Premium Coffee Beans: Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Region Story and Grade Introduction

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Before specialty coffee became popular, Blue Mountain Coffee was one of the earliest coffee beans people recognized. At that time, people defined Blue Mountain Coffee as "the standard for whether coffee tastes good or not."

What Does Blue Mountain Coffee Taste Like?

FrontStreet Coffee believes that Blue Mountain Coffee is a coffee with perfectly balanced acidity, sweetness, and bitterness. To provide current coffee enthusiasts with this traditional and classic coffee, FrontStreet Coffee has recently introduced two authentic Blue Mountain coffees from Jamaica's Blue Mountain Clifton Farm.

The History of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee

The history of Jamaican coffee can be traced back to the 18th century. In 1717, French King Louis XV ordered coffee to be planted 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, introducing coffee trees to Jamaica. Coffee was planted on the Blue Mountain range, which was divided into high-altitude Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, High Mountain Coffee, and Jamaican Coffee, with different grades determining different prices.

The Blue Mountain range is located in eastern Jamaica. Because the mountain is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, whenever the weather is clear and the sun shines directly on the azure sea surface, the peaks reflect the brilliant blue light of the seawater, hence its name.

The highest peak of Blue Mountain reaches 2,256 meters above sea level (coffee can only be grown below 1,700m, with areas above being protected forest). It is the highest peak in the Caribbean region and a famous tourist destination. This area is located in the coffee belt, with fertile volcanic soil, fresh air, no pollution, humid climate, year-round fog and rain, with average precipitation of 1,980 millimeters and temperatures around 27 degrees. Such climate has created the world-renowned Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, as well as the world's highest-priced coffee.

After harvesting, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee cherries are typically processed using traditional washed methods. Machines are used to crush the coffee cherries to remove the skin and pulp, then they are placed in pools to ferment overnight. The fermented beans are then placed in clean water pools and washed back and forth, using the friction of the beans and the power of flowing water to wash the coffee beans until smooth and clean. Finally, the parchment beans are dried for 2-3 weeks until the moisture content reaches 12-14%. Since the coffee pulp and mucilage have been removed before drying, there is no excessive fermented acidity affecting the beans, allowing the inherent aroma of Blue Mountain beans to be more balanced and clean.

The processed Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee green beans must undergo multiple quality inspections, including defect ratios, size specifications, and cupping scores. The highest-grade Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans need to meet 17-18 screen specifications, with defective bean ratios not exceeding 2%, and possess just the right balance of acidity, sweetness, bitterness, body, and aroma. As one can imagine, the quantity of such premium coffee beans with refined flavors is extremely scarce. To taste the refined flavors of Blue Mountain, FrontStreet Coffee believes one should choose the highest quality Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee. FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans are processed using the washed method and produced from the historic local Clifton Estate.

Jamaica's Clifton Estate

FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaican Blue Mountain comes from Clifton Estate. Clifton is the oldest coffee-producing area in Jamaica that is still in normal operation today, and only Clifton Farm in Jamaica has the "Rainforest Alliance Certified" mark. As early as the mid-18th century (around 1750), Clifton Farm began planting and producing coffee. Today's Clifton Farm is the largest estate in this area. By international standards, it is still considered small-scale cultivation, with many estate owners being small landholders.

Because according to CIB standards, the basic criteria for Blue Mountain No. 1 green beans include beans above 17 screen size, defect rates below 3%, and moisture content around 13%.

How to Identify Authentic Blue Mountain Coffee?

Below, three key points will be used to identify authentic "Blue Mountain Coffee": coffee export companies designated by the Coffee Industry Board, the only region that uses wooden barrels for green beans, and Clifton's Rainforest Alliance certification.

FrontStreet Coffee would like to share some knowledge with everyone:

1. Authentic Blue Mountain Coffee is exported by companies designated by the Coffee Industry Board.

Some authentic Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans in the Chinese market are mainly exported to China through direct branch companies from Japan, Australia, and Europe. According to 2013 statistics from the International Coffee Organization (ICO), Japan accounted for 85% of the allocation, while the United States, Europe, and other countries each accounted for 5%. ICO statistics show that China accounts for 15% of Blue Mountain coffee consumption. It is worth noting that the limited Blue Mountain No. 1 is mostly allocated to Japan, the United States, and Europe. Among these, because Japan invested in Jamaica's coffee industry, most Blue Mountain Coffee was bought out by Japan. In 1992, Jamaica sold 688 tons of Blue Mountain Coffee to Japan, 75 tons to the United States, and only 59 tons to the United Kingdom.

In 2005, Jamaica's Minister of Agriculture announced that Blue Mountain Coffee should be roasted in Jamaica, so it directly flows through quota allocation from Jamaica to consuming countries. This distribution system has been recognized by the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board (CIB). (Note: CIB board members are estate owners who own a certain scale of coffee plantations in Jamaica.)

In addition, the officially registered logo of the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board is used for certification and inspection of exported Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. The BLUEMOUNTAINCOFFEE trademark is the mark on the packaging of authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee.

Coffee Industry Board (CIB)

2. Authentic Blue Mountain Coffee is the only coffee region that uses wooden barrels for green beans.

Blue Mountain Coffee beans are to date the only coffee-producing region that uses wooden barrels for green beans among all coffees; other coffee exports use gunny sacks. During the mid-18th century British colonial period, flour transported from Britain to Jamaica left empty barrels that were recycled to transport coffee and rum, isolating the coffee aroma to ensure coffee quality. The wooden barrels used today are made from timber from temperate forests in the United States.

3. The frog on Clifton's barrel lid is Rainforest Alliance certification.

Clifton Estate is Jamaica's oldest coffee estate, and only Clifton Farm in Jamaica has the "Rainforest Alliance (RFA)" mark. Only those that meet "Sustainable Agriculture System Standards" can be certified, and their wooden barrels bear the Rainforest Alliance certification mark.

FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain is authentic Blue Mountain Coffee that is exported by companies designated by the Coffee Industry Board, packaged in wooden barrels for green beans, and carries Rainforest Alliance certification.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473