Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Flavor Description Processing Method Characteristics Varieties Taste Specialty Coffee Beans Introduction

FrontStreet Coffee · Flavor Description of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee

In 1950, the Jamaican government established the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board, which sets quality standards for Jamaican coffee and oversees their enforcement to protect that quality. The board issues special official seals for both raw and roasted coffee exported from Jamaica, making it one of the world's most authoritative national coffee bodies. Six official marks can indicate Blue Mountain coffee origin: Mavis Bank Coffee Factory (M.B.C.F), Blue Mountain Coffee Cooperative (M.H.C.C.T), Portland Blue Mountain Coffee Cooperative (P.X.X.S.H), Coffee Industry Association (Wallenford), Coffee Industry Association (St. John's Peak), and J.A.S.

By 1969, matters had improved, as Japanese loans were used to raise production quality and steady the market. Today, FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain enjoys a status of genuine devotion.

By 1981, Jamaica had opened up roughly 1,500 hectares of land for coffee cultivation, followed by a further 6,000 hectares of coffee plantations. In fact, today's Blue Mountain region is a small area of only 6,000 hectares of cultivation, so it is impossible for every coffee labeled "Blue Mountain" to have been grown there. Another 12,000 hectares are used to grow two other coffees: High Mountain Supreme Coffee and Jamaica Prime Washed Coffee.

Mention Jamaica and everyone's eyes light up, because it produces the world's finest "Jamaica Blue Mountain" coffee. We firmly believe that FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain is the ultimate coffee — its acidity, sweetness, body, and bitterness in perfect balance, with an aromatic flavor and an exceptionally smooth finish. Its price is steep, though; it is well worth trying, but there is no need to become obsessed with it. Other specialty coffees each have their own character, taste delicious, and cost far less — and these are the coffees we can genuinely enjoy every day.

The earliest "Jamaica Blue Mountain" referred to coffee produced by the Wallenford Estate and the Silver Hill Estate, with the former of the best quality. Today, Jamaica Blue Mountain refers to beans grown in the Blue Mountain region east of Jamaica's capital, Kingston, at elevations above 1,000 meters. Mavis Bank is currently the largest estate, its wooden barrels stamped with M.B.C.F, and its products are often available in the Taiwan region. Quality control for Jamaica Blue Mountain is extremely strict, with certification handled by the government's Coffee Industry Board.

Beans grown at lower elevations or in other regions may only be called "Jamaica High Mountain" or "Jamaica Washed." Their flavor profiles differ considerably from Jamaica Blue Mountain. Yet the cultivation area for these regions is twice that of the genuine Blue Mountain region, accounting for 75% of the country's total production. So when you buy Jamaican coffee, do not assume you are getting Blue Mountain.

Because Jamaica Blue Mountain's reputation is so great, counterfeit "Blue Mountain-style" coffees have appeared on the market, or products simply labeled "Blue Mountain Coffee." These are essentially custom blends made up by shops themselves, and they may not contain a single genuine Jamaica Blue Mountain bean.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you want to be sure the Blue Mountain in your cup is the real thing, FrontStreet's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 is a good place to begin. It belongs to the highest grade of lots and comes from the long-established Clifton Estate, where coffee has been grown and processed since around 1750; the estate's fields sit at an average of 4,300 feet (1,310.64 meters), an altitude that, together with gentle afternoon cloud cover, ample sunshine, and mineral-rich soil, gives the trees ideal growing conditions and extends the ripening of the cherries.

Authentic Blue Mountain travels in the barrels built for it — traditionally in 15, 45, and 70 kg sizes, each stamped with detailed batch information — and FrontStreet's lots come with the estate's certification and proof of origin. The beans are roasted within 5 days of shipping, so they arrive at full flavor, and given a medium-dark roast that plays up the classic balance of nut, dark chocolate, cream caramel, and soft sweetness. Brew it as pour-over with a 1:15 ratio, water at 87–88°C, and a grind about as coarse as white sugar, and the cup comes out clean, complex, and gentle, with the bittersweet harmony that has kept this legendary coffee in demand for decades.