How Is Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Graded and Certified?

Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee comes from three official production regions: St. Andrew, Portland and St. Thomas. The Jamaica Coffee Industry Board, set up in 1950, sets national quality standards and issues official seals for exported green and roasted beans. Six marks identify the place of origin, including Mavis Bank Central Factory and the Blue Mountain Coffee Cooperative Factory.

Coffee planting began in 1717, when Louis XV of France ordered plantations established in Jamaica, and Arabica seeds from Martinique were introduced to St. Andrew in the mid-1720s. Within eight years Jamaica had exported more than 375 tons of pure coffee, and the 1932 harvest passed 15,000 tons. Representative estates today include Wallenford, Mavis Bank, R.S.W and Clifton Mount, and washed processing remains standard.

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is hailed as the king of coffee, and its homeland Jamaica possesses unique geographical conditions and a strict quality control system. This article begins with the planting history of Blue Mountain, then outlines the certification standards of the Coffee Industry Board, the three major production regions and six official marks, analyzes the grading rules and washed processing method of Blue Mountain coffee, and introduces representative estates such as WALLENFORD, Mavis Bank, R.S.W, and Clifton Mount. At the end, it includes Front Street Coffee's brewing suggestions and methods for identifying authentic Blue Mountain coffee, helping coffee enthusiasts gain a comprehensive understanding of this classic coffee with both richness and balance.

When it comes to coffee, Front Street Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is undoubtedly one of the most famous representatives, and even people who do not usually drink coffee have mostly heard the name Blue Mountain. Yesterday we talked about KONA, known as the queen of coffee, and its place of origin, Hawaii. Today let us look at Blue Mountain, known as the king of coffee, and what its homeland Jamaica is really like.

01 | Planting History

In 1717, King Louis XV of France ordered the establishment of coffee plantations in Jamaica. By the mid-1720s, Sir Nicholas Lawes, then governor of Jamaica, introduced Arabica seeds from Martinique and gradually promoted cultivation in the St. Andrew region. To this day, St. Andrew is still one of the three major production regions of Blue Mountain coffee, the other two being Portland and St. Thomas.

Within the following eight years, Jamaica exported a cumulative total of more than 375 tons of pure coffee.

In 1932, coffee production reached a peak, with that year's harvest amounting to more than 15,000 tons.

In 1950, the Jamaican government established the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board, which was responsible for setting Jamaica's coffee quality standards and supervising their implementation in order to safeguard coffee quality. The board issues special official seals for exported green beans and roasted beans, and it is also the highest-level national coffee institution in the world.

At present, there are six marks that can represent the place of origin of Blue Mountain coffee: Mavis Bank Central Factory (MBCE), Blue Mountain Coffee Cooperative Factory (MHCCT), Portland Blue Mountain Coffee Cooperative Factory (PXXSH), Coffee Industry Association (Wallenford), Coffee Industry Association (St. John's Peak), and JAS.

In 1969, production quality was improved with the help of Japanese loans, and market supply subsequently stabilized. Today, this coffee has reached a level of being fervently sought after.

In 1981, Jamaica opened about 1,500 hectares of land for coffee cultivation, and later invested further to open another 6,000 hectares of coffee land. In fact, the current planted area in the Blue Mountain region is only 6,000 hectares, which is not a large scale, so it is impossible for all coffee labeled "Blue Mountain" to truly come from there.

Jamaica is also the last country in the world that still uses wooden barrels to package and transport coffee. Only after passing a series of stringent standards set by the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board (C.I.B) can coffee obtain a government-issued certificate and be officially given the name "Blue Mountain."

02 | Geographical Conditions

Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean, and Blue Mountain is the highest peak in the western Caribbean, with an elevation of 2,256 meters. The unique flavor of Blue Mountain coffee is inseparable from the region's exceptional geographical location and climatic conditions.

The Blue Mountain area lies in the coffee-growing belt at 25 degrees north latitude, with fertile new volcanic soil, fresh and pollution-free air, abundant rainfall throughout the year, relatively high humidity, and a marked temperature difference between day and night. The soil here is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, making it very suitable for coffee cultivation; fertile volcanic soil, regular rainfall, and the shade provided by the island's hazy cloud cover protect the coffee trees from direct sunlight. It is the combined effect of these conditions that creates Blue Mountain coffee.

The harvest period for Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is from June to November each year, and it is usually hand-picked. Because the coffee trees all grow on rugged mountain slopes, picking is extremely difficult, and unless the pickers are skilled local women, it is hard to do the job well. During picking, coffee cherries must be selected at just the right degree of ripeness; underripe or overripe cherries will both affect coffee quality.

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Grading

Coffee from Jamaica's Blue Mountain region is divided into three grades: Blue Mountain Coffee, Jamaica High Mountain Supreme Coffee Beans, and Jamaica Prime Coffee Beans. Among them, the one that best represents Jamaica is naturally Blue Mountain Coffee.

Blue Mountain Coffee and High Mountain Coffee are each further divided into two grades. From highest to lowest quality, they are: Blue Mountain No. 1, Blue Mountain No. 2, High Mountain No. 1, High Mountain No. 2, and Jamaica Coffee.

Among these, the basic standards for Front Street Jamaican Blue Mountain green beans NO.1 are: beans of 17 screen size or above, a defect rate below 3%, a moisture content of about 13%, and so on. Usually, coffee grown at altitudes between 457 meters and 1,524 meters is called Blue Mountain Coffee; coffee grown at altitudes between 274 meters and 457 meters is generally called Jamaica Coffee. In terms of price, Blue Mountain Coffee is several times more expensive than High Mountain Coffee. It is mainly distributed across five peaks: John Crow, St. John's Peak, Mossman's Peak, High Peak, and Blue Mountain Peak.

