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Introduction to Famous Blue Mountain Coffee Bean Varieties and Characteristics - What Grade Does Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee Belong to and How is its Taste and Drinkability

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Blue Mountain Coffee is the most superior coffee in the world. The Blue Mountains are located in eastern Jamaica, surrounded by the Caribbean Sea. On clear days, when the sun shines directly on the azure sea surface, the mountain peaks reflect the brilliant blue light of the seawater, hence the name. The highest peak of the Blue Mountains reaches an elevation of

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Whether you're a coffee enthusiast or not, you've likely heard of Jamaica's Blue Mountain coffee. When you browse online shopping platforms, you'll find countless references to "Blue Mountain flavor" and "Blue Mountain blends." What makes Blue Mountain so special that it leaves such a lasting impression? Let FrontStreet Coffee guide you through some fascinating facts about Blue Mountain coffee.

What is Blue Mountain Coffee?

Blue Mountain Coffee refers to Typica variety coffee beans grown at altitudes of 910-1700 meters in Jamaica's Blue Mountain range. In these regions, growers use intercropping methods to cultivate coffee trees, always planting banana and avocado trees alongside them on the rugged mountain slopes. The fruit trees provide shade for the coffee trees, allowing them to grow in a cool, misty environment with ample moisture.

Blue Mountain Coffee Typica Variety Introduction

Blue Mountain Coffee belongs to the Typica variety, the oldest cultivar in the Arabica coffee lineage. This variety was introduced to the Blue Mountains for cultivation in the 18th century. After two hundred years of adaptation, Blue Mountain's Typica has developed into an Arabica variety with better disease resistance, perfectly suited to local growing conditions, and has formed an exquisite flavor that cannot be easily replicated elsewhere.

Blue Mountain Coffee Environment and Cultivation Harvest

The Blue Mountain Range is located within the golden coffee growing belt, where island-style climate, volcanic soil, and topography combine to provide ideal conditions for coffee tree cultivation. However, unlike most coffee-producing countries that prioritize yield by planting large quantities of high-yield, low-quality coffee, the local government prioritizes quality over quantity, willingly sacrificing coffee production volume to ensure the quality of Blue Mountain coffee.

Therefore, Jamaica is currently one of the countries with the lowest coffee production in the world. The world's largest coffee exporter, Brazil, can produce 12,450 tons of coffee annually, while Jamaica's annual coffee production ranges from 1,260-2,400 tons, of which only about 25% (300-600 tons) can be certified as "Blue Mountain Coffee."

During each harvest season, due to the mountainous terrain, coffee harvesting becomes extremely difficult, and only skilled local female workers can handle the task. At the same time, selecting properly ripe coffee cherries during harvesting is crucial, as under-ripe or over-ripe cherries can affect coffee quality. Therefore, every Blue Mountain coffee bean is 100% hand-picked.

Blue Mountain Coffee Processing Method and Grading System

After harvesting, Blue Mountain coffee cherries are pulped on the same day, then fermented in clean water tanks for 12-18 hours. Afterwards, the coffee beans are washed to remove mucilage, defective beans are sorted out, and then they are sun-dried. Drying must take place on concrete floors or thick blankets until the coffee beans' moisture content drops to 12%-14%. They are then stored in dedicated warehouses.

After drying, Blue Mountain coffee beans are graded by size into four grades: NO.1, NO.2, NO.3, and Peaberry. The highest grade is NO.1, also known as Blue Mountain No.1, where coffee beans are sized between 17-18 screen, with defective beans not exceeding 2%, resulting in uniformly full and round beans.

Blue Mountain No.2 coffee beans require that 96% of coffee cherries must reach screen size 16 or above, with a defect rate not exceeding 2% after processing; Blue Mountain No.3 coffee beans require that 96% of coffee cherries must reach screen size 15 or above, with a defect rate not exceeding 2% after processing.

Why is Blue Mountain Coffee So Expensive?

From cultivation, harvesting, processing (coffee bean extraction methods), export packaging, and Blue Mountain coffee certification, all aspects are governed by strict and detailed standards, with specific regulations on what organic fertilizers to use during the growing period. Therefore, cultivation and processing costs are relatively high, making higher prices reasonable.

Carefully selected Blue Mountain No.1 grade coffee beans are also more expensive than other grades of Blue Mountain coffee. However, Blue Mountain No.1 coffee is not the most expensive coffee bean in the world; it's simply more expensive than coffee beans from many other producing regions.

FrontStreet Coffee currently sells Blue Mountain No.1 coffee beans grown at 1310m altitude from Clifton Mount Estate, the oldest coffee growing area in Jamaica's Blue Mountain range. After roasting, they are sold at 158 RMB per 100g. Enjoying a cup at FrontStreet Coffee's physical store costs only 60 RMB per 195-200ml.

To help coffee lovers experience the complete aroma and flavor of Blue Mountain No.1, FrontStreet Coffee guarantees that all sold Blue Mountain No.1 coffee beans are shipped within 5 days after roasting.

How to Identify Authentic Blue Mountain Coffee Beans?

Unlike most countries that use burlap bags for coffee green beans, Jamaica packages high-quality Blue Mountain No.1 coffee in wooden barrels, which is one way for buyers to distinguish genuine from fake Blue Mountain coffee. The wooden barrels help isolate coffee beans from external influences during transportation, protecting them from air moisture and ensuring the green beans maintain 11.5% moisture content before roasting.

In addition, all exported Blue Mountain coffee must be authorized by the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica (CIB), which can issue certificates for all exported Blue Mountain coffee. The following three certificate types are all approved by the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board. When concerned about authenticity when purchasing Blue Mountain coffee, ask merchants to show relevant certificates.

FrontStreet Coffee's currently sold Blue Mountain No.1 coffee beans are all exported in wooden barrels and have obtained certification certificates from the origin Clifton Mount Estate. You can see them at FrontStreet Coffee's physical store.

How to Brew Blue Mountain No.1 Coffee Beans?

To preserve the balanced acidity, bitterness, and rich, solid mouthfeel of Blue Mountain No.1 coffee, FrontStreet Coffee uses a medium-dark roast level. For brewing, FrontStreet Coffee has a small tip: coarse sugar-like grinding, low-temperature hot water, combined with a slow-flow Kono dripper, to ensure optimal extraction of coffee compounds at low temperatures.

FrontStreet Coffee's extraction parameters: Kono dripper, 88°C water temperature, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, 15g coffee dose, medium-coarse grind size (70% pass-through rate with #20 standard sieve).

Pouring method as follows: First pour 30g of hot water for bloom, wait 30 seconds, then pour from the center with a fine water stream, slowly circling to 125g. When the water level in the dripper drops to just above the coffee bed, continue circling to 225g. Wait for all poured water to pass through the coffee grounds, total extraction time is about 2 minutes 10 seconds. After extraction is complete, stir the brewed coffee evenly before tasting.

The most captivating aspect of Blue Mountain coffee lies in its perfect balance of acidity, bitterness, and sweetness! Dark chocolate-like richness + gentle citrus acidity + sugarcane-like sweetness + caramel-like aftertaste creates a stable and satisfying tasting experience.