Coffee Basics: Types, Brands, and Characteristics of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee

Whether you are young or old, FrontStreet Coffee is sure you have heard of Blue Mountain coffee. FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee sits at the very top of specialty coffee, which sounds quite prestigious, does it not? In the past, drinking a cup of Blue Mountain coffee felt like a luxury, and even today it is still fairly expensive. Many products on the market claim to be Blue Mountain coffee, but are they all authentic? What exactly is Blue Mountain coffee? FrontStreet Coffee is here to share some knowledge about it.

Understanding Blue Mountain Coffee's Value

First, let's look at just how expensive Blue Mountain coffee really is. At FrontStreet Coffee, a cup of authentic Blue Mountain coffee costs 60 yuan, or 158 yuan per 100g, which makes for an exceptional tasting experience. Some might ask: is this real Blue Mountain coffee? Absolutely, because authentic Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee comes with certification. FrontStreet Coffee imports Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee directly from origin, and the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board can today issue certificates for all exported Blue Mountain coffee.

The Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 coffee sold by FrontStreet Coffee comes with certificates issued by the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board. The wooden barrels that pack Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee beans also carry a green frog logo. FrontStreet Coffee specifically selects Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 from Clifton Farm, a plantation holding Rainforest Alliance certification. Jamaica is also the only origin that stores green coffee beans in wooden barrels. Above all, it carries the most iconic Blue Mountain flavor: authentic Blue Mountain coffee has a very intense aroma and a balanced taste, with no single flavor overpowering or missing.

The Evolution of Jamaica's Coffee Export Policy

The Jamaican government once insisted that all Blue Mountain coffee be roasted in Jamaica to guarantee consistent quality. In reality, roasting is a refined art that demands experience, training and expensive equipment. From a consumer's point of view, beans should be obtained and consumed soon after roasting, and coffee roasted in Jamaica cannot meet that requirement. Today, Jamaica's green coffee beans may be exported.

The History of Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 Coffee

Jamaica's coffee history reaches back to the 18th century. In 1717, French King Louis XV ordered coffee cultivation in Jamaica. In the mid-1720s, Jamaica's Governor Sir Nicholas Lawes imported Arabica seeds from Martinique and began promoting cultivation in the St. Andrew area. Coffee trees were introduced to Jamaica and planted in the Blue Mountains, which were divided into different elevations yielding Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee, High Mountain coffee and Jamaica coffee, with the different grades determining different prices.

The Three Major Growing Regions of Blue Mountain Coffee

The Blue Mountain region is a small area with only 6,000 hectares of planting land, so it is impossible for everything labeled "Blue Mountain" to be grown there. A further 12,000 hectares are used to grow two other, non-Blue Mountain coffees: High Mountain Supreme and Jamaica Prime.

Today's St. Andrew region remains one of the three major growing regions for Blue Mountain coffee, the other two being Portland and St. Thomas. Some small estates also grow Blue Mountain coffee, such as Wallenford Estate, Silver Hill Estate and J. Martinez's Atlanta Estate. Even the largest estate owners in the region are considered small-scale by international standards, and many are small landholders whose families have worked this land for two centuries.

Blue Mountain Coffee Processing and Certification

There are currently six certification marks that can represent Blue Mountain coffee origin, including M.B.C.E (Mavis Bank Central Factory), M.H.C.C.T. (Blue Mountain Coffee Co-operative), P.X.X.S.H. (Portland Blue Mountain Coffee Co-operative), Coffee Industry Board (Wallenford), Coffee Industry Board (St. John's Peak) and J.A.S (Jami), with some estate-level coffees also marked on their wooden barrels.

Jamaica is the only country in the world with a government coffee regulatory body: the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board (CIB), under Jamaica's Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. The CIB handles cultivation guidance, processing training, fair trade, quality supervision and other matters tied to Jamaica Blue Mountain quality and branding. CIB board members are estate owners who hold significant amounts of plantation land in Jamaica, and because of industry shifts, newly certified Jamaica Blue Mountain estates now require 50 or more hectares. CIB regulations state that only beans grown above 666 meters (2,200 feet) in Jamaica's Blue Mountains may be called Jamaica Blue Mountain, with grades classified by bean size as NO.1, NO.2, NO.3 and hand-selected PB (Peaberry). NO.1 Blue Mountain green beans must meet basic standards of a 17+ screen size, a defect rate below 2%, moisture content around 13% and so on. With low production, large beans, excellent quality and a harmonious flavor balancing the right acidity, bitterness, aroma, body and sweetness, it is recognized worldwide as a premium coffee, making Blue Mountain No.1 the most expensive of all Blue Mountain coffees.

