Which is Better: Blue Mountain Coffee or Cappuccino? Understanding the Grade, Price, and Characteristics of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Beans

Blue Mountain coffee originally refers to premium coffee beans produced in Jamaica's Blue Mountain region. Many people's understanding of Blue Mountain coffee is limited to "it's expensive, the king of coffees." Because of this, some merchants have used the Blue Mountain name to derive many "Blue Mountain coffee" concepts. Let FrontStreet Coffee clarify this for you.

Authentic Blue Mountain Coffee Beans

The most authentic Blue Mountain coffee beans are produced in Jamaica's Blue Mountain range. Since the establishment of the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board (CIB) in 1950, a complete coffee production system has been established.

In Jamaica, coffee is divided into Blue Mountain coffee, High Mountain coffee, and Jamaican coffee. Blue Mountain coffee is grown in areas above 1000 meters in the Blue Mountain range, with a total area of no more than 6000 hectares. Blue Mountain coffee is also divided into four grades: No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and Peaberry (PB). No. 1 coffee beans are the largest and fullest, followed by No. 2 and No. 3, while PB are specially selected small round beans, generally smaller than flat beans, about 14-15 mesh. The premium Blue Mountain coffee beans we refer to are actually Blue Mountain No. 1.

The reason Blue Mountain coffee beans are so expensive is also because in earlier years, Blue Mountain coffee was monopolized by Japanese buyers for 85%, with the remaining 15% circulating globally, making it particularly precious.

According to Jamaica Coffee Board export statistics from 2013, among the limited Blue Mountain coffee bean quotas, 85% were 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, China accounts for 15% of consumption, according to International Coffee Association statistics. This is because some Japanese, Australian, and European Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee shares are exported to Taiwan through direct subsidiaries.

In the past 10 years, Japan's priority purchasing rights have expired, and China has been normally importing Blue Mountain coffee for many years. Blue Mountain coffee farm owners have also visited China in recent years to further help Chinese consumers understand Blue Mountain coffee beans. Taking FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee as an example, FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee beans come from Clifton Farm, which was among the first batch to sign contracts with China. Additionally, when purchasing authentic Blue Mountain coffee, it comes with an accompanying certificate for authentication. It can be said that the Blue Mountain barrel and Blue Mountain certificate are important evidence proving it's genuine Blue Mountain coffee.

The Sharp family of Clifton Farm has been growing coffee for over 200 years, belonging to authentic old Blue Mountain heritage. It is also the only farm in the Blue Mountain region certified by the Rainforest Alliance. Blue Mountain No. 1 is pure Typica variety, one of the few ancient pure breeds in the world with excellent flavor. Combined with Jamaica's refined washed processing, the coffee beans are full and large, with uniform color.

FrontStreet Coffee believes that Blue Mountain coffee beans best represent traditional coffee flavor—balanced, aromatic, and worthy of being called "the king of coffee." Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee has recreated this flavor using medium-dark roasting, expressing notes of nuts, chocolate, richness, and a perfect balance of sweet, sour, and bitter.

FrontStreet Coffee believes that pour-over is the brewing method that can most stably express Blue Mountain coffee's flavor. FrontStreet Coffee recommends using a Kono dripper to highlight Blue Mountain's richness.

To taste the pure, aromatic Blue Mountain flavor, FrontStreet Coffee suggests using freshly roasted coffee beans for brewing, which allows you to experience the coffee's rich flavors to the greatest extent. FrontStreet Coffee ships coffee beans roasted within 5 days, because FrontStreet Coffee deeply understands that the freshness of coffee beans has a significant impact on flavor. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "freshly roasted good coffee," ensuring that every customer receives the freshest coffee when they place an order. The coffee's resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive it, it's at its peak flavor.

Brewing Parameters

Coffee dose: 15g
Ratio: 1:15
Grind size: Medium pour-over grind (75% pass-through on No. 20 sieve)
Water temperature: 88°C

FrontStreet Coffee uses segmented extraction, which is the three-stage pouring method. Use 30g of water for blooming, with a bloom time of 30 seconds. In the first stage, pour with a small water flow in circles to 125g, then stop pouring. When the liquid level drops to just before exposing the coffee bed, continue with the second stage, pouring to 225g to finish extraction. The total extraction time (including blooming) is 2'00".

Common Misconceptions About Blue Mountain Coffee

Below are some terms that might look like Blue Mountain coffee but are not actually genuine Blue Mountain coffee.

Blue Mountain Flavored Coffee Beans

The presence of the word "flavored" basically indicates that these are not genuine Blue Mountain coffee beans. These types of coffee beans typically use beans from other regions to pass off as Blue Mountain coffee beans. If you haven't tasted authentic Blue Mountain coffee, there's a high probability that these beans will distort your perception of Blue Mountain. The famous Italian blend formula "Mandheling blend" uses Mandheling coffee and Brazilian coffee blended to simulate Blue Mountain's flavor.

Blue Mountain Instant Coffee

A 100-gram package of authentic Blue Mountain coffee beans can sell for over 200 RMB, so how could it be possible to use genuine Blue Mountain coffee beans to make instant coffee? In reality, the raw materials for making instant coffee are mostly lower-priced Robusta coffee beans, Yunnan coffee beans, and Brazilian coffee beans. The "Blue Mountain instant coffee" mentioned in advertisements may just be for promotional effect.

Blue Mountain Coffee vs. Cappuccino

As for the question of which is better between Blue Mountain coffee and cappuccino, it depends on personal taste. Blue Mountain coffee beans are mostly used to make black coffee, and friends who don't often drink coffee might find it slightly bitter with a burnt taste. Cappuccino, on the other hand, is a classic Italian coffee made from espresso plus milk plus thick milk foam, resulting in a full and smooth texture. Because milk is added, it's not particularly bitter and highlights the coffee's aroma, making it very suitable for friends who don't usually drink coffee.

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

For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat account of FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex

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