Can You Only Get Authentic Blue Mountain Coffee in Japan? What Are Genuine Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Beans?

The Global Rise of Blue Mountain Coffee

Whenever FrontStreet Coffee discusses Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee with friends who don't regularly drink coffee, there's always this saying: "Most Blue Mountain coffee in the Chinese market is fake, because 90% of Blue Mountain coffee is bought by the Japanese market annually, with the remaining 10% flowing into European and American markets." How accurate is this statement? FrontStreet Coffee invites everyone to explore what truly constitutes authentic Frontsteet Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and whether genuine Blue Mountain is available in China.

Blue Mountain coffee is produced in the "Blue Mountains," located in the Caribbean island nation of Jamaica. From a cultivation perspective, Jamaican coffee differs from many inland coffee-producing regions and forms a category called island coffee.

The History and Market Evolution

Before the 1960s, Jamaican coffee beans were highly popular in the entire coffee market due to their superior quality and excellent aroma. This prosperity didn't last long. In the late 1960s, the entire island of Jamaica was hit by the most severe hurricane disaster in its history, with the vast majority of coffee plantations being destroyed, and the coffee industry temporarily collapsed.

The 1960s and 1970s marked a period of rapid economic growth in Japan, with strong consumption and purchasing power. Jamaican Blue Mountain became the most popular coffee in the Japanese market after Indonesian Mandheling. At this time, several Japanese trading companies joined forces to provide substantial loans to some of the best coffee plantations in the Blue Mountain region, including the famous UCC Coffee Company (formerly Ueshima Coffee Co., Ltd.). In 1981, they directly purchased shares in these plantations, becoming deeply involved in the production and sales of Blue Mountain coffee, thus gaining priority purchasing rights and almost monopolizing the entire high-quality Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee market.

To thank Japanese companies for their assistance, the Jamaican government signed a 30-year contract with Japan in 1972, promising to allocate 90% of Blue Mountain coffee production quota to Japan, with the remaining 10% (approximately 245 tons) distributed to other markets. As the saying goes, scarcity makes things valuable. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee inherently has low supply, later became monopolized by trade, and demand was driven by aggressive marketing, naturally driving prices up.

During the agreement period with Japan, Blue Mountain coffee was not entirely consumed locally; they would sell some of it at high prices to other Asian countries and regions. With intensified promotion by the Japanese, coffee professionals in neighboring countries also began to pursue Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, such as Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Since 2000, the "Blue Mountain craze" gradually spread to mainland China, which is why when we mention coffee to our elders, they immediately think of the prestigious name "Blue Mountain."

The statement that "Blue Mountain coffee is rare in the domestic market" was valid before 2008, but not after 2008. During the 2008 global economic crisis, Jamaica attempted to sell Blue Mountain coffee to more countries, and coincidentally, the exclusive sales agreement with Japan had expired, so more Blue Mountain quotas were allocated to other countries. This broke the long-term Japanese monopoly on the Blue Mountain market, allowing buyers from around the world to participate in the production and sales of Blue Mountain coffee. China's importers and roasters also entered the Blue Mountain coffee market after this, significantly increasing opportunities to purchase authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee domestically. Today, with the flourishing coffee culture, enjoying a cup of genuine Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is no longer difficult, and can be done at FrontStreet Coffee's store.

FrontStreet Coffee stores sell authentic Frontsteet Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee imported from Jamaica, priced at 158 yuan/100g per package. You can also taste hand-brewed Frontsteet Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee prepared by baristas on-site, priced at 60 yuan per cup.

Blue Mountain Flavor ≠ Blue Mountain Coffee

After China's reform and opening up, foreign goods flooded in, including coffee. Coffee at that time was not as ubiquitous as it is today, and the reputation of Blue Mountain coffee thus spread to China. Early Blue Mountain coffee was rare and expensive, so merchants created blends using various beans to mimic the Blue Mountain taste based on its flavor profile, leading to the emergence of a deep-roasted blend called "Blue Mountain Flavor" on the market. Though named after Blue Mountain, it bears little resemblance to genuine Blue Mountain.

Although there are still many fake Blue Mountain coffees on the market today, it doesn't mean genuine Blue Mountain is hard to find. In fact, China has records of directly importing Blue Mountain coffee from Jamaica as early as April 2011. At that time, Zhejiang DUNN'S RIVER Import and Export Trading Company, representing the "Hangzhou Coffee and Western Restaurant Association," purchased a total of 1000*70kg from Jamaica, with a total value of two million US dollars. Today, Jamaica also highly values the Chinese market, and you can find many authorized domestic exporters listed on the CIB official website.

Authentic Frontsteet Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Credentials

As consumers, we can identify authentic Blue Mountain through the handcrafted oak barrels used for transporting Blue Mountain green beans. Jamaica is the only producing region in the world that uses oak barrels as coffee transport containers. The barrels come in three specifications: 70kg, 30kg, and 15kg. Compared to coarse burlap bags, oak barrels can absorb and release internal and external humidity while preventing coffee aroma from escaping, helping maintain more stable moisture content in the beans and ensuring more consistent roasting. Later, these barrels also became one of the identifiers for authentic Blue Mountain coffee.

Additionally, 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 region must undergo quality inspection and certification by the Coffee Industry Board and carry its label. Therefore, we can ask merchants to present relevant Blue Mountain certificates to verify authenticity.

