Nav: Home > Coffee >

Introduction to the Authentic Blue Mountain Coffee Bean Growing Region Characteristics? What is Jamaica's CIB Coffee Industry Board?

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, The Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee industry did not emerge overnight as a "genius" type. It also went through twists and turns to become the Blue Mountain Coffee that is widely talked about today. Behind Blue Mountain's success, there is an association that cannot be separated. Because of the establishment and operation of this association, Blue Mountain Coffee has become famous worldwide! Blue Mountain Coffee was born in the Carib

The Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee industry did not emerge overnight as a "genius" phenomenon. It went through many twists and turns to become the renowned Blue Mountain coffee that people talk about today. Behind Blue Mountain's success lies an association - because of its establishment and operation, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee has become famous worldwide!

FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain Coffee Originated in Jamaica, an Island in the Caribbean Region

In the early 18th century, King Louis XIV of France received a coffee seedling from the Dutch from Indonesia. He planted this seedling in the back garden of the Palace of Versailles. The carefully tended coffee tree brought huge returns, leading one of these coffee trees to be brought to Martinique in the Caribbean. This region would leave a significant mark in the history of coffee's spread and development, because after this, most of the coffee grown in Central and South America originated from Martinique, and FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee is no exception!

In 1728, the Governor of Jamaica imported Arabica seeds from Martinique and promoted their cultivation in the St. Andrew region. Initially, Jamaica focused on growing other crops, and coffee cultivation faced high taxes, limiting it to small-scale planting. It wasn't until 1790, when the British government significantly reduced coffee taxes, that Jamaican coffee gained tremendous room for development and large coffee plantations began to emerge. In 1814, the substantial export volume of Jamaican coffee created considerable economic benefits for the British.

However, this prosperity did not last long. With the end of slavery in the Caribbean region in 1838, the newly freed coffee farmers almost all left the plantations. This resulted in these large estates being sold or divided into smaller plots sold to local farmers, causing both coffee production and quality to decline significantly.

In 1948, the Jamaican government established the Coffee Industry Development Department to change the local coffee's declining state. The establishment of this department not only improved coffee quality but also opened up export opportunities. In 1952, this department was upgraded to the Jamaican Coffee Industry Board (abbreviated as CIB, with the full name Coffee Industry Board). This made Jamaica the first country in the world to establish a specialized department dedicated to coffee regulation!

It was precisely the emergence of CIB that established Blue Mountain coffee's long-standing prestigious position in the international market. To ensure the quality of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, CIB implemented a series of standards:

1. Clear definition of production area: CIB designated an area in the Blue Mountains, and only coffee grown and produced in this region can be called "Blue Mountain Coffee" (this region has an elevation of approximately 900-1700 meters). Coffee grown outside this designated area can only be sold as Jamaican High Mountain Coffee and Jamaican Prime Coffee.

2. Variety selection: Due to the firm commitment to planting Arabica varieties, Jamaica's Typica lineage remains pure, free from interference by other varieties. This is also why some people refer to the Typica grown in Jamaica as the "Blue Mountain variety."

3. Knowledge dissemination: Training coffee farmers in cultivation skills and environmental protection knowledge, including hand-picking ripe coffee cherries and washed processing of coffee beans (as washed processing was the most advanced processing method at that time).

4. Strict quality control: Grading of green beans by size and defect rate into NO.1, NO.2, NO.3, and PB. Taking Blue Mountain No.1 as an example, the standard selects coffee beans larger than 17 screen size, with a defect rate controlled below 3%.

CIB was also the first organization in the world to use cupping forms for scoring in coffee evaluation. The scoring criteria included dry and wet aroma, acidity, flavor, body, and cleanliness - exactly what we use today. This system was ahead of other cupping scoring systems by more than twenty years!

By 1980, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee had become popular worldwide. Its reputation was so high that some retailers in Britain and America were putting "Blue Mountain Coffee" labels on non-Jamaican coffee. To address this, CIB specially designed in 1984-1985 a label that could only be applied to barrels containing 100% Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.

28ed2f1d014b98f23e70e0700b5954df_720w.webp.jpeg

FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee is the only coffee in the world that uses wooden barrels for packaging and export. Although burlap bags are sturdy, durable, and lightweight, Jamaicans still prefer to use handcrafted wooden barrels to contain these carefully selected beans. The use of wooden barrels is also restricted - only Jamaican Blue Mountain (No.1, No.2, No.3, PB) and Jamaican High Mountain (High Mountain Premium, High Mountain PB) can use them, with specifications of 70kg, 30kg, and 15kg. Other grades can only use burlap bag packaging. Additionally, this serves as an indicator for distinguishing authentic Blue Mountain coffee.

Jamaican wooden barrels are printed with a green frog, which is the Rainforest Alliance certification mark, indicating that these coffee beans are grown organically in pollution-free environments throughout the entire process.

The upper part of the wooden barrel is printed with the estate name, while the middle section displays weight indicators: G (Gross Weight), T (Tare Weight), and N (Net Weight).

The lid is printed with grade markings, and the lower edge of the barrel is engraved with the Jamaican production identification and a unique ICO number.

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

The FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain No.1 on FrontStreet Coffee's bean list is produced by Clifton Mountain Estate and comes with a quality certificate issued by the Jamaican Coffee Industry Board, an authorized sales certificate from the Blue Mountain coffee manufacturer, and a certificate of origin for Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.