How should Blue Mountain coffee be brewed pour-over style?

Blue Mountain coffee from Clifton Mount Estate is brewed pour-over in stages to keep its balance of acidity, sweetness, and bitterness intact. The Typica beans are medium-dark roasted and pulled before second crack, so a little acidity survives, giving soft fruit notes, dark chocolate depth, and caramel sweetness in the cup.

The estate is the only one in the Blue Mountain range holding Rainforest Alliance certification, and certified lots carry the green tree frog logo on the packaging; Jamaica also requires export beans to ship in wooden barrels with a Jamaica Coffee Board certificate per batch. Staged pouring, with attention to grind and water, keeps the finish clear.

Blue Mountain coffee is an extremely well-known name in the coffee world, familiar even to those who don't often drink coffee. Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1 comes from Clifton Mount Estate in Jamaica's Blue Mountain range, the only coffee estate in the Blue Mountain region to receive Rainforest Alliance certification. The Jamaican government has strict regulations on Blue Mountain coffee exports: authentic Blue Mountain coffee beans must be packed in wooden barrels and accompanied by various certificates. Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1 uses the Typica variety and is medium-dark roasted, pulled before second crack, retaining a small amount of acidity. In cupping it shows a balance of sourness, sweetness, and bitterness, with soft fruit acidity, rich dark chocolate depth, and caramel sweetness. This article will introduce the origin background and roasting approach of this coffee, and share pour-over parameters and staged pouring methods to help enthusiasts brew a cup of full, sweet Blue Mountain coffee with a clear finish.

Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee is so famous that even people who never drink coffee can name it. For a long time, Blue Mountain coffee was known for its high price, and over the past decade or so the market situation has also undergone some changes.

Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans come from Clifton Mount Estate, the oldest coffee cultivation and processing site in Jamaica's Blue Mountain range. This estate holds a special position in the Blue Mountain region as the only coffee estate there to obtain Rainforest Alliance (RA) certification. Under the Rainforest Alliance's assessment standards, the protection of the farm and its surrounding ecosystem, restrictions on pesticide use, and waste management must all be reviewed; only coffee that meets all standards and obtains certification can bear the name "Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee."

On the packaging of certified estates' exported coffee beans, a green tree frog logo is printed. The Jamaican government requires that all exported Blue Mountain coffee beans be packed in wooden barrels. To help consumers determine whether the Blue Mountain coffee they buy is authentic, the Jamaica Coffee Board issues a certificate for each batch of exported Blue Mountain coffee.

The certificates fall mainly into three categories:

(1) Quality certification issued by the Jamaica Coffee Board

(2) Authorized sales certificate issued by the Blue Mountain coffee producer (Blue Mountain coffee is distributed by 4 Jamaican government-licensed processors and manufacturers, with 16 licensed exporters handling exports)

(3) Certificate of origin for Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee

The quality certification certificate notes the date and quantity. The Jamaica Coffee Board randomly selects one package from the submitted Blue Mountain coffee for inspection, and only issues the certificate once it meets Blue Mountain coffee requirements. At Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreet Coffee) offline stores, you can see the certification certificate issued by Clifton Mount Estate, as well as Blue Mountain coffee barrels printed with the green tree frog logo.

How are Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans roasted?

Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee is of the Typica variety, the oldest and cleanest-flavored in the Arabica family, naturally possessing a clean mouthfeel and a delicate, balanced flavor.

So many coffee lovers are fascinated by Front Street Blue Mountain coffee largely because, after dark roasting, these beans present a very balanced, rich coffee taste—steady and grounded on the palate, giving a sense of reassurance.

We hope that the Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans we sell can retain a balanced, rich coffee character while also offering a somewhat richer layering of taste. Therefore Front Street does not roast the beans too dark, but pulls them before second crack, leaving a small amount of high-quality acidity. To let buyers taste the most complete coffee flavor, all coffee beans sold by Front Street are shipped within 5 days of completing roasting, ensuring 100% freshly roasted.

Through Front Street Coffee's cupping comparison, the medium-dark roasted Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans display a balance of sourness, sweetness, and bitterness, with soft fruit acidity, dark-chocolate-like richness, and caramel-like sweetness.

How do you brew Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans to taste great?

Medium-dark roasted beans usually have a higher dehydration rate and are lighter in weight; during brewing the coffee grounds do not fully sink to the bottom, and water is absorbed immediately after pouring. Because degassing is vigorous, the bed is surrounded by bubbles and channels form easily; the fresher the beans, the longer these channels persist, and the faster the water level drops. Therefore I generally use a coarse stream and pour slowly in circles.

Dripper: KONO

Water temperature: 88°C

Grind size: medium-coarse (70% passing through a Chinese No. 20 standard sieve)

Coffee dose: 15g

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Staged pouring: first wet the coffee bed with water at twice the weight of the coffee grounds to form a dome, and let it bloom for 30 seconds. Then pour in a thin stream in circles from the inside out, pausing the stage at 125g. After the bed drops to half the height of the dripper, continue pouring the third stage in the same thin stream until the total water reaches 225g. Once all the coffee liquid has finished filtering, remove the dripper; the whole process takes about 2 minutes. Finally, swirl the carafe to mix the coffee evenly, and it's ready to enjoy.

When brewing Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans, you can smell caramel aroma during the bloom stage. On the palate you can taste rich nut and dark chocolate flavors; the overall mouthfeel is full, with a sweet and clear finish.

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