What Grade is Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Bean - Is Blue Mountain No.1 Coffee Bean the Best Quality and Why So Expensive

Blue Mountain Coffee is renowned throughout the coffee world. Although its fame has been somewhat overshadowed by Geisha, that does not diminish the fact that it offers one of the most mellow and flavorful profiles anywhere. You may see many coffees labeled Blue Mountain on the market, but that does not guarantee they are authentic. Because of its premium price and excellent flavor, plenty of coffees claim the name.

So what exactly qualifies as true Blue Mountain Coffee? And what about Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1? Many people know of Blue Mountain beans without understanding authentic Blue Mountain. Today FrontStreet Coffee gives a detailed introduction to this premium among premiums.

The Growing Environment of Jamaica Blue Mountain Premium Coffee

Blue Mountain Coffee is one of the most expensive coffees in the world and one of the finest. FrontStreet Coffee has noted that coffee flavor is directly related to local climate and environment, just as Geisha became the world's best coffee in Panama's unique conditions. The Blue Mountains lie in the eastern part of Jamaica. The name comes from the reflection of brilliant blue seawater on the peaks on clear days, when the sun shines directly on the azure Caribbean Sea. The highest peak reaches 2,256 meters, making it the highest in the Caribbean region and a famous tourist destination. The area sits in a seismic zone with fertile volcanic soil, fresh unpolluted air, a humid climate and year-round fog and rain (average precipitation of 1,980 mm, temperature around 27°C). FrontStreet Coffee believes it is precisely this climate that created the world-renowned Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee, and one of the most expensive coffees in the world.

Grading of Blue Mountain Coffee Beans

As FrontStreet Coffee just noted, you may see many coffees labeled Blue Mountain on the market, but they are not necessarily authentic Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee. Blue Mountain has its own grading system. Let's see which grade we usually drink.

Blue Mountain Coffee

(Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee) - Blue Mountain Coffee and High Mountain Coffee are each divided into four grades. From highest to lowest quality they are: NO.1, NO.2, NO.3 and PB (Peaberry). According to CIB standards, only coffee grown above 666 meters may be called Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee.

High Mountain Coffee

(Jamaica High Mountain Supreme Coffee Bean) - Coffee produced below 666 meters in the Jamaica Blue Mountain region is called High Mountain Coffee, which is second only to Blue Mountain Coffee in quality.

Jamaica Coffee

(Jamaica Prime Coffee Beans) - Coffee grown outside the Blue Mountain range is called Jamaica Coffee. Chinese coffee professionals originally shared a common misconception that only coffee grown above 1,800 meters in the Blue Mountain area could be called Blue Mountain Coffee. In fact, there is only one estate at the crown of the range above 1,800 meters - Amber, owned by a person of Chinese descent with the surname Lin, whose ancestral home is Guangdong, China. That estate has only 30 hectares and very limited production. Blue Mountain Coffee is mainly distributed across five mountain areas: John Crow, St. John's Peak, Mossman's Peak, High Peak and Blue Mountain Peak.

It is precisely its unique growing conditions that nurture Blue Mountain's distinctive flavor and place it among the "premium coffees." All 100% pure Blue Mountain Coffee worldwide refers to coffee produced within specific ranges of the eastern Blue Mountains of Jamaica. Every step of its cultivation and processing undergoes strict quality control under Jamaica Coffee Industry Board standards before it can be certified as "Pure Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee."

Moreover, the terrain is extremely rugged, making harvesting very difficult (coffee harvesting is almost entirely done by women). Their coffee trees all grow on steep mountain slopes, and the picking process is extremely demanding - only skilled local female workers can handle it. Selecting properly ripe cherries at picking is very important, since under-ripe or over-ripe beans affect quality.

The top of the range is Blue Mountain No.1, the highest grade, judged on bean size, defect rate and cupping. Peaberry, or PB, is a separate hand-selected grade made up of small round single beans, often called pearl beans, taken from the crop grown high on the mountain, up to 2,100 meters. Because it is the best of the best, Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 commands the highest price among Blue Mountain coffees.

Blue Mountain Coffee Bean Varieties

The excellent taste of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is related to its variety. It is the oldest Typica variety. Typica trees are tall with copper-colored young leaves at the top, often called red-top coffee. Typica has a pure, elegant flavor, but the plant is relatively weak with poor disease resistance and very low yield per plant, which is why Typica coffee is increasingly rare. Typica was introduced to Blue Mountain for cultivation in the 18th century and has been there for more than two hundred years. Blue Mountain's Typica has adapted to the local island-style terroir, evolving better disease resistance - particularly stronger resistance to coffee berry disease than typical Typica.

The Blue Mountain No.1 Coffee beans sold by FrontStreet Coffee come from Clifton Estate, the estate with the longest coffee cultivation history in Jamaica's Blue Mountains. Its green beans are exported in wooden barrels and come with certification issued by the Jamaican government. Blue Mountain is the only coffee-producing region that packs green beans in wooden barrels; all other regions use jute bags. The green frog logo indicates Rainforest Alliance certification: it means Clifton Estate meets the "Sustainable Agriculture System Standards" and is certified by the Rainforest Alliance.

Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Bean Processing Methods

Blue Mountain Coffee initially used the washed processing method, and FrontStreet Coffee has always believed that washing better highlights the authentic flavor of the coffee, so most of FrontStreet Coffee's daily beans are washed. In 2019, Clifton Farm first attempted to launch a naturally processed Blue Mountain batch.

Washed Processing Method:

Freshly picked cherries are manually screened to remove under-ripe and over-ripe fruit, then depulped and fermented directly for 12-18 hours. Next they are brushed in clean water to remove the mucilage layer outside the beans. Finally the semi-dry beans are spread out to dry until moisture content reaches 12-14%. The dried beans undergo another strict screening before being packed and stored in warehouses. Every step must be strictly controlled, or the quality of Blue Mountain Coffee suffers. FrontStreet Coffee believes the washed method, which includes steps to select out defective beans, gives Blue Mountain a clearer flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations:

How should such excellent beans be brewed to draw out their flavors? On brewing, FrontStreet Coffee has always held that bean freshness is a very important factor, since fresh beans let you experience the coffee's rich flavors most fully. The beans FrontStreet Coffee ships are all roasted within 5 days, because FrontStreet Coffee knows how much freshness affects flavor. The roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Good Coffee," ensuring every customer receives the freshest coffee on arrival. The resting period is about 4-7 days, so the coffee is at peak flavor when it reaches you.

Of course, some customers ask FrontStreet Coffee to grind the beans, which is fine too. But a reminder: pre-ground coffee needs no further resting, because during transport the pressure of carbon dioxide inside the package helps round out the flavor, so you can brew a cup as soon as the grounds arrive. Ground coffee should be brewed promptly, though, since it oxidizes quickly in air and the flavor fades faster. FrontStreet Coffee therefore recommends buying whole beans and grinding fresh before brewing.

FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain Brewing Parameters:

FrontStreet Coffee believes the excellent flavor of Blue Mountain lies in its balanced sweet, sour and bitter notes, with high body and full aroma. For roasting, FrontStreet Coffee chose medium-dark to highlight the nutty and cocoa aromas of the beans. A KONO dripper gives better body.

Dripper: KONO dripper, Water temperature: 88°C, Coffee dose: 15g, Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15
Grind size: fine sugar texture (Chinese standard #20 sieve pass rate 75%)

First wet the KONO dripper so the filter paper fits snugly. Pour out the water from the server and add 15g of coffee grounds. Use 30g of water to bloom for 30s, then start pouring with small circular motions in the center until reaching 125g, then pause. When the coffee bed has dropped to half the dripper's height, start the second pour with the same technique until reaching 225g. Wait for all dripping to finish, then remove the dripper. Start timing from the first pour - extraction time is 2'00". Then lift the whole cup, shake it well, and pour into cups for tasting.

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

[FrontStreet Coffee Washed Blue Mountain Flavor]: Rich dark chocolate and nutty flavors, a creamy smooth texture, and balanced sweet, sour and bitter notes.

In the past, Blue Mountain Coffee was hard to come by, and you could not even be sure it was authentic Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee; now it is no longer difficult to obtain. At FrontStreet Coffee, Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is priced at 158 RMB/100g, which is very economical and practical. Of course, although Blue Mountain has a rather mellow and balanced flavor, you can also try coffees from other producing regions. FrontStreet Coffee carries over fifty different coffee beans from various origins, and everyone is welcome to taste them.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

When you buy Blue Mountain, the paperwork matters as much as the cup. Authentic Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee comes with a certificate from the Jamaican government and origin documentation, and genuine green beans are even in size and plump, slightly upturned at both ends and green in color. The traditional wooden barrel, printed with the batch details, is itself one of the surest signs of the real thing, and the flavor is thick, dense, clean and free of off notes in a way that imitations rarely match.

FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain Number One comes from the historic Clifton Estate, which has been growing and processing coffee since around 1750. Its plots sit at an average of 4,300 feet, or roughly 1,310.64 meters, where generous altitude, mild afternoon cloud cover, ample sunshine and mineral-rich soil slow the cherries' ripening and build that classic balance.

FrontStreet Coffee roasts Blue Mountain to a medium-dark level to draw out its body and that bitter-then-sweet traditional character, and recommends a Kono dripper for extra body. Use 15g of coffee rested 4-7 days from the roast date (counting the roast day as day one), a grind a little coarser than you would use for a light roast - about the texture of white sugar - and water at 87-88°C; too hot and the cup turns scorched and bitter, too cool and it goes flat.

Keep the ratio at 1:15 and pour in three stages: 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then a vertical, slow, small circular pour to 120g; then pour to 225g with a slightly faster stream and circling speed to keep the bed from clogging and over-extracting. The result is clean, complex and gentle, with chocolate sweetness and strong body - the sweet, sour and bitter notes in perfect proportion, barely bitter at all, with a lasting fruit finish.