Major Blue Mountain Coffee Companies

Another noteworthy company is Coffee Trades, with the estate name CLYDESDALE, whose coffee factory sits in the backyard of the CIB office building and whose estate lies on the Blue Mountains at around 1,200 meters elevation. Jamaica's other two most prominent Blue Mountain coffee companies are Wallenford and Mavis Bank. Both began as state-owned enterprises. Wallenford's production exceeds 60% of all Jamaica Blue Mountain output, while Mavis Bank's exceeds 20%. Mavis Bank is also one of the few Jamaica Blue Mountain companies that handles all three grades: Jamaica Blue Mountain, Jamaica High Mountain and Jamaica Select.

Blue Mountain Coffee Varieties

Coffee beans worldwide fall mainly into three species: Arabica, Robusta and Liberica. The Blue Mountain coffee imported by FrontStreet Coffee is of the Typica variety. Typica is the oldest Arabica subspecies, with bronze-colored leaf tips, oval or slender-pointed beans, and tall trees whose slightly inclined branches sit at 50-70 degree angles, which is why it is known as red-topped coffee. The tree has opposite, long oval leaves with smooth surfaces, long terminal branches with few laterals, and white flowers that bloom at the base where the leaf stems meet the branches. It offers an elegant flavor but a weak constitution, poor disease resistance and a very low yield per tree. Mature coffee cherries look like bright red cherries. Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee's weak disease resistance, low yield and susceptibility to insect attack are among the reasons for its high price.

How Blue Mountain Coffee is Graded

Coffee from Jamaica's Blue Mountain region falls into three categories: Blue Mountain Coffee, Jamaica High Mountain Supreme Coffee Beans and Jamaica Prime Coffee Beans. Both Blue Mountain Coffee and High Mountain Coffee are each divided into four grades. Ranked from highest quality to lowest, these are: No.1, No.2, No.3 and Peaberry (PB).

Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee

According to CIB standards, only coffee grown above 666 meters (2,200 feet) in Jamaica's Blue Mountains may be called Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee. It is the finest of coffee treasures, produced in the Blue Mountains where the terrain is steep and yields are low, yet the beans are large, the quality excellent and the flavor harmonious, balancing the right acidity, bitterness, aroma, body and sweetness. It is recognized worldwide as a premium coffee, making the national treasure Blue Mountain No.1 the most expensive of all Blue Mountain coffees.

Jamaica High Mountain Coffee

Coffee grown below 666 meters in Jamaica's Blue Mountain region is called High Mountain Coffee, and it ranks second in quality after Blue Mountain Coffee. Because Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is in extremely limited supply, High Mountain Coffee is your best choice if you want to taste Jamaican coffee.

Jamaica Coffee

Coffee grown outside the Blue Mountains is called Jamaica Coffee. Chinese coffee professionals once shared a common misconception that only coffee grown above 1,800 meters in the Blue Mountain region could be called Blue Mountain Coffee. In fact, there is only one estate above 1,800 meters on the Blue Mountain crest: Amber, owned by a Chinese descendant with the surname Lyn (Lin), whose ancestors came from Guangdong, China. That estate has only 30 hectares of land and very limited production. Blue Mountain Coffee is mainly distributed across five peaks of the Blue Mountains: John Crow, St. John's Peak, Mossman's Peak, High Peak and Blue Mountain Peak.

Both Blue Mountain Coffee and High Mountain Coffee are divided into four grades. Ranked from highest quality to lowest, these are: No.1, No.2, No.3 and Peaberry (PB). According to CIB standards, only coffee grown above 666 meters (2,200 feet) may be called Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee. With low production, large beans, excellent quality and a harmonious flavor balancing the right acidity, bitterness, aroma, body and sweetness, it is recognized worldwide as a premium coffee, making the national treasure Blue Mountain No.1 the most expensive of all Blue Mountain coffees.

Grade Specifications:

• (1) No.1 - 17/18 screen size, defect rate not exceeding 2%
• (2) No.2 - 16/17 screen size, defect rate not exceeding 2%
• (3) No.3 - 15/16 screen size, defect rate not exceeding 2%
• (4) Peaberry - 10MS, defect rate not exceeding 2%

FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain No.1 Coffee Bean Processing

Before this year, Blue Mountain No.1 coffee was available only in washed processing. The washed method uses water and fermentation to remove pulp, mucilage and parchment. Farms using it must build washing tanks and have access to a continuous supply of fresh water. During processing, the pulp is removed first, followed by 12-18 hours of fermentation. The fermented beans are then placed in tanks and moved back and forth, using the friction of the beans and flowing water to wash them until they are smooth and clean. After washing, the beans are still in their parchment with 50% moisture content and must be sun-dried down to 12-14%, otherwise they will keep fermenting and become moldy and spoiled. The beans are then sorted and stored in special warehouses. These steps must be strictly controlled, or the coffee quality will suffer.

