How is blue mountain coffee graded and exported?

Jamaican law reserves the Blue Mountain Coffee name for cherries grown inside the Blue Mountain region. High-grade lots are sorted by green bean screen size into No. 1 (17 to 18 screens and above), No. 2 (16 screens) and No. 3 (15 screens). A screen size of 17 equals an aperture of 17/64 inch. Flavor does not differ by grade; government-authorized cup testers certify each batch.

Every grade ships in wooden barrels of 70 kg, 30 kg or 15 kg, marked with the estate name, the importer's abbreviation, the shipment batch number and the destination port. Barrels handled by ATAKA of Japan carry ATC inside a diamond; Ueshima Coffee batches carry UCC. Those marks let buyers trace a lot back to its estate, importer and port.

Blue Mountain Coffee, as a representative of the world's top specialty coffee, has extremely strict origin protection systems and grading standards. Jamaican law stipulates that only coffee produced in the Blue Mountain region can bear the name Blue Mountain. High-grade Blue Mountain coffee is divided by screen size into three grades: No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3, and all must be exported in wooden barrels. This article will provide a detailed interpretation of the grading criteria for Blue Mountain coffee, wooden barrel packaging specifications, the certificate of origin system, and export restrictions on damaged and defective beans, helping coffee enthusiasts fully understand the key points for identifying authentic Blue Mountain coffee. Front Street Coffee reminds you that when purchasing Blue Mountain coffee, pay attention to the roast level and import channels to avoid buying inferior products passed off as genuine.

According to Jamaica's current regulations, only coffee cherries harvested within the Blue Mountain region are eligible to bear the name Blue Mountain Coffee.

High-grade Blue Mountain coffee is divided into three grades based on green bean size: No. 1 requires 17 to 18 screen sizes or above, No. 2 is 16 screen sizes, and No. 3 is 15 screen sizes. A screen size of 17 corresponds to a screen aperture of 17/64 inch.

There is no difference in flavor among these three grades—each batch must be certified by professional cup testers authorized by the Jamaican government—the only difference lies in bean size.

All grades of Blue Mountain green beans must be packed in wooden barrels for export. There are three barrel specifications: 70 kg, 30 kg, and 15 kg.

The barrel surface is marked with the name of the producing estate, the English abbreviation of the importer, the batch number for each shipment, and the name of the destination port.

For example, Blue Mountain coffee imported by ATAKA & Co., Ltd. of Japan has the abbreviation ATC printed inside a diamond mark on the barrel; while batches imported by Ueshima Coffee Co., Ltd. of Japan have UCC inside the diamond mark.

Therefore, simply by observing the exterior markings on a Blue Mountain coffee barrel, one can trace which estate in Jamaica's Blue Mountains this batch of coffee came from,

which importer brought it in, and which port it was shipped to.

In addition, the Jamaican exporter will also issue a green certificate of origin to the importer. This certification document, authenticated by the Jamaican government, is issued only to importers who purchase in whole barrels (70 kg, 30 kg, or 15 kg).

The certificate details the name of the exporting estate, importer name, crop season information, quantity, grade number, batch number, and arrival port.

(It should be noted that among green beans produced outside Jamaica's Blue Mountain region, only High Mountain Coffee beans are also packaged in wooden barrels.)

As for green beans that are physically defective, uneven in size, and unappealing in appearance but do not fall short in flavor,

the Jamaican government requires they must be packed in burlap sacks for export.

For coffee beans of even lower quality with defective flavors,

the Jamaican government has stricter regulations: such coffee is not permitted to be exported in green bean form,

it can only be roasted locally in Jamaica and must be dark roasted before being sold overseas,

the reason being that only heavy roasting can mask or eliminate defective flavors.

However, the advantages of Blue Mountain coffee itself can only be fully displayed under light roast conditions,

so if you buy dark-roasted small-package Blue Mountain coffee directly imported from Jamaica in the domestic market,

then it belongs to the lowest grade of Blue Mountain coffee—but at least it is still genuine Blue Mountain coffee.

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