Processing Method

At present, Front Street Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee only uses the washed processing method.

The specific method uses washing and fermentation to remove the skin, pulp, and mucilage. Farms using the washed method must build washing tanks and be able to introduce a continuous supply of fresh water. During processing, the skin and pulp are first removed, then the beans are fermented for 12 to 18 hours. After that, the fermented beans are placed in tanks and moved back and forth, using the friction between the beans and the force of flowing water to wash the coffee beans until they are smooth and clean.

After washing, the coffee beans are still enclosed in the parchment layer, with a moisture content of about 50%, and must be dried in the sun to reduce the moisture content to 12% to 14%. After that, the coffee beans are sorted and then stored in special warehouse stacks. All these steps must be strictly controlled, otherwise the coffee quality will be affected.

Estate Introductions

WALLENFORD

WALLENFORD Estate is located in the center of Jamaica's Blue Mountain range, on the slope of Catherine's Peak at an altitude of about 1,524 meters. The estate began planting Blue Mountain coffee in 1790. The year-round cold and foggy climate makes the coffee cherries sweet and full, producing extremely unique, high-quality Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans.

In addition, while the Jamaican government sold off and privatized most estates, WALLENFORD ESTATE is the only estate that was retained and is directly managed and operated by the Jamaican government. Its quality control process is the strictest, and it does not excessively pursue commercial operations, but instead takes preserving the reputation of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee as its mission.

1. The official registered logo of the Jamaica Coffee Board, used for certification and inspection of exported Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee;

2. The Jamaica Coffee Board (CIB) officially registered BLUE MOUNTAIN COFFEE? trademark, identifying the outer packaging of authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee;

3. The registered trademark of WALLENFORD COFFEE COMPANY, identifying the outer packaging of WALLENFORD Blue Mountain coffee.

Mavis bank

The Munn family began operating Mavis Bank in 1885, at a site somewhat higher in altitude than the current location, called Strawberry Hill. Mavis Bank processes coffee cherries at high altitude, and the coffee beans from their trial production using newly invested equipment were greatly improved because they had a truly zero-defect processing procedure. This coffee has a mild, smooth taste and good body, and sometimes reminds people of the aroma of high-mountain Dong Ding oolong tea.

R.S.W Blue Mountain

R.S.W Blue Mountain Estate is located in the mountainous area of southeastern Jamaica. R.S.W refers to 100% Blue Mountain coffee produced by its Resource, Sherwood Forest, and Whitfield Hall estates. The coffee grown in these three areas is at an altitude of about 700 meters to 1,600 meters, and the mountains are often shrouded in cool mist and clouds, which is very beneficial to the growth of coffee trees. After harvest, all the cherries are concentrated at the Sherwood Forest washed processing plant for processing.

Clifton Mount Estate

Clifton Mount is an ancient coffee producing area in Jamaica that is still in normal operation today, and in Jamaica only Clifton Farm has the "Rainforest Alliance" mark. As early as the mid-eighteenth century (around 1750), Clifton Farm began planting and producing coffee. The coffee planting and processing areas here are located at an average of 4,300 feet (1,310.64 meters). Sufficient altitude, mild afternoon mist and clouds winding through the mountain forests to provide shade, ample sunlight, and mineral-rich planting soil provide good growing conditions for the coffee trees and also extend the ripening time of the coffee cherries.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Suggestions for Front Street Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee

For daily brewing, the dripper choices include: V60, Kalita wave, and KONO.

Using a KONO dripper, parameters: 15 g coffee, water temperature 89 degrees, grind size 4, water-to-coffee ratio close to 1:15, total time about 2:00.

Method: bloom with 25-30 g water for 30 seconds, pour in the first stage up to 120 g and stop; use a vertical stream and a small, slow circular pour; in the second stage, pour up to 225 g, with the stream and circular pouring speed slightly faster to reduce clogging of the dripper by coffee particles, which can lead to over-extraction.

The taste of Front Street Jamaican Blue Mountain is very clean, complex, and very mild, with chocolate sweetness and very strong body. The flavor is rich and aromatic, and the coffee's sweetness, acidity, and bitterness are perfectly balanced, with no bitterness at all and only a moderate and perfect acidity, plus a lasting fruity note in the finish.

How does FrontStreet Coffee teach you to identify authentic versus fake Blue Mountain?

1. Appearance: Front Street Jamaican Blue Mountain green beans are blue-green in color, very neat in appearance, medium to slightly small in size, with slightly raised ends, and after roasting they expand a great deal in volume and become very plump.

2. Grinding: Genuine Front Street Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans grow at high altitude, and their cytoplasmic structure is relatively loose. When hand grinding, they feel very crisp, pleasant, and continuous, without any sense of resistance.

3. Aroma: Front Street Jamaican Blue Mountain has a very intense, dense aroma; so-called blended Blue Mountain coffee does not have this aroma.

4. Taste: Genuine Front Street Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee has a balanced, rich mouthfeel, with no single flavor standing out or lacking, which is also something no other coffee bean can match, and is the most crucial point for identification.

Authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and Blue Mountain flavor coffee are two different concepts; the latter generally uses other bean varieties roasted to produce coffee with a taste similar to Blue Mountain coffee. "Blue Mountain blend" beans are mixed and vary quite a bit in shape, making them relatively easy to identify. Also, do not believe in "premium Blue Mountain" sold for a few dozen yuan per pound or "Blue Mountain coffee" sold for around ten yuan a cup.

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