As a representative of the world's top specialty coffee, Blue Mountain coffee has always attracted attention for its strict grading system and origin protection measures. Jamaican law stipulates that only coffee produced in the Blue Mountain region can bear the name Blue Mountain, and high-grade Blue Mountain coffee is further divided into three grades: No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3. These grades of green beans show no difference in taste, only in size, but export packaging and certification documents are strictly regulated. This article will provide a detailed analysis of Blue Mountain coffee's grade classification, barrel export system, certificate of origin, and the roasting and export requirements for different grades of coffee, helping coffee enthusiasts gain a comprehensive understanding of the unique characteristics of Blue Mountain coffee. Front Street Coffee will also recommend Blue Mountain coffee products worth tasting.
Jamaican law clearly stipulates that only coffee beans produced in the Blue Mountain region are eligible to be called Blue Mountain coffee.
High-grade Blue Mountain coffee is divided into three grades according to green bean size: No. 1 requires 17 to 18 mesh or above, No. 2 is 16 mesh, and No. 3 is 15 mesh. The so-called 17 mesh is equivalent to a size of 17/64 inches.
These three grades are identical in taste and all must be confirmed by专职 cupping tasters approved by the Jamaican government; the only difference is the size of the beans.
All grades of green beans must be packed in wooden barrels for export overseas, and barrel specifications come in three types: 70 kg, 30 kg, and 15 kg.
The barrel body will be marked with the name of the producing estate, the English abbreviation of the importer, the batch number of each shipment, and the port of arrival information. For example, for Blue Mountain coffee imported by the Japanese trading company ATAKA, the diamond-shaped mark on the barrel contains the abbreviation ATC; while coffee imported by Ueshima Coffee Company is marked with the abbreviation UCC.
Therefore, by observing the Blue Mountain coffee barrel, one can trace which estate in Jamaica's Blue Mountains this batch of coffee came from, who the importer is, and which port it was sent to.
At the same time, Jamaican exporters will also provide importers with a green certificate of origin. This document, recognized by the Jamaican government, is issued only to importers who purchase in whole barrels, and it records in detail the name of the exporting estate, importer information, year, quantity, grade number, batch number, and port of arrival.
It is worth noting that among green coffee beans produced outside Jamaica's Blue Mountain region, only High Mountain coffee beans are also packaged in wooden barrels.
As for those green beans that are defective, uneven in size, or poor in appearance but still acceptable in taste, the Jamaican government stipulates that they may only be exported in burlap sacks.
For coffee of even lower quality with defective flavors, the Jamaican government has a strict prohibition: it may not be exported in green bean form and can only be roasted locally, and must be dark roasted before being sold overseas. The reason is that strong roasting can mask or eliminate defective flavors.
However, the advantages of Blue Mountain coffee are precisely fully revealed only at light roast levels. Therefore, if you buy dark-roasted small-package Blue Mountain coffee directly imported from Jamaica in a domestic store, that is the lowest-grade product among Blue Mountain coffees, but at least it is still genuine Blue Mountain coffee.
Front Street Coffee recommends that when choosing Blue Mountain coffee, give priority to whole-barrel imported No. 1 beans and pay attention to the light roast level in order to fully experience their elegant flavor.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
