Premium Blue Mountain Coffee: Origins, Brewing Methods, Coffee Beans, Jamaica

Is Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee the Best Coffee in the World?

Almost everyone who has heard of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee knows it is the most expensive coffee in the world, but not everyone knows why. Like Rolls-Royce automobiles and Stradivarius violins, when something gains the reputation of being "the best in the world," this reputation often shapes its unique character and transforms it into an eternal legend.

FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain Coffee

The finest FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain coffee is undoubtedly among the best coffees available. While the price ensures the supply of Blue Mountain coffee, it doesn't necessarily guarantee the best flavor profile. It's also worth noting that this coffee tastes more expensive than it appears. To experience its optimal flavor, you must use more coffee beans than with other coffees, otherwise the flavor becomes somewhat disproportionate to its reputation. Therefore, the true cost of experiencing its flavor lies in using 10-15% more coffee beans than the next most expensive coffee.

It is said that genuine FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain coffee is made from the finest local green coffee beans, which is precisely what delights connoisseurs. Its flavor is rich, balanced, and fruity with acidity, satisfying various preferences. Additionally, high-quality fresh FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain coffee has a particularly lasting flavor, much like wine enthusiasts describe it—an endless aftertaste.

It's necessary to understand the Blue Mountain coffee legend, as past perceptions and today's reality often don't align. In 1725, Sir Nicholas Lawes brought the first Blue Mountain coffee seeds from Martinique to Jamaica, planting them in the St. Andrew region. Today's St. Andrew growing region remains one of the three major Blue Mountain coffee regions, with the other two being Portland and St. Thomas. Within eight years, Jamaica exported over 375 tons of pure coffee. In 1932, coffee production reached its peak, with harvests exceeding 15,000 tons. However, by 1948, coffee quality had declined, and Canadian buyers refused to renew their contracts. Consequently, the Jamaican government established the Coffee Industry Board to save the fate of premium coffee. By 1969, conditions had improved because Japanese loans were utilized to enhance production quality, ensuring market stability. Even in 1969, Japanese coffee drinkers were willing to pay premiums for this coffee, and today, it has reached a status of fervent admiration. By 1981, Jamaica had cultivated another 1,500 hectares for coffee planting, subsequently investing in developing an additional 6,000 hectares of coffee land.

In fact, today's Blue Mountain region is a small area with only 6,000 hectares of cultivation, and not all coffee labeled "Blue Mountain" is grown there. An additional 12,000 hectares are used for growing two other types of coffee (non-Blue Mountain): High Mountain Supreme and Prime Washed Jamaican.

Genuine FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain coffee is among the coffees grown under the most superior conditions in the world. Jamaica's weather, geological structure, and terrain collectively provide an exceptionally ideal venue. The mountain range running across Jamaica extends to the eastern part of the small island, with the Blue Mountain range reaching heights over 2,100 meters. The cool, foggy, and frequently rainy weather makes this fertile land well-balanced with moisture. Here, people use mixed planting methods to grow coffee trees, making them grow alongside banana and avocado trees on terraced fields. 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 this region are considered small-scale by international standards, with many being small landowners whose families have worked this land for two centuries.

Jamaica's coffee industry faces a series of challenges, such as hurricane impacts, increasing labor costs, and difficulties in mechanizing terraced operations. Many small estates and farms find it challenging to implement rational cultivation methods. However, Blue Mountain coffee is one that reputable coffee retailers insist on stocking regardless of circumstances. A major British retailer stated that regardless of price, he would continuously sell Blue Mountain coffee throughout the year because he has many customers who only recognize "Blue Mountain."

Today, 90% of harvested Blue Mountain coffee is purchased by Japanese. In 1992, Jamaica sold 688 tons of Blue Mountain coffee to Japan, 75 tons to the United States, and 59 tons to the United Kingdom. Now that only 10% of Blue Mountain coffee production is available to the rest of the world, it remains in constant shortage regardless of price. In the UK, for many years, Langford Brothers company was the only supplier. Later, the Edmonds Group also obtained supply from Jamaica's Salda Foods.

The difference between FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain coffee and other coffees in transportation is that it's shipped in 70-kilogram wooden barrels, which are replicas of the Bonifieur barrels produced on Guadeloupe Island in the last century. These barrels were originally used to transport flour from Britain to Jamaica and typically carried brand names and manufacturer information. The Coffee Industry Board issues certificates for all genuine Jamaican coffee and stamps them with approval before export.

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