As one of the world's top coffees, Blue Mountain coffee's grading and price differences have always been a focus of coffee lovers' attention. Jamaican law clearly stipulates that only coffee beans produced in the Blue Mountain region can bear the name Blue Mountain. High-grade Blue Mountain coffee is divided into three grades: No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3. Although the taste is the same, the bean size differs, and the prices are noticeably different as well. In addition, green beans must be exported in wooden barrels, with the estate, importer abbreviation, and batch information printed on the barrel, along with a green certificate of origin. Damaged beans and defective beans, however, can only be exported in burlap sacks or after heavy roasting. Understanding these details helps identify genuine Blue Mountain coffee and avoid buying the lowest-grade products. Front Street Coffee reminds you to pay attention to grade and packaging information when purchasing.
Jamaican law stipulates that only coffee beans produced in the Blue Mountain region can be called Blue Mountain coffee;
High-grade Blue Mountain coffee is divided into three grades: No. 1 (17~18 mesh and above), No. 2 (16 mesh), and No. 3 (15 mesh); 17 mesh is equivalent to 17/64 inch in size;
Their taste (all must be confirmed through cupping by dedicated personnel approved by the Jamaican government) is the same, with only the size differing,
The green beans of these three grades must all be packed into wooden barrels before being exported abroad, in three specifications: 70 kg/barrel, 30 kg/barrel, and 15 kg/barrel;
The barrel body is printed with the name of the producing estate, the English abbreviation of the importer's name, the batch number of each shipment, and the name of the arrival port,
For example, on the Blue Mountain coffee barrels imported by the Japanese head office ATAKA Trading Co., Ltd. of Shanghai Jialumeng Coffee Company, there is the abbreviation ATC inside the diamond-shaped logo,
while on the Blue Mountain coffee barrels imported by the Japanese company Ueshima Coffee, there is the abbreviation UCC inside the diamond-shaped logo;
So when you see a Blue Mountain coffee barrel, you can know which estate in Jamaica's Blue Mountains this coffee comes from,
who its importer is, and to which port it arrives;
At the same time, the Jamaican exporter will also provide the importer with a green certificate of origin,
This certificate of origin recognized by the Jamaican government is only issued to importers who purchase by the whole barrel (70 kg/barrel, 30 kg/barrel, 15 kg/barrel),
It records the name of the exporting estate, the name of the importer, that year's goods, quantity, grade number, batch number, arrival port name, etc.;
(Among green coffee beans produced outside Jamaica's Blue Mountain region, only High Mountain coffee beans are packed in wooden barrels.)
Next are those damaged beans and beans of uneven size whose surface does not look good but whose taste is not bad,
The Jamaican government stipulates that these green beans can only be exported abroad in burlap sacks;
And worse than these are those coffees with defective flavor,
The Jamaican government has strict regulations that such coffee cannot be exported abroad in the form of green beans,
and can only be exported abroad after being roasted locally in Jamaica, and must be heavily roasted,
because only heavy roasting can mask or eliminate defective flavors,
while the advantages of Blue Mountain coffee can only be perfectly displayed when it is lightly roasted,
So if you buy heavily roasted small-package Blue Mountain coffee directly imported from Jamaica in a domestic store,
then that is the lowest-grade coffee among Blue Mountain coffees, but at least it is still genuine Blue Mountain coffee.
Front Street Coffee suggests that when purchasing Blue Mountain coffee, consumers should prioritize products with wooden barrel packaging, a certificate of origin, and a marked specific grade to ensure quality.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
