The Enduring Charm of Blue Mountain Premium Coffee Beans: A Cultural and Historical Journey

The endless aroma of coffee always soothes the weary hearts of working professionals. However, while many people drink coffee frequently, how many truly understand the difference between Blue Mountain coffee and American coffee? Let FrontStreet Coffee explain the distinctions between Blue Mountain coffee and American coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain Coffee Origin

FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee comes from the eastern mountain ranges of Jamaica. The name "Blue Mountain" originates from a spectacular natural phenomenon: the Caribbean Sea surrounds the entire mountain range. On clear, sunny days, sunlight directly hits the sea surface, and the blue glow from the Caribbean reflects onto the mountains, giving them their distinctive blue appearance.

The Blue Mountain range is ideally located within what we commonly call the coffee belt. Beyond having suitable elevation, Blue Mountain also boasts fertile volcanic soil, which is undoubtedly perfect for coffee cultivation and production. Additionally, the microclimate of Blue Mountain is a crucial factor in creating its exceptional coffee. The Blue Mountain region enjoys a consistently humid climate with year-round fog and rainfall, with average annual precipitation reaching 1980 millimeters.

Blue Mountain Coffee Cultivation History

Blue Mountain coffee originates from Jamaica, where coffee cultivation dates back to the 18th century. Beginning in 1717 when French King Louis XV ordered coffee cultivation in Jamaica, to the later introduction of Arabica varieties by the Jamaican governor from Martinique and their widespread promotion, coffee took root in Jamaican soil.

In 1717, French King Louis XV ordered coffee cultivation in Jamaica. By the mid-1720s, Jamaican Governor Sir Nicholas Lawes imported Arabica seeds from Martinique and began promoting cultivation in the St. Andrew region. To this day, St. Andrew remains one of Jamaica's three major Blue Mountain coffee-producing regions, alongside Portland and St. Thomas. Within 8 years, Jamaica exported over 375 tons of pure coffee.

In 1932, coffee production reached its peak, with harvests exceeding 15,000 tons. In 1950, the Jamaican government established the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board, which sets quality standards for Jamaican coffee and oversees their implementation to ensure quality. The board grants special official seals to exported raw and roasted Jamaican coffee, making it one of the world's highest-level national coffee institutions.

Currently, six official marks can represent Blue Mountain coffee's origin: Mavis Bank Central Factory (MBCE), Mavis Hill Coffee Co-operative (MHCCT), Portland Blue Mountain Coffee Co-operative (PXXSH), Coffee Industry Board (Wallenford), Coffee Industry Board (Jamaica Select), and JAS. By 1969, conditions had improved as Japanese loans were used to enhance production quality, ensuring market stability. Today, this coffee has reached a status of enthusiastic admiration.

By 1981, Jamaica had an additional 1,500 hectares of land cleared for coffee cultivation, followed by investment in another 6,000 hectares of coffee land. In fact, today's Blue Mountain region is a small area with only 6,000 hectares of cultivation, making it impossible for all coffee labeled "Blue Mountain" to be grown there.

Jamaica is also the last country to use wooden barrels for packaging and transporting coffee. Only after passing the stringent standards set by the Jamaican Coffee Industry Board (CIB) can coffee receive the government's certificate of authenticity and officially bear the "Blue Mountain" name.

Blue Mountain Coffee Flavor Profile

Since Blue Mountain coffee is so famous, what makes its flavor special? FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee beans exhibit exceptional quality, creating a clean taste. In medium-dark roasts, Blue Mountain coffee often displays a balanced sweet-sour-bitter profile with subtle nutty and chocolate notes. The aftertaste is remarkably pleasant, making it available for purchase on Tmall or Taobao stores. It not only represents the highest quality of coffee from an era but is also truly deserving of the title "King of Coffee."

The consistently high quality of Blue Mountain coffee's flavor benefits from years of strict export control standards. As of 2020, what we commonly refer to as Blue Mountain coffee is actually a Typica variety processed using the washed method. Unlike other processing methods, the washed method is the most stable and efficient among traditional processing techniques. Coffee fruits undergo flotation immediately after harvesting, with machines removing the pulp and skin. Then, fermentation removes the mucilage layer. After mucilage removal, the coffee beans' moisture content significantly decreases, requiring shorter sun-drying time and resulting in lower defect rates.

Meanwhile, the mature washed processing gives Blue Mountain coffee a cleaner taste and higher acidity. Besides adhering to mature washed processing, maintaining Typica variety cultivation is another reason for Blue Mountain coffee's consistent flavor. The Typica variety may be one of the oldest Arabica varieties. Compared to other varieties, Typica offers more refined flavors, but its disadvantages are also obvious: low disease and pest resistance, and very low yields. In other American coffee-producing countries that prioritize yield, Typica would quickly be replaced by higher-yield varieties like Caturra or Catuai.

Types of Blue Mountain Coffee

Jamaican Blue Mountain region coffee has three grades: Blue Mountain Coffee, Jamaica High Mountain Supreme Coffee Beans, and Jamaica Prime Coffee Beans. Both Blue Mountain Coffee and High Mountain Coffee are each divided into two sub-grades. In descending order of quality: Blue Mountain No. 1, Blue Mountain No. 2, High Mountain No. 1, High Mountain No. 2, and Jamaica Prime Coffee.

Blue Mountain Grading System

In the grading system, the entire Blue Mountain range reaches 2,256 meters, with areas above 1,700 meters designated as natural ecological reserves where coffee cultivation is prohibited. Under CIB's classification, only coffee grown between 910 and 1,700 meters elevation can be called "Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee." Coffee grown between 460 and 910 meters can only be called "Jamaica High Mountain Coffee," while coffee below 460 meters is called "Jamaica Prime Coffee."

Therefore, Jamaican coffee does not exclusively represent Blue Mountain coffee. Even today, only coffee from the 6,000 hectares of land (elevation >910 meters) in the Blue Mountain range can be called Blue Mountain coffee beans. Coffee from the other approximately 2/3 of the Blue Mountain mountain region can only be classified as High Mountain or Prime coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee Brewing Guide

FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee Beans

Origin: Jamaica Blue Mountain
Estate: Clifton Farm
Altitude: 1,310 meters
Processing Method: Washed processing
Variety: Typica
Roast Level: Medium-dark roast
Flavor Profile: Chocolate, nuts, cream, balanced sweet-sour-bitter profile.

Clifton Hill is Jamaica's oldest coffee-producing area still in normal operation today, and only Clifton Farm in Jamaica has the "Rainforest Alliance" certification. The Blue Mountain region is a small area with only 6,000 hectares of cultivation, making it impossible for all coffee labeled "Blue Mountain" to be grown there.

Clifton Farm is the largest estate in this region, though by international standards, it's still considered small-scale cultivation. Many estate owners are small landholders whose families have worked this land for two centuries. This area is recognized as an exceptionally high-quality Blue Mountain coffee-producing region known worldwide.

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