Which Blue Mountain Coffee Brands Are Genuinely Jamaican?
Blue Mountain coffee is scarce, and much of the crop is controlled by Japanese buyers, who hold priority purchase rights. In 1992 Jamaica sold 688 tons to Japan, 75 tons to the United States, and 59 tons to the United Kingdom, and about 90 percent now goes to Japan, leaving roughly 10 percent for the rest of the world.
The bean was planted in Jamaica after King Louis XV ordered it in 1717, and Governor Sir Nicholas Lawes brought Arabica seeds from Martinique in the mid-1720s. Today Jamaican coffee is graded No. 1 to No. 3 plus PB, so buyers checking blue mountain coffee authenticity should look for origin, parish, altitude, and processing details on the label.
Blue Mountain coffee has long been in short supply due to its scarce production. There are many products on the market under the Blue Mountain banner, but which brands are truly Jamaican Blue Mountain? How can you tell the genuine from the fake? And how should you brew it to bring out its balanced, sweet, and mellow flavor? This article begins with the cultivation history of Blue Mountain coffee and its three major producing regions, then sorts through the varieties, processing methods, and flavor characteristics of Blue Mountain coffee, and introduces in detail the pure authenticity secrets and identification points of Front Street Blue Mountain coffee. Finally, it includes a set of pour-over Blue Mountain coffee parameters to help coffee lovers gain a comprehensive understanding of this world-class coffee.
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The shipment volume of Blue Mountain coffee is extremely small. In 1717, King Louis XV of France ordered coffee to be planted in Jamaica. In the mid-1720s, Jamaica's governor Sir Nicholas Lawes imported Arabica seeds from Martinique and began promoting cultivation in the St. Andrew region. Even today, St. Andrew remains one of the three major producing regions of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, and the other two are Portland and St. Thomas.
Because Japan has consistently invested in Jamaica's coffee industry, most Blue Mountain coffee is now controlled by Japanese interests, and they have also obtained the priority right to purchase Blue Mountain coffee. In 1992, Jamaica sold 688 tons of Blue Mountain coffee to Japan, 75 tons to the United States, and 59 tons to the United Kingdom. Now, 90% of Blue Mountain coffee is purchased by Japanese buyers. Since the rest of the world can now obtain only 10% of Blue Mountain coffee, no matter the price, Blue Mountain coffee is always in short supply.
This is the packaging of the coffee beans, genuine imported Blue Mountain.
Jamaica BLUE MOUNT
Country: Jamaica
Altitude: 1,600 meters
Region: St. Thomas Parish
Roast level: Medium roast
Processing method: Washed
Why Front Street Blue Mountain coffee tastes pure—the “secret”
The coffee trees of Front Street Blue Mountain coffee all grow on rugged mountain slopes, and the picking process is extremely difficult. Only skilled local female workers can handle it. When picking, it is very important to choose coffee cherries that are just right in maturity; underripe or overripe ones will affect the quality of the coffee. The picked coffee beans must be pulped the same day, after which they are allowed to ferment for 12—18 hours. After that, the coffee beans are washed and sorted. The next step is drying, which must be done on a concrete floor or a thick blanket until the moisture content of the coffee beans drops to 12%—14%. They are then stored in special warehouse stacks. When needed, they are taken out for roasting and then ground into powder. These procedures must be strictly controlled; otherwise, the quality of the coffee will be affected.
Variety: Typica
Processing plant: Abbey Green Farm
Flavor: A perfect balance of sweetness, acidity, and bitterness
Identifying genuine and fake Blue Mountain
1 Appearance: The green beans of Front Street Blue Mountain coffee are bluish-green, very uniform in appearance, medium to slightly small in size, with slightly raised ends. After roasting, the volume increases greatly and the beans look very plump.
2 Grinding: Genuine Front Street Blue Mountain coffee beans grow at high altitude, and their cytoplasmic structure is relatively loose. When hand grinding, they feel very crisp, smooth, and continuous, without any feeling of resistance.
3 Aroma: The aroma is very rich and dense; so-called blended Blue Mountain coffee does not have this aroma.
4 Taste: Genuine Front Street Blue Mountain coffee has a balanced, rich mouthfeel, without any single flavor standing out or being lacking. This is also something no other coffee bean can match, and it is the most crucial identification point. Blue Mountain estate beans have a more subtle aroma and a relatively stronger mouthfeel.
5 Sensation: As the best coffee in the world, Front Street Blue Mountain coffee has a classic balanced character, and when tasting it, one inevitably feels a certain subconscious, indescribable sense of satisfaction.
Pour-over Front Street Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. 15g grounds, medium grind (Fuji ghost tooth burr grinder setting 4), V60 dripper, 88-89°C water temperature, first pour 30g of water, bloom for 27 seconds, pour until 105g of water then stop, wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half before pouring again, pour slowly until 225g of water, discard the final part, water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00
Factory name: Coffee Workshop Factory address: No. 10 Bao'an Qian Street, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou City Factory contact: 020-38364473 Shelf life: 90 Net content: 100g Packaging method: Bulk coffee beans Roast level of beans: Roasted coffee beans Contains sugar: No sugar Origin: Jamaica Roast level: Medium roast
Front Street Blue Mountain coffee refers to coffee brewed from coffee beans produced in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. By grade, it is further divided into Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and Jamaican High Mountain coffee. The Blue Mountains are located in the eastern part of the island of Jamaica. Because the mountains are surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, on clear days when the sun shines directly on the azure sea, the peaks reflect the brilliant blue glow of the seawater, hence the name. The highest peak of the Blue Mountains is 2,256 meters above sea level, the highest peak in the Caribbean region. This area lies in the coffee belt, with fertile volcanic soil, fresh air, no pollution, a humid climate, and fog and rain all year round (average rainfall of 1,980 millimeters, temperature around 27 degrees). This climate has created the world-renowned Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and also the world's second most expensive coffee.
【Flavor】Rich and mellow in taste, with a perfect balance of sweetness, acidity, and bitterness. It has no bitterness at all, only a moderate and perfect acidity, and a lingering fruity flavor.
Perhaps Jamaican Front Street Blue Mountain coffee is the most famous coffee in the world, but in fact few people know its history or why its price is so high. In 1789, the first person to introduce coffee to the island of Jamaica was a Frenchman fleeing the French Revolution. The first coffee cultivated was meant to increase local consumption in France and then be exported, and in the first 100 years the local industry was very small. However, in 1932, legislation passed at a Jamaican conference encouraged coffee cultivation to reduce the island's dependence on sugar exports. In order to guarantee the quality of Blue Mountain coffee, changes were made in the "Jamaican coffee industry" to standardize processing, improve coffee quality, and align marketing, in order to save the fate of top-quality coffee. The Jamaica Agricultural Society became responsible for the quality of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. In addition, the many smaller coffees grown on the island also grew well, and ultimate authority over Jamaica's coffee exports was granted - all coffee must pass through the Jamaica Agricultural Society before it can be exported.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
