History of Jamaican Coffee Development, Coffee Growing Regions, and Introduction to Blue Mountain Coffee

Jamaica: The Island of Coffee Paradise

Jamaica is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea, separated from Haiti by the Jamaica Strait to the east, and is the third largest island in the Caribbean. Jamaica's coastal areas are plains, the eastern region is mountainous, while the central and western parts consist of hills and limestone plateaus. It has a tropical rainforest climate. Each year, May-June and September-November are the rainy seasons, while December to March of the following year is the dry season. The central and northern regions receive abundant rainfall, with temperatures typically ranging between 22-32 degrees Celsius, with an annual average temperature of 27 degrees.

The Historical Journey of Jamaican Coffee

In 1728, Governor Sir Nicholas Lawes received a gift from the governor of Martinique (now part of France) - a coffee seedling - thus beginning the history of coffee on the island. Sir Lawes had previously experimented with cultivating various crops, and subsequently planted the seeds in the St. Andrew parish. However, initial production was quite limited, and by 1752, Jamaica was already exporting 27 tons of coffee.

In the late 18th century, coffee cultivation areas also expanded from St. Andrew to the Blue Mountains. By 1800, there were 686 coffee plantations on the island. However, with the abolition of slavery in 1807 and its full implementation in 1838, labor shortages arose. Coupled with poor management and the loss of favorable trade conditions with Britain for colonial products, the coffee industry began to decline, leaving only 180 coffee plantations by the 19th century. The quality of coffee produced at that time was poor, so in 1891, the government passed legislation to educate producers about coffee cultivation techniques to improve quality, and also improved infrastructure, enabling centralized processing and grading of coffee. In 1944, the Central Coffee Clearing House was established, and all coffee had to be approved by this institution before export. Additionally, in 1950, the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board (CIB) was established, though this organization merged with other Jamaican commodity agencies in 2018 to form JACRA (Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority), through which every barrel of Blue Mountain coffee beans must now undergo quality supervision. Upon its establishment, the "Coffee Industry Regulation Law" was also enacted, defining the world-famous "Blue Mountain Coffee Growing Region."

The Blue Mountain Coffee Growing Region

According to the provisions of the enacted "Coffee Industry Regulation Law," the Blue Mountain growing areas are distributed across four parishes: St. Andrew, St. Thomas, Portland, and St. Mary. Only Typica variety coffee grown at elevations between 915-1700 meters within this region can be named Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee.

The Unique Terroir of Blue Mountain Coffee

The Blue Mountain Range is located in eastern Jamaica, with elevations between 1000-1700 meters. Surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, when the weather is clear and sunlight directly hits the sea surface, the mountain peaks reflect the blue glow of the seawater, hence its name. The Blue Mountain coffee growing belt possesses fertile volcanic soil, fresh air, and a humid climate with year-round fog and rainfall. Such climatic conditions have created the world-renowned Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee. Furthermore, this region also cultivates Blue Mountain Typica, which after over 200 years of evolution has developed better disease resistance than typical Typica varieties.

Unique Barrel Packaging and Classification

Blue Mountain Coffee is the only coffee in the world that is exported packaged in wooden barrels, shaped like small wine barrels, with each barrel containing 70 kilograms of green beans. The use of these barrels is also restricted - only Jamaica Blue Mountain (Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, PB) and Jamaica High Mountain (High Mountain Supreme, High Mountain PB) can use them, with specifications of 70kg, 30kg, and 15kg available. All other grades can only be packaged in burlap bags.

The Flavor Profile of Blue Mountain Coffee

Blue Mountain Coffee is smooth and rich, with its excellent balance being a major characteristic. Currently, the Blue Mountain Coffee sourced by FrontStreet Coffee comes from Clifton Estate. Using washed processing, it offers a balanced acidity, body, and aroma when tasted, with a delicate and silky mouthfeel. After tasting, there's a slight, gentle fruity acidity and a hint of cocoa aftertaste.

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