Famous Coffee Bean Varieties: Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Flavor Profile and Grade Introduction

As one of the world's finest coffees, high-quality FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee boasts rich, dense, and lasting aromas of chocolate and roasted hazelnut, with a perfect balance of sweet, sour, and bitter notes. Its body and sweetness are perfectly balanced, leaving a memorable aftertaste. Since we're discussing the exquisite flavor of FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain No. 1, FrontStreet Coffee must mention the exceptional terroir and climate of the Blue Mountains and the discerning eye of Jamaican producers.

Which country does Jamaican Blue Mountain belong to?

The island of Jamaica is situated in the Caribbean Sea, featuring beautiful scenery and fresh, unpolluted air. The Blue Mountain Range, located in the eastern part of the island, lies perfectly within the coffee belt between 25° north and south latitude. The volcanic ash soil formed from ancient eruptions provides abundant nutrients for crops. The towering, rugged highlands create a unique microclimate, with clouds frequently shrouding the mountains. Water vapor condenses into droplets when cooled, providing ideal shade and irrigation for local crops. We can often see coffee trees planted alongside banana and avocado trees in the region.

Since the early 18th century, Jamaica's coffee cultivation history spans over two hundred years, beginning when Governor Sir Nicholas Lawes brought coffee seeds from Martinique to Jamaica's St. Andrew region for trial planting in 1728. In the late 18th century, a large number of enslaved laborers led to a surge in coffee production, which subsequently spread to the more suitable Blue Mountain region. By 1814, the national annual production had reached 15,000 tons. However, with the abolition of slavery in the early 19th century, many farmers switched to other crops, causing Jamaican coffee production to plummet dramatically and the entire coffee industry to decline.

To regulate the coffee industry, the Jamaican government passed legislation in 1891 to improve coffee production and quality, providing professional guidance to growers. In 1944, the government established the Central Coffee Clearing House, where all exported batches must undergo quality assessment and grading. In 1950, Jamaica formally established the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board (CIB), granting it official authority to improve, control, and maintain the quality and reputation of Jamaican coffee.

Jamaica's "Coffee Industry Regulation Act" strictly stipulates that Blue Mountain coffee cultivation areas are distributed across four administrative regions: St. Andrew, St. Thomas, Portland, and St. Mary. Only Typica coffee grown at specific altitudes between 910-1,700 meters within this region can be named Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. According to coffee quality levels, Blue Mountain coffee is classified from highest to lowest as: NO.1, NO.2, NO.3, and PB, where PB stands for Peaberry. Strict quality control and grading have made Blue Mountain coffee world-renowned, and it was considered one of the finest coffees in the mid-20th century.

It's worth mentioning that in the 1960s, Jamaica suffered nationwide hurricane disasters, with multiple industries severely impacted, including the coffee sector. At that time, Japan's UCC company provided assistance to Jamaica and introduced ecological cultivation methods to the Blue Mountain region. In 1972, Jamaica and Japan signed a 30-year coordination agreement, granting Japan priority purchasing rights for Blue Mountain coffee in gratitude for Japanese corporate assistance. During this period, 90% of Blue Mountain coffee was supplied to Japan, with the remaining 10% allocated to countries in Europe, America, and Asia. This explains why Blue Mountain coffee was so expensive during that era.

What is the quality level of Blue Mountain No. 1?

Blue Mountain coffee's ability to maintain such high quality and reputation is inseparable from the efforts of the Jamaican government and the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board (CIB). The CIB's primary role is to promote, regulate, monitor, and guide the development of the Jamaican coffee industry, ensuring the quality of exported coffee.

Before export, Blue Mountain coffee beans must be inspected, certified, and graded by the CIB. Coffee grade classification is based on multiple factors including bean size, color, roasting quality, aroma, cupping quality, and screen size. According to size specifications, they are divided into four grades:

Grade
Screen Size (defect rate ≤3%)

No.1
17-18

No.2
16

No.3
15

PB (Peaberry)
10

The FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain coffee purchased by FrontStreet Coffee is of the highest grade - FrontStreet Coffee Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee: with a defect rate below 3%, size above 17 screen, moisture content between 10-12.5%, uniform color, and neat颗粒, belonging to a very rare premium batch. Additionally, FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain coffee must undergo quality inspection and confirmation by CIB-approved professional cuppers before export. FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain coffee must exhibit appropriate levels of acidity, sweetness, bitterness, body, and aroma.

After completing quality inspection, FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain coffee beans are transported in handcrafted wooden barrels and then delivered to roasters worldwide. Compared to the coarse burlap bags commonly used in other regions, oak barrels offer the advantage of absorbing and releasing internal and external humidity while preventing coffee aroma from escaping, helping maintain more stable moisture content in the beans and ensuring more consistent roasting. Later, wooden barrels also became one of the identifiers for authentic Blue Mountain coffee. In addition to wooden barrels, this FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee also comes with a quality certificate issued by the Jamaican Coffee Board, an authorization sales certificate from the Blue Mountain coffee manufacturer, and a Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee origin certificate.

How to brew Blue Mountain flavor?

To taste the classic flavor layers of Blue Mountain coffee, FrontStreet Coffee believes that pour-over method best presents these characteristics. FrontStreet Coffee thinks making a delicious pour-over coffee isn't complicated - as long as you find the corresponding brewing parameters and practice diligently, you can extract excellent flavors and mouthfeel.

Before brewing, FrontStreet Coffee recommends preparing a package of coffee beans at their optimal flavor period. If the roasting date has exceeded a month, some aromas may have dissipated, and woody flavors might even develop. The coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are all roasted within 5 days. If you find them too fresh, you can first let the beans rest for a while, waiting for most gases to escape before brewing, which helps ensure more stable coffee performance.

The classic Blue Mountain flavor features rich aromas of chocolate, roasted nuts, with soft acidity and full body. To restore the classic taste, FrontStreet Coffee's roasters chose medium-dark roasting to highlight roasted aromas while preserving some acidity. During cupping of FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee discovered balanced flavors of acidity, sweetness, aroma, bitterness, and body. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee's baristas also developed corresponding brewing approaches based on this flavor profile.

FrontStreet Coffee's brewing parameters: KONO dripper, coarseness level with 75% pass rate through No. 20 standard sieve, and water temperature of 88°C, combined with FrontStreet Coffee's customary three-stage pouring method. Coffee powder: 15 grams, powder-to-water ratio: 1:15.

Three-stage pouring: Use 30g of water to evenly moisten the coffee powder layer and let it bloom for 30 seconds. In the second stage, pour 95g of water evenly in circles from inside to outside until the water level drops to 2/3 of the filter's powder layer, then begin the third stage of 100g. Note to maintain a small water flow throughout. After approximately 2 minutes of dripping, remove the filter cup. Finally, gently stir the coffee liquid before tasting.

FrontStreet Coffee Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee taste: The entry reveals flavors of dark chocolate, roasted nuts, and toffee, with caramel sweetness and soft, elegant acidity. Each flavor is balanced, creating a smooth and rich mouthfeel. As the temperature decreases, the aromas become more transparent and layered.

Of course, besides pour-over method, many classic brewing methods can also present the unique taste of FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee, such as siphon coffee, French press, moka pot, AeroPress, or convenient Blue Mountain drip coffee bags. FrontStreet Coffee believes that good coffee can present its flavors through various extraction methods, so if you have the conditions at home, you might want to try different approaches.

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