Why is Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee production falling?

From late October 2020, Jamaica was hit by tropical storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic ash. In the Blue Mountain growing region, landslides and blocked roads followed heavy rain that knocked large amounts of red cherries off the trees. The Clydesdale Estate estimated its 2021 production loss could exceed 50 percent.

Tropical Storm Zeta brought flash floods and serious road damage in St. Andrew, and Hurricane Eta's rains fell more cherries due to be harvested in November. Farmers could not reach the growing areas. Blue Mountain is a Typica variety, and the article also covers KONO dripper and flannel pour-over parameters and flavor.

Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is renowned for its balanced and elegant flavor, but since October 2020, Jamaica has been hit by a series of natural disasters including tropical storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic ash, resulting in road damage in the Blue Mountain coffee-producing region, massive cherry drop, and an estimated production loss of over 50% at the Clydesdale Estate. This article will review the impact of these disasters, introduce the growing environment of Blue Mountain coffee and the characteristics of the Typica variety, and share in detail the brewing parameters and flavor profiles of two pour-over methods recommended by Front Street Coffee—the KONO dripper and the flannel cloth—to help coffee enthusiasts gain a comprehensive understanding of the current state and brewing essentials of Blue Mountain coffee.

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Is Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee production going to decline?

Since late October 2020, Jamaica has been hit by successive waves of natural disasters, with houses, roads, farmland, and vegetation damaged to varying degrees. The Blue Mountain coffee-growing region, which draws the most attention from coffee lovers, has not been spared either, with landslides and road blockages occurring in multiple locations, and heavy rain knocking large amounts of coffee cherries off the trees. The Clydesdale Estate, famous for producing Blue Mountain coffee, has stated that the production reduction of Blue Mountain coffee beans in 2021 could exceed 50%.

What natural disasters has Jamaica experienced from late October 2020 to now?

Late October 2020 — Tropical Storm Zeta

Tropical Storm Zeta made landfall in Jamaica in late October 2020, bringing heavy rain that caused flash floods in the famous Blue Mountain coffee-producing area of St. Andrew, with severe landslides causing serious road damage.

Early November 2020 — Hurricane Eta

Closely following, Hurricane Eta began to strike Central America, and Jamaica was affected once again. Although the hurricane did not make direct landfall in Jamaica, the heavy rain it brought knocked down large quantities of red cherries that should have been harvested in November. Combined with road collapses caused by flash floods, farmers were unable to enter the growing areas in time for large-scale picking and could only do their best to salvage some of the ripe cherries still hanging on the trees. The Clydesdale Estate once stated that these two storms would cause a 15% to 20% reduction in Blue Mountain coffee production.

Early November 2020 — 3.4-magnitude earthquake in St. Thomas

Misfortunes never come singly! Amid continuous heavy rain, a 3.4-magnitude earthquake struck St. Thomas, Jamaica, affecting the surrounding area within 7 kilometers. For the already damaged mountains and roads, it was undoubtedly adding insult to injury.

April 2021 — Volcanic eruption on St. Vincent

Before Jamaica could recover from a series of natural disasters, an earthquake in the Caribbean caused the eruption of La Soufrière, the highest peak on St. Vincent, with volcanic ash spreading to Jamaica and parts of South America. Although the volcanic ash did not have a major direct impact on Jamaica, it can harm human respiratory health. As a result, road repair work was delayed after the eruption, and the roads leading to the Blue Mountain coffee-producing region still have not fully returned to normal.

Where is Blue Mountain coffee grown?

The Blue Mountain range is located in the eastern part of Jamaica. Because it is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, whenever the weather is clear, sunlight shines directly on the azure sea, and the peaks reflect the brilliant blue glow of the seawater—hence the name.

The Blue Mountains lie within the coffee-growing belt, with fertile volcanic soil, fresh and pollution-free air, a humid climate, and fog and rain throughout the year (average precipitation of 1,980 mm, temperature around 27°C). These climatic conditions have created the world-renowned Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.

Only the Blue Mountain region can grow the designated Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, located north of Kingston in eastern Jamaica. The ridge running across Jamaica extends all the way to the eastern part of the island, and the Blue Mountain range reaches an altitude of over 2,100 meters.

Local farmers use a mixed-planting method, allowing coffee trees to grow alongside banana trees and avocado trees on terraces.

At the same time, the mountainous terrain is rugged (all coffee trees are planted on steep slopes), making the picking process extremely difficult—only skilled local female workers can handle it.

Selecting perfectly ripe coffee cherries during picking is also very important; underripe or overripe cherries will affect coffee quality.

FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain coffee comes from Clifton Farm. Clifton Mount is an ancient coffee estate in Jamaica that is still in normal operation, and Clifton Farm is the only estate in Jamaica with "Rainforest Alliance" certification.

Clifton Farm began planting and producing coffee as early as the mid-18th century (around 1750). Its coffee-growing and processing area is located at an average altitude of 4,300 feet (1,310.64 meters). Sufficient altitude, mild afternoon cloud cover shading the mountain forests, ample sunlight, and mineral-rich soil provide good growing conditions for the coffee trees and also extend the ripening time of the coffee cherries.

What variety is Blue Mountain coffee?

The variety of Blue Mountain coffee is Typica. The Typica variety has bronze-colored young leaves, long oval leaves, smooth leaf surfaces, a tall tree body, and slightly slanted branches. It has an elegant flavor but is relatively weak in constitution and poor in disease resistance. Each tree produces very low yields of coffee, with few cherries.

The Typica coffee tree has very long terminal branches and few secondary branches. The flowers are white and bloom at the base where the leaf stalk connects to the branch. Ripe coffee cherries are bright red and cherry-shaped, and the coffee beans are oval or pointed-oval in shape.

How to brew Blue Mountain coffee?

Method 1: KONO dripper brewing

Parameters: 15 g coffee grounds, coffee-to-water ratio 1:13 (coffee-to-beverage ratio about 1:11), water temperature 88°C, grind size: 60% passing through a No. 20 standard sieve.

Brewing technique: Bloom with 30 g of water for 30 seconds, then pour 100 g of water in a slow circular motion from the center outward with a small stream, until the scale reads 130 g. When the coffee bed drops to the halfway point, pour 65 g of water with a larger stream, reaching a total water amount of 195 g. After all the coffee liquid in the dripper has flowed into the server, remove the dripper to end extraction. Total brewing time: 1 minute 52 seconds.

Flavor: This brewing method expresses Blue Mountain's clean mouthfeel and chocolate and nutty flavors, with acidity, sweetness, and bitterness reaching a balance point.

Method 2: Flannel cloth brewing

The fiber gaps in flannel filter cloth are larger than those in filter paper, allowