Mountain-style" coffees now crowd the market.

Jamaica's weather, geological structure, and topography combine to give Blue Mountain coffee its ideal growing conditions. The range that runs across Jamaica reaches the island's eastern end, with the Blue Mountains rising over 2,100 meters. The climate is cool and foggy, with frequent rain. Fertile volcanic soil across the growing region gives the trees a rich foundation. Clifton Estate is the only Rainforest Alliance certified farm inside the Blue Mountain growing region.

Tips: What is Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee?

Rainforest Alliance certification carries a distinctive frog logo, which is why certified coffee is often nicknamed "frog beans." The seal means a farm has met the Rainforest Alliance's standards for protecting the farm and its surrounding ecosystem, limiting pesticide use, and meeting benchmarks for waste management. Only coffee that passes assessment and certification may be called "Rainforest Alliance certified coffee." Traditional cultivation under native forest shade is part of the requirements, which benefits the wider ecosystem. Part of the alliance's revenue also supports wildlife protection in tropical rainforest reserves and better living conditions for farm workers.

FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee comes from Clifton Estate, featuring rich, dense aroma and overall balanced, full-bodied character.

Blue Mountain is not the only coffee Jamaica grows. Coffee produced below 666 meters in the Blue Mountain region is called High Mountain coffee, second only to Blue Mountain in quality and known in the trade as its "brother variety." Coffee grown outside the Blue Mountain range is simply called Jamaican coffee.

Both Blue Mountain and High Mountain coffees are divided into four grades each. From best to least good: NO.1, NO.2, NO.3, and PB, which stands for peaberry. The finest Blue Mountain beans are NO.1 peaberry, also called pearl beans—carefully selected small, round beans from lots grown at 2,100 meters altitude, the finest of the finest.

Processing Method

Before 2019, Clifton Estate consistently used the washed processing method. In 2020, they launched their first natural processed Blue Mountain coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For a classic, balanced cup, FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 comes from Clifton Estate and is roasted medium-dark, showing nuts, dark chocolate, cream, and caramel with a soft, lingering sweetness. Brew it as a pour-over in a Kono dripper with 15 grams of coffee. Use water at 87-88°C with a 1:15 ratio and a medium-coarse grind about the size of white sugar, resting the beans 4-7 days off roast first. Bloom with 30 grams of water for 30 seconds, pour to 120 grams, then finish at 225 grams; total extraction runs about two minutes. It also performs well in a moka pot.