Who is Blue Mountain Coffee Suitable for and What is its Quality Level? Can Blue Mountain Black Coffee Help with Weight Loss? The Efficacy and Characteristics

FrontStreet Coffee's baristas often receive questions like, "What grade does Blue Mountain coffee belong to?" FrontStreet Coffee considers Blue Mountain coffee to be one of the representatives of high-end specialty coffee. In an era when people had only heard of Blue Mountain coffee's reputation but had never tasted it, Blue Mountain coffee was practically a luxury item. Due to its extremely limited availability on the market and high demand, prices remained consistently high, and many inferior coffees masquerading as the genuine article frequently appeared. At this time, FrontStreet Coffee believes understanding authentic Blue Mountain coffee is crucial.

Authentic Blue Mountain Coffee

True Blue Mountain coffee comes from the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. The highest elevation of the Blue Mountains reaches 2,256 meters, with coffee generally cultivated below 1,700 meters, as areas above this are ecological protection zones. It is precisely because of local conservation efforts that the Blue Mountains remain a famous tourist destination. Jamaica is situated in the tropics, with coffee trees distributed throughout the Blue Mountains. Here, the air is fresh and unpolluted, the climate is humid with temperatures around 27°C, and persistent cloud cover provides shade for the coffee trees. Combined with fertile volcanic soil, these conditions create exceptionally high-quality Blue Mountain coffee beans.

Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Grades

According to the standards of the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board, only Arabica variety coffee grown between 910-1,700 meters elevation can be called Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee. Coffee grown at lower elevations can only be designated as Jamaica High Mountain Coffee or Jamaica Prime Coffee.

Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is further classified by bean size and defect rate into No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and PB grades. The highest grade is No. 1, which requires that in a 300g sample of green coffee beans, the particle size must be above 17 mesh, defect rate must be below 2%, moisture content around 13%, and the beans should appear plump and uniform.

Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Varieties

Jamaica consists largely of mountainous terrain with limited cultivation area, resulting in relatively low production. The local government focuses on improving coffee quality rather than quantity. Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is the ancient, high-quality Arabica variety Typica. Typica thrives in high-altitude environments and is characterized by its pure, clean flavor and balanced taste.

Typica plants grow taller than other coffee varieties and have slender branches that extend outward. Therefore, these Typica plants cannot be cultivated intensively, requiring more growing space, which leaves less room for other coffee varieties or crops. This makes cultivation management more time-consuming and labor-intensive. Additionally, Typica yields are relatively low, with individual coffee trees producing 20-30% fewer beans than Bourbon varieties, which is why many coffee farmers pursuing mass production have abandoned Typica cultivation.

If weather disasters, pests, or diseases occur, Typica coffee production becomes extremely scarce. Under proper local cultivation, Blue Mountain coffee exhibits sweet flavors and smooth口感 in cupping tests, making the high returns worthwhile for growers.

Blue Mountain Coffee Processing Method

The Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee on FrontStreet Coffee's menu comes from Clifton Mountain Estate, which is certified by the Jamaica Coffee Board. Clifton Mountain Estate has high-altitude growing conditions and a long history of coffee production dating back to the mid-18th century. The processing techniques for Blue Mountain green coffee beans are highly refined. Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee typically uses the washed method to process green beans.

Farms using the washed method must construct washing pools and have access to continuous fresh water, making this method generally suitable for larger farms. During processing, the fruit skin and pulp are first removed, followed by 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 they are smooth and clean. After washing, the coffee beans have a moisture content of 50% and must be sun-dried to reduce moisture content to 12-14%. The beans are then sorted and stored in specialized warehouses. These procedures must be strictly controlled; otherwise, coffee quality will be affected.

Although following overall coffee market trends, small quantities of natural-processed Blue Mountain coffee have appeared on the market, FrontStreet Coffee believes that washed Blue Mountain coffee best presents the classic Blue Mountain flavor profile.

Where to Buy Blue Mountain Coffee

Due to a 30-year agreement signed between Jamaica and Japan in the 1960s, in return for UCC Corporation's investment and assistance, 80% of high-quality Blue Mountain coffee quotas were allocated to Japan, with even higher percentages during peak periods. The remaining quotas were distributed to European and American countries. This made it difficult for other regions to purchase authentic Blue Mountain coffee, and even when available, it was extremely expensive. Today, this agreement has expired, and Jamaica has allocated Blue Mountain coffee quotas to more countries and regions. Multiple companies in China have signed direct import agreements with Jamaica, making genuine Blue Mountain coffee more accessible in China.

The Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee purchased by FrontStreet Coffee is packaged in wooden barrels containing green coffee beans. The barrels bear printed text reading "Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee" and "Clifton Mountain Estate," along with the Rainforest Alliance certified green frog logo and certificates issued by the Jamaica Coffee Board.

FrontStreet Coffee: Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee Beans

Region: Jamaica Blue Mountains
Elevation: 1,310m
Processing: Washed
Variety: Typica
Flavor: Dark chocolate, nuts, cream, cocoa

How to Drink Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee

For high-quality coffee like Blue Mountain with its rich aroma and balanced flavor profile, FrontStreet Coffee believes black coffee best presents the finest Blue Mountain characteristics.

Black coffee is coffee without any added milk or sugar, such as commonly seen pour-over coffee or Americano. Moderate consumption of black coffee not only provides alertness but also helps promote human metabolism, effectively break down body fat, and aids digestion when consumed after meals. FrontStreet Coffee reminds that coffee consumption should not be excessive, with daily intake controlled to 2-3 cups, as overconsumption can easily cause gastrointestinal discomfort or heart palpitations.

Below, FrontStreet Coffee will demonstrate brewing Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee according to our in-store pour-over standards for your reference.

Although Blue Mountain coffee is of exceptionally high quality, it remains an agricultural product, making freshness extremely important. This includes both the freshness of green coffee beans and the freshness of roasted products. FrontStreet Coffee currently purchases the latest crop season Blue Mountain No. 1 green coffee beans, and all shipments are freshly roasted within 5 days. Coffee beans enter their optimal flavor period 4-7 days after roasting, typically just right for brewing and tasting when customers receive them.

Since Blue Mountain coffee's flavor profile tends toward nutty and cocoa notes, FrontStreet Coffee chooses a medium-dark roast to highlight more intense chocolate and nutty aromas. For brewing full-bodied coffee beans like Blue Mountain, FrontStreet Coffee typically uses a Kono dripper. When the Kono dripper fits snugly with filter paper, water flow slows down, increasing contact time between hot water and coffee grounds, creating immersion-style extraction that produces richer coffee.

Dripper: KONO
Water temperature: 88°C
Grind size: 75% pass-through rate with #20 standard sieve
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15
Coffee dose: 15g

First wet the KONO dripper to ensure better adherence between filter paper and coffee dripper. Pour out the water from the sharing pot while adding 15g of coffee grounds, then begin three-stage extraction. After blooming with 30g of water for 30 seconds, start pouring in small circular motions around the center until reaching 125g, then pause. When the coffee bed drops to half the dripper's height, begin the second pour using the same technique until reaching 225g. Once all dripping is complete, remove the dripper.

The pour-over Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee enters with dark chocolate and nut flavors, full-bodied and smooth without being too strong, with a clean mouthfeel and gentle acidity. The overall experience is remarkably balanced.

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

For more specialty coffee beans, add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat, ID: qjcoffeex

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473