Is Kenyan Blue Mountain coffee a real origin or a mix-up?
Blue Mountain coffee comes from Jamaica, not Kenya. Jamaican Blue Mountain is graded by screen size into several classes, and only coffee grown above 666 meters qualifies for the name under the standards of the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board. Kenyan coffee is a separate origin with its own regions, varieties, and grading system.
Kenya's reputation rests on varieties such as SL-28 and SL-34 and on grades AA, AB, and PB, which reflect bean size rather than flavor alone. The Jamaica Coffee Industry Board oversees Blue Mountain certification, and the Jamaican government has traditionally favored roasting the coffee locally, though green beans are now approved for export.
What exactly is Kenyan Blue Mountain Coffee? From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article systematically sorts out the origin standards, grading, and certification system of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, while also explaining in detail the distribution of Kenya's coffee-producing regions, the origins of the SL-28 and SL-34 bean varieties, and the grading principles of AA, AB, and PB. The article also analyzes the claim of "Kenyan Blue Mountain Coffee," pointing out that Blue Mountain Coffee actually comes from Jamaica, and introduces the functions of the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board (CIB). By comparing the core information of these two major producing regions, it helps coffee enthusiasts clarify concepts and understand the position of Front Street Kenya AA in specialty coffee.
Front Street Coffee — A Brief Introduction to Front Street Kenya Coffee and Front Street Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
Front Street Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
Blue Mountain Coffee and High Mountain Coffee are each further divided into four grades, arranged from highest to lowest quality as NO.1, NO.2, NO.3, and PB, with PB referring to peaberry. According to the standards set by the CIB, only coffee grown at altitudes above 666 meters is eligible to be called Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee; the finest of the finest comes from the high mountain areas of Jamaica's Blue Mountains at about 2,000 to 2,256 meters. Because it is located on steep slopes, the quantity is limited, the beans are large, the quality is outstanding, and the flavor is balanced, with just the right acidity, bitterness, aroma, body, and sweetness. It is globally recognized as a top-tier product, and therefore the price of the national treasure Blue Mountain No.1 ranks at the top among all Blue Mountain coffees.
Authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee comes with certificate certification: the Jamaican government has traditionally claimed that all Blue Mountain Coffee is roasted within Jamaica to ensure stable quality. In fact, however, roasting is a delicate art, and doing it well requires experience, training, and expensive equipment. From the consumer's standpoint, coffee beans should be obtained and enjoyed as soon as possible after roasting. Local roasting in Jamaica cannot satisfy this condition. Today, Jamaican green coffee beans have been approved for export.
At present, the Jamaica Coffee Board can issue certificates for all Blue Mountain Coffee exported on the market.
There are three types of certificates: (1) the quality certification certificate issued by the Jamaica Coffee Board; (2) the authorized sales certificate issued by the Blue Mountain Coffee producer; and (3) the Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee certificate of origin.
Kenya's main coffee-producing areas are mostly distributed around the country's highest peak, Mount Kenya. This mountain is the second-highest peak in Africa, second only to Mount Kilimanjaro. Many plantations have ideal altitude conditions, and the temperature difference between day and night brought by high altitude helps extend the coffee maturation period and promotes the accumulation of flavor compounds. For example, the beans from the Embu producing area this time were grown at an altitude of 1,800 meters. Front Street Kenya Coffee is highly recognizable, known for its distinct and complex berry and fruit flavors, accompanied by sweetness and solid acidity.
Bean Varieties
Kenyans place great importance on coffee science, and many farmers have acquired highly professional production knowledge, just like the SL-28 and SL-34 we selected this time (both belong to the Arabica species). These two coffee varieties, named by code, originated from the "Scott" Laboratories (SL is the abbreviation of the laboratory). The laboratory has been employed by the Kenyan government since the 1930s. These two varieties are two of the 40 planned varieties, and they form the main body of Kenya's high-quality coffee, widely planted in all major producing areas.
Grading
Grading is of great significance for agricultural products, as it can provide a basis for pricing products of different levels through unified standards. This requires public authorities to invest effort in standard-setting and enforcement. Kenya's grading principle is based on bean size. Common specialty coffee grades on the market include AA (larger than screen 18 or 7.22 mm), AB (A is screen 16 or 6.80 mm, merged with B, which is screen 15 or 6.20 mm), and PB (peaberry, referring to coffee fruit that develops only one seed).
The well-known Blue Mountain Coffee comes from Jamaica. Only when grown at an altitude of 666 meters can it be called Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, and the variety is Typica. As for Kenyan Blue Mountain Coffee, Front Street believes it may be a mistaken perception caused by other reasons. Kenya is best known for AA-grade coffee, and Front Street Kenya AA is a heavyweight presence in specialty coffee.
Knowledge extension: Jamaica is the only country in the world with a government coffee management agency — the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board (CIB for short), which is affiliated with Jamaica's Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
