The History and Origin of Jamaica Blue Mountain Premium Coffee Beans How is Blue Mountain Coffee Produced?

For more premium coffee knowledge, please follow the official WeChat account: FrontStreet Coffee

The aroma of coffee always soothes the weary hearts of office workers. However, while many people drink coffee, how many truly understand what Blue Mountain coffee is, or what American coffee is? Next, let FrontStreet Coffee explain the differences between Blue Mountain coffee and American coffee.

The Origin of Blue Mountain Coffee

Jamaica's coffee comes from the Blue Mountains in the eastern part of the country. The name "Blue Mountain" originates from a natural phenomenon where the Caribbean Sea surrounds the entire mountain range. On clear, sunny days, sunlight directly hits the sea surface, and the blue glow of the Caribbean reflects off the mountains, hence earning them the name Blue Mountains.

The Blue Mountains happen to be located in what we commonly call the coffee belt. Besides having a certain altitude, the Blue Mountains also possess fertile volcanic soil, which is undoubtedly extremely suitable for cultivating and producing coffee. Meanwhile, the microclimate of the Blue Mountains is also a major factor in creating Blue Mountain coffee. The Blue Mountain region has a generally humid climate with year-round fog and rain, with average rainfall reaching up to 1980 millimeters.

Blue Mountain Coffee Cultivation History

Blue Mountain coffee comes from Jamaica, and the history of coffee cultivation in this country can be traced back to the 18th century. From 1717 when French King Louis XV ordered the planting of coffee in Jamaica, to later when the Jamaican governor introduced Arabica varieties from Martinique and promoted them extensively, coffee has since taken root in Jamaican soil.

In 1717, French King Louis XV ordered coffee to be planted in Jamaica. In the mid-1720s, Jamaican Governor Sir Nicholas Lawes imported Arabica seeds from Martinique and began promoting cultivation in the St. Andrew area. To this day, St. Andrew remains one of the three major producing regions for Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, with the other two being Portland and St. Thomas. Within 8 years, Jamaica exported over 375 tons of pure coffee.

In 1932, coffee production reached its peak, with harvested coffee totaling over 15,000 tons. In 1950, the Jamaican government established the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board, which set quality standards for Jamaican coffee and supervised their implementation to ensure the quality of Jamaican coffee. The board issues special official seals for Jamaican exported raw and roasted coffee, making it the highest-level national coffee institution in the world.

Currently, there are six symbols that can represent the origin of Blue Mountain coffee: Mavis Bank Central Factory (MBCE), Mavis Bank Coffee Factory (MHCCT), Portland Blue Mountain Coffee Cooperative (PXXSH), Coffee Industry Association (Wallenford), Coffee Industry Association (John's Peak Peak), and JAS. By 1969, the situation had improved because Japanese loans were used to improve production quality, thus guaranteeing the market. Today, this coffee has reached a level of passionate admiration.

By 1981, Jamaica had opened another approximately 1,500 hectares of land for coffee cultivation, followed by investment in another 6,000 hectares of coffee land. In fact, today's Blue Mountain region is a small place with only 6,000 hectares of planting area, so it's impossible for all coffee labeled "Blue Mountain" to be grown there.

Jamaica is also the last country to use wooden barrels for packaging and transporting coffee. Only coffee that passes the stringent standards set by the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board (C.I.B.) can receive the government's certificate of authenticity and officially bear the name "Blue Mountain."

Blue Mountain Coffee Flavor

Since Blue Mountain coffee is so famous, what makes its flavor special? The excellent quality of Blue Mountain coffee beans creates its clean taste. In the medium-dark roast era, Blue Mountain coffee often shows a balance of sweet, sour, and bitter, with subtle nutty and chocolate notes. The aftertaste is very comfortable. It represents the highest coffee quality of an era and is truly the king of coffee.

Blue Mountain coffee consistently maintains high quality thanks to years of strict export standards. Until 2020, what we commonly refer to as Blue Mountain coffee is actually a washed-processed Typica variety coffee. Unlike other processing methods, the washed process is the most stable and efficient processing method among traditional methods. Coffee fruits are floated immediately after harvest, the pulp is removed by machine, then fermentation is used to remove the mucilage layer. After mucilage removal, the moisture content of coffee beans is greatly reduced, requiring less sun drying time and resulting in lower defect rates.

Meanwhile, mature washed processing gives Blue Mountain coffee a cleaner taste and higher acidity. Besides adhering to mature washed processing, maintaining the Typica variety is also a reason for the consistent and stable taste of Blue Mountain coffee. The Typica variety is perhaps one of the oldest Arabica varieties. Compared to other varieties, Typica has more delicate flavors, but its disadvantages are also very obvious: low disease and pest resistance, and very low yields. If this were other American coffee-producing countries pursuing yield, Typica would immediately be replaced by other higher-yield varieties such as Caturra or Catuai.

Blue Mountain Coffee Varieties

Coffee from Jamaica's Blue Mountain region has three grades: Blue Mountain Coffee, Jamaica High Mountain Supreme Coffee Beans, and Jamaica Prime Coffee Beans. Among them, Blue Mountain Coffee and High Mountain Coffee are each divided into two grades. From highest to lowest quality, they are: Blue Mountain No. 1, Blue Mountain No. 2, High Mountain No. 1, High Mountain No. 2, and Jamaica Coffee.

Blue Mountain Grading

In the grading system, the entire Blue Mountain has an altitude of 2256 meters, with altitudes above 1700 meters being natural ecological protection areas where coffee cannot be planted. According to CIB's classification, only coffee grown between 910 and 1700 meters altitude can be called "Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee." Coffee grown between 460 and 910 meters can only be called "Jamaica High Mountain Coffee," while below 460 meters is called "Jamaica Prime Coffee."

Therefore, Jamaican coffee does not represent all Blue Mountain coffee. Even now, only coffee from the 6,000 hectares of land (altitude >910 meters) in the Blue Mountains can be called Blue Mountain coffee beans, while coffee from the other approximately 2/3 of the Blue Mountain coffee-producing region can only be classified as High Mountain or Prime Coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee Brewing Steps

FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee Beans

Region: Jamaica Blue Mountain
Estate: Clifton Farm
Altitude: 1,310 meters
Processing: Washed
Variety: Typica
Roast Level: Medium-dark
Flavor: Chocolate, nuts, cream, relatively balanced sweet-sour-bitter profile.

Clifton Hill is the oldest coffee-producing area in Jamaica that is still operating normally today, and only Clifton Farm in Jamaica has the "Rainforest Alliance" certification. The Blue Mountain region is a small place with only 6,000 hectares of planting area, so it's impossible for all coffee labeled "Blue Mountain" to be grown there.

Clifton Farm is the largest estate in this region, but by international standards, it's still considered small-scale cultivation, with many estate owners being small landholders whose families have worked this land for two centuries. This area is recognized as a very high-quality, world-renowned Blue Mountain coffee-producing region.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473