What do Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee grades actually mean?

Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is defined by altitude and grading. Under the CIB standard, only coffee grown above 666 meters in the Blue Mountain area may be called Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. Within that area, Jamaican coffee divides into Blue Mountain Coffee, High Mountain Coffee and Jamaica Coffee, each with its own quality tier.

Blue Mountain Coffee and High Mountain Coffee are each split into four grades, ranked from the top grade down to No.3 and PB, which stands for peaberry. Beans below 666 meters fall into High Mountain Coffee. Front Street Blue Mountain Coffee has roughly half the caffeine of ordinary coffee and is usually given a medium roast profile.

Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee, as a representative of the world's top specialty coffee, has always attracted attention for its cultivation conditions, variety classification, and grading standards in the Wallenford Estate production area. Starting from the unique flavor of Blue Mountain Coffee, this article provides a detailed overview of the three major varieties of Jamaican coffee—Blue Mountain Coffee, High Mountain Coffee, and Jamaica Coffee—including their production area divisions and grading systems, explains the CIB standard definition of Blue Mountain Coffee grown above 666 meters in elevation, and introduces Front Street Blue Mountain Coffee's low caffeine content, flavor characteristics, and medium roast recommendation. It also analyzes the relationship between the scarcity of Blue Mountain Coffee production and its market price, helping coffee enthusiasts gain a comprehensive understanding of the true nature of this legendary coffee.

Front Street Blue Mountain Coffee stands out in terms of caffeine content, with a value only about half that of other ordinary coffees, which aligns well with today's health-conscious consumer philosophy.

Even if the same coffee tree variety were transplanted to Hawaii, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, or any other production area with similar climate conditions, it would ultimately be impossible to replicate the unique flavor of Blue Mountain coffee beans.

Jamaican coffee can be divided into the following three varieties:

Blue Mountain Coffee

(Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee), Blue Mountain Coffee and High Mountain Coffee are each further subdivided into four grades. When ranked by quality from best to worst, they are NO.1, NO.2, NO.3, and PB, where PB refers to peaberry. According to the standards established by CIB, only coffee grown above 666 meters in elevation is eligible to be called Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee;

High Mountain Coffee

(Jamaica High Mountain Supreme Coffee Beans) Within the Jamaican Blue Mountain region, coffee produced below 666 meters in elevation is classified as High Mountain Coffee, which ranks second in quality after Blue Mountain Coffee and is often referred to in the industry as the sibling variety of Blue Mountain Coffee. Since Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee production is extremely limited, High Mountain Coffee is undoubtedly the best alternative for those who wish to experience Jamaican flavor.

Jamaica Coffee

(Jamaica Prime Coffee Beans). Coffee grown outside the Blue Mountain range is collectively referred to as Jamaica Coffee. In the past, there was a widespread misconception among domestic coffee professionals that only coffee produced in the Blue Mountain region above 1800 meters in elevation deserved the title of Blue Mountain Coffee. In reality, there is only one estate in the Blue Mountain range above 1800 meters at the mountaintop, named Amber, whose owner is of Chinese descent with the surname Lyn (林), with ancestral roots in Guangdong, China. The estate covers only 30 hectares and produces very little. Blue Mountain Coffee is mainly distributed across five mountainous areas of the Blue Mountain range: John Crow, St. John's Peak, Mossman's Peak, High Peak, and Blue Mountain Peak.

From the above information, one can roughly understand the production landscape of Blue Mountain Coffee. It is particularly important to note that 99.9% of the Blue Mountain Coffee available domestically is merely coffee grown in the surrounding areas of the Blue Mountain range. What can truly be called Blue Mountain is limited to coffee produced on the 6,000 hectares of land above 1600 meters in elevation, and production has never exceeded 900 tons. Based on the principle that only 10% of that is supplied to the global market outside Japan, how could this coffee—of which only about 90 tons can be consumed worldwide each year—possibly be enjoyed for just a few dozen yuan at any café?

Top-grade Blue Mountain Coffee is undoubtedly among the best coffees. While the price can ensure an ample supply of Blue Mountain Coffee, it does not necessarily guarantee that the coffee possesses the finest flavor. Moreover, the cost of enjoying this coffee is far higher than it appears. To appreciate its best flavor, more coffee beans need to be used than for other coffees; otherwise, the flavor expression will be lacking. Therefore, to fully bring out its flavor, one needs to add 10% to 15% more coffee beans than for lower-priced coffees.

Genuine Front Street Blue Mountain Coffee is made from the finest locally sourced green coffee beans, which is precisely where the pleasure of connoisseurship lies. Its flavor is rich and balanced, with fruity and acidic notes, capable of satisfying the needs of different people. In addition, high-quality fresh Blue Mountain Coffee has an exceptionally long-lasting flavor, just as those who drink alcohol often say—an endless aftertaste.

The best Blue Mountain coffee beans are NO.1 peaberry, also called pearl beans, which are small round beans carefully selected from products grown at 2100 meters in elevation, making them the cream of the crop.

Front Street Blue Mountain Coffee flavor: extremely rich aroma with a lasting fruity note; the beans are relatively plump.

Roasting Method

Medium Roast

Front Street Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee perfectly blends coffee's distinctive acidity, bitterness, sweetness, and body, exuding a strong and alluring elegant character that other coffees find hard to match. Those who love Blue Mountain Coffee describe it this way: "It is a 'coffee beauty' that combines all the virtues of good coffee." Jim, general manager of the American Pete's company known for its coffee and tea business, said when describing Blue Mountain Coffee: "Its taste is aromatic, smooth, and mellow, giving me a feeling as precious as a gemstone. It is precisely because Blue Mountain Coffee's taste is moderate and perfect that Blue Mountain Coffee is generally enjoyed as black coffee." Its liquid appears golden in sunlight and goes down very smoothly. As coffee books say, Blue Mountain is the only coffee in the world that combines both acidity and bitterness in a way that people can enjoy—one sip and you'll understand.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.