FrontStreet Coffee's Frontsteet Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee is produced by Clifton Mountain Estate in Jamaica and comes with a quality certificate issued by the Jamaican Coffee Industry Board, an authorization sales certificate issued by the Blue Mountain coffee manufacturer, and a Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee certificate of origin. The Dongshankou store also displays the oak barrels used to transport Blue Mountain green beans.

Jamaica's Blue Mountain Coffee Grading System

Since the Jamaican government established the CIB in 1952, it has regulated the cultivation, production, and sales of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee to improve Blue Mountain quality, enhance coffee production processes, and coordinate Blue Mountain coffee sales in the market. The CIB is also responsible for grading coffee produced in the Blue Mountains and quality inspection. This means all Blue Mountain coffee sold worldwide must be certified by the CIB and carry its label. Compared to other coffee-producing regions, Jamaica was one of the first countries to recognize the "regional flavor" of coffee. The standards for evaluating Blue Mountain green beans cover multiple aspects: bean size, defect rate, color, uniformity, and cupping performance after roasting (including dry fragrance, wet aroma, acidity, flavor, body, cleanliness, etc.).

Bean size is determined using various mesh sieves, with beans that don't pass through the sieve holes meeting the specified size standards. Color assessment includes both visual observation and colorimeter readings, with blue-green being the highest grade. Based on these standards, Blue Mountain coffee is divided into four grades, from highest to lowest: Blue Mountain No. 1, Blue Mountain No. 2, Blue Mountain No. 3, and Blue Mountain Peaberry. Top-grade Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 1 green beans must meet specifications of 17 mesh or larger, have a defect rate below 3%, moisture content around 13%, and exhibit rich coffee aroma in cupping with smooth, balanced flavor, low acidity, and lasting aftertaste.

Blue Mountain coffee beans that have completed quality inspection are transported using different materials according to their grades. Blue Mountain No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 are the only coffees in the world exported in wooden barrel packaging, 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 can absorb and release internal and external humidity while preventing coffee aroma from escaping, helping maintain more stable moisture content in the beans and ensuring more consistent roasting. Later, these barrels also became one of the identifiers for authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, and FrontStreet Coffee stores display the handcrafted oak barrels used to transport Blue Mountain green beans.

Flavor Profile of FrontStreet Coffee's Clifton Mountain Estate Blue Mountain No. 1

The roasting process is akin to cooking gourmet food - quality ingredients combined with appropriate cooking techniques enhance the food's flavor. The ultimate goal of roasting is to produce a delicious cup of coffee. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy aims to present the most classic flavor profile of the growing region while highlighting the unique characteristics of the beans, such as the bright lemon acidity of FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe and the herbal, rich body of FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesian Mandheling coffee. FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain naturally emphasizes the classic Blue Mountain flavors. FrontStreet Coffee uses medium-dark roasting to maximize the chocolate and nutty aromas of Frontsteet Blue Mountain coffee while preserving soft acidity and sweetness, creating an overall balanced cup.

Freshly roasted Frontsteet Blue Mountain coffee beans were immediately cupped by FrontStreet Coffee. The dry fragrance revealed nuts, melon, and chocolate; after adding hot water, notes of oolong tea, caramel, honey, and dark chocolate emerged. The taste is rich dark chocolate, roasted hazelnuts, cream, and brown sugar, with clean and clear flavors, rich body, and lasting aroma. To allow everyone to experience these aromas, FrontStreet Coffee ensures all shipped coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days, so they arrive at their optimal tasting window. Below, FrontStreet Coffee explains several key factors for hand-brewing Frontsteet Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee according to store standards.

Frontsteet Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee Hand-Brew Reference

FrontStreet Coffee typically uses a KONO dripper for extracting medium-dark roasted coffee beans. The upper part of the KONO dripper features a smooth curved surface that allows better adherence of the filter paper. Compared to the V60 dripper, KONO primarily extracts coffee through immersion, increasing the overall concentration and enhancing the body of the coffee. Besides KONO, common Kalita trapezoid drippers and flannel filters with slower flow rates are also suitable.

Additionally, considering that medium-dark roasted coffee has undergone a certain degree of roasting, the internal structure of the beans is more porous than light-roasted coffee, thus having better water absorption. To avoid over-extraction, FrontStreet Coffee chooses a coarseness level with 75% pass-through rate on a No. 20 standard sieve, along with 88°C water temperature, paired with FrontStreet Coffee's customary three-stage pouring method.

Hand-brew parameters: 88°C water temperature, coarseness of raw sugar (75% pass-through rate on No. 20 standard sieve), 15g coffee beans, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, three-stage extraction.

In the first stage, gently pour 30g of water for blooming, with a blooming time of 30 seconds. In the second stage, pour to approximately 125g, moving evenly and steadily in outward circles. Then wait for the coffee liquid to drop, and when it reaches halfway, pour the final stage of water to 225g. Wait for all the coffee to finish dripping, with a total extraction time of approximately 2 minutes.

Frontsteet Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee flavor: When hot, Frontsteet Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee presents dark chocolate aroma, very rich with distinct almond aftertaste. As the temperature decreases, roasted hazelnut, creamy sweet silkiness emerges, accompanied by a hint of soft acidity and caramel sweetness, with the aroma persisting in the mouth.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473