Introduction to Blue Mountain Coffee Characteristics - Flavor Profile of Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 Coffee Variety

Friends who have tried FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee may be amazed by its balanced and mellow flavor: How can coffee be so delicious? The comfortable acidity, sweetness, bitterness, aroma, and body create an unforgettable taste that leaves you longing for more! But you might think such delicious coffee must be very expensive, right? FrontStreet Coffee tells you: Indeed, FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is one of the most expensive coffees in the world, and also the most aromatic and mellow. However, FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee is no longer hard to find – everyone can now enjoy a cup of authentic FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee. FrontStreet Coffee's washed Blue Mountain coffee is particularly popular among customers, offering a more affordable price suitable for coffee enthusiasts interested in trying it.

In the past or perhaps even now, there are many coffees on the market labeled as Blue Mountain coffee. Are they all genuine Blue Mountain coffee? The answer: Not necessarily. It's precisely because Blue Mountain coffee is expensive and delicious that many coffees are labeled with the Blue Mountain coffee name. What might be Blue Mountain flavored coffee is not necessarily genuine Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. Genuine FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee has rich, balanced flavor with fruity notes and acidity that can satisfy people's various preferences. Additionally, high-quality fresh FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee has exceptionally lasting flavor, just as wine connoisseurs would say – it leaves an endless aftertaste.

Blue Mountain Coffee Growing Environment

FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee grows in specific environments that produce its distinctive Blue Mountain flavor. Even if you took FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee trees to Hawaii, they wouldn't produce the Blue Mountain coffee flavor. What's so special about FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee growing environment?

The Blue Mountains are located in the eastern part of Jamaica. Surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, on clear sunny days when sunlight directly hits the azure sea surface, the mountain peaks reflect the brilliant blue glow of the seawater, hence the name. The highest peak of Blue Mountain reaches 2,256 meters, making it the highest peak in the Caribbean region and a famous tourist destination. This area is located in a seismic zone with fertile volcanic soil, fresh air free from pollution, humid climate with year-round fog and rain (average precipitation of 1,980 mm and temperature around 27°C). FrontStreet Coffee believes it is precisely this climate that has created the world-renowned Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, as well as one of the most expensive coffees in the world.

Coffee grown on Blue Mountain typically matures from June to November each year. Local experienced female workers are arranged to pick coffee cherries on the steep slopes. These female coffee pickers need certain experience requirements, as they need to harvest fruits with appropriate ripeness because underripe or overripe coffee cherries can easily affect the quality of the resulting coffee. FrontStreet Coffee believes it is precisely this superior environment and strict picking process that creates the uniqueness of FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee, making it the most mellow coffee in the world.

Blue Mountain Coffee Bean Grading System

Coffee bean grading systems vary by region. Blue Mountain coffee is graded based on altitude and bean size. According to growing altitude, Blue Mountain coffee is divided into three main categories: Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, Jamaican High Mountain coffee, and Jamaican coffee, with different grades determining different prices.

1. FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee

Both Blue Mountain coffee and High Mountain coffee are further divided into four grades each. From highest to lowest quality: NO.1, NO.2, NO.3, and PB (Peaberry). According to CIB standards, only coffee grown at altitudes of 1,000-1,700 meters can be called Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. With low production yield, large beans, excellent quality, and balanced flavor, it combines appropriate acidity, bitterness, aroma, body, and sweetness. It is recognized worldwide as a premium product, making Jamaican Blue Mountain No.1 coffee the most expensive and highest grade among all Blue Mountain coffees.

(1) No.1 - 17/18 screen, defect rate not exceeding 2%.

(2) No.2 - 16/17 screen, defect rate not exceeding 2%.

(3) No.3 - 15/16 screen, defect rate not exceeding 2%.

(4) Peaberry - 10MS, defect rate not exceeding 2%.

2. Jamaican High Mountain Coffee

Coffee produced at altitudes of 500-1,000 meters in the Jamaican Blue Mountain region is called High Mountain coffee. It is second only to Blue Mountain coffee in quality and is known in the industry as the sibling variety of Blue Mountain coffee. Due to the extremely limited production of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, if you want to taste Jamaican flavored coffee, Jamaican High Mountain coffee is your best choice.

3. Jamaican Coffee

Coffee grown in regions outside the Blue Mountains is called Jamaican coffee, cultivated at altitudes below 500 meters.

FrontStreet Coffee's selected FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee is Jamaican Blue Mountain No.1 coffee. It comes from Clifton Manor, the oldest coffee estate in Jamaica, which is also the only coffee estate in Jamaica with Rainforest Alliance certification. To achieve certification, farms must meet sustainable agriculture standards designed to protect ecosystems, conserve biodiversity and waterways, preserve forests, reduce agricultural chemical use, improve livelihoods, and maintain the rights and well-being of workers and local communities. Because of Rainforest Alliance certification, the estate's Blue Mountain coffee wooden barrels bear the green tree frog logo. And only Blue Mountain coffee is packed in wooden barrels.