In 2020, the Blue Mountain region also exported a batch of natural-processed Blue Mountain No.1 coffee, and FrontStreet Coffee was among the first to import and roast it. Producing this natural Blue Mountain coffee was quite challenging. Previously only washed processing was used, because washing best preserves the essential Blue Mountain flavor characteristics, and changing the processing method inevitably alters its flavor structure. This is why FrontStreet Coffee always recommends washed beans when introducing customers to coffee from a specific origin: washed processing best represents the origin's flavor. Of course, Blue Mountain coffee adopting natural processing follows market trends, just as FrontStreet Coffee recently added a natural Mandheling coffee bean that differs from the traditional wet-hulled method.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Recommendations:

FrontStreet Coffee recommends brewing with freshly roasted beans to fully appreciate the rich coffee flavors. Beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are roasted within 5 days, because FrontStreet Coffee understands how much freshness affects flavor. Its roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Good Coffee," ensuring every customer receives the freshest coffee when the order arrives. The resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive their coffee it is at peak flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee considered that both Blue Mountain beans use a relatively dark roast. The darker the roast, the faster coffee compounds dissolve, so to avoid over-extraction FrontStreet Coffee uses a lower water temperature while also choosing the slower-flow Kono dripper to ensure adequate extraction even at that lower temperature.

Brewing Parameters:

• Dripper: Kono dripper
• Water Temperature: 88°C
• Dose: 15g
• Ratio: 1:15
• Grind Size: Medium grind (75% retention rate on China standard #20 sieve)
• Brewing Method: Three-stage extraction. Use 30g water for a 30-second bloom, then pour with a small circular motion to 125g for the first split. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. Wait until all coffee liquid has dripped through, then remove the dripper. Timing starts from the first pour, with a total extraction time of 2'00".

Flavor Descriptions

[FrontStreet Coffee Natural Blue Mountain Coffee] Slight berry acidity reminiscent of dark plum and mulberry, with excellent overall balance, rich dark chocolate and nut flavors, and a slight fermented note.

[FrontStreet Coffee Washed Blue Mountain Coffee] Rich dark chocolate and nut flavors, a creamy smooth texture, and balanced acidity, sweetness and bitterness.

The final step is to swirl the server holding the coffee liquid so the concentration mixes evenly, and then you can enjoy a delicious cup of Blue Mountain coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

The name Blue Mountain has never been about novelty; it is about balance. Compared with specialty coffees that chase a single bold note, Blue Mountain's charm is that it has almost no weak point: it is neither as sharply fruit-acidic as some African coffees nor as heavy and bitter as a dark roast, but sits evenly across acidity, sweetness, bitterness and aroma. A good Blue Mountain typically shows cream, caramel, chocolate, nuts, honey and a light fruit note, entering soft and rounded, building sweetness in the middle and finishing clean and long. That is why so many professionals call it the specialty coffee most people find easiest to like.

FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 is one of the highest grades in the category, with strict standards for bean size, defect rate and overall quality. It comes from the historic Clifton Mount Estate, where coffee has been grown and processed since the mid-18th century, around 1750, at an average elevation of 4,300 feet (1,310.64 meters). Enough altitude, gentle afternoon cloud shading the forest, ample sunlight and mineral-rich soil give the trees excellent growing conditions and lengthen the ripening of the cherries. Beans are shipped roasted within 5 days, so they arrive near their flavor peak and can be brewed right away.

Brewing is flexible because the coffee is so balanced. For a pour-over that shows its fine layering and sweetness, FrontStreet Coffee suggests a Kono dripper, 15g of coffee rested 4-7 days, a 1:15 ratio and 87-88°C water, ground a little coarser than a light roast and roughly the texture of granulated sugar. Pour in three stages: 30g for a 30-second bloom, then to 120g with a slow vertical circular pour, then to 225g at a slightly faster pace to keep fines from clogging the filter and over-extracting. If you prefer a richer cup, a moka pot also suits Blue Mountain well: grind slightly finer than for pour-over, fill with hot water, heat over medium-low, and pull it off the heat just as the coffee finishes flowing. The result is very clean, complex and mild, with chocolate sweetness and a strong body, a pleasing fruit finish and no harsh bitterness.