Blue Mountain Coffee Bean Varieties

The deliciousness of FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee is inseparable from its original Typica variety. As everyone knows, Typica belongs to Arabica, and Arabica variety coffees are generally specialty coffees. FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee is the cream of the crop among specialty coffees, demonstrating its high grade and renowned reputation.

Typica trees are tall with copper-colored young leaves at the top, often called red-topped coffee. Typica has pure and elegant flavor but is physically weak with poor disease resistance and very low yield per plant. This is why Typica variety coffee is increasingly rare today. Typica was introduced to Blue Mountain for cultivation in the 18th century and has been there for over two hundred years. The Blue Mountain Typica has adapted to the local island-style terroir, evolving better disease resistance, particularly stronger resistance to coffee berry disease compared to typical Typica.

FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Bean Processing Methods

FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee originally used the washed method, but in 2019, Clifton Farm attempted to launch a natural processed Blue Mountain batch for the first time. FrontStreet Coffee knows this FrontStreet Coffee's natural Blue Mountain was hard to come by, but FrontStreet Coffee has always believed that washed processed coffee better highlights the true flavor of the coffee at that time, so most of FrontStreet Coffee's daily beans are primarily washed processed. FrontStreet Coffee's bean menu offers both washed and natural processed FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.

Washed Processing Method:

Freshly picked coffee cherries are manually sorted to remove underripe and overripe fruits, then depulped and directly fermented for 12-18 hours. Next, they are scrubbed in clean water to remove the mucilage layer from the green beans. Finally, the semi-dry green beans are spread out to dry until moisture content reaches 12-14%. The dried green beans need to be strictly screened again before being packed and stored in warehouses. Every step must be strictly controlled, otherwise it can easily affect the quality of Blue Mountain coffee. FrontStreet Coffee believes the washed processing method adds steps to screen out defective beans, resulting in clearer Blue Mountain coffee flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Recommendations:

Some people might say that such expensive and excellent coffee beans must be brewed properly to avoid waste. Of course, FrontStreet Coffee believes that regardless of whether coffee beans are expensive or not, they must be brewed properly to taste their true flavor. Coffee bean freshness is an important factor affecting coffee flavor. Coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) are roasted within 5 days, because FrontStreet Coffee deeply understands that coffee bean freshness greatly affects flavor. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Good Coffee," ensuring every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee. The coffee resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive their coffee, it's at peak flavor and ready for brewing.

Of course, some customers need FrontStreet Coffee to grind the beans, which is also fine. But FrontStreet Coffee must remind you: pre-ground coffee beans don't need further resting. During transportation, the pressure from carbon dioxide buildup in the package also helps round out the coffee flavor, so you can brew the coffee grounds immediately upon receipt. However, coffee grounds need to be brewed promptly because they oxidize quickly when exposed to air, meaning the coffee flavor will dissipate faster, and the coffee won't taste as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends buying whole beans and grinding fresh before brewing to better experience the coffee's flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Parameters for FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain Coffee:

FrontStreet Coffee believes the quality of FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee lies in its balanced acidity and bitterness, with high body and full aroma. For roasting, FrontStreet Coffee chose medium-dark roasting to highlight the coffee beans' nutty and cocoa notes. Using a Kono filter cup, which is more suitable for medium-dark roast coffee, allows FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee to demonstrate better body.

Filter: Kono filter cup, Water temperature: 88°C, Coffee amount: 15g, Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Grind size: Fine sugar granularity (Chinese standard No.20 sieve pass rate 75%)

First wet the KONO filter cup to ensure better fit between filter paper and coffee dripper, pour out the water from the server and add 15g of coffee grounds. Bloom with 30g of water for 30s, then start center-focused circular small-flow pouring until reaching 125g, then pause. When the coffee bed drops to half the filter cup height, begin the second pour using the same technique until reaching 225g. Wait for all dripping to complete, then remove the filter cup. Time the extraction from the first pour – total extraction time is 2'00". Next, take the entire coffee carafe and shake gently to mix, then pour into cups for tasting.

[FrontStreet Coffee's Natural Blue Mountain Coffee Flavor] Slight berry acidity, reminiscent of dark plums and mulberries, with excellent overall balance, rich dark chocolate and nutty flavors, and a slight fermented note.

[FrontStreet Coffee's Washed Blue Mountain Coffee Flavor] Rich dark chocolate and nutty flavors, creamy smooth texture, balanced acidity and bitterness.

Although FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee is now more accessible, FrontStreet Coffee still doesn't actively recommend it because coffee flavors vary, and everyone's preferences are different – it's entirely a personal choice. Of course, Ethiopia's light and fresh citrus notes, Indonesia's nutty and herbal flavors, Panama's citrus and floral aromatics... Coffee flavors from different origins and regions vary. If given the opportunity, FrontStreet Coffee hopes everyone will taste more, find coffee that suits their personal taste, experience different regional coffee flavors, and appreciate different coffee cultures! And FrontStreet Coffee has coffee beans from all these different origins to satisfy everyone's eager curiosity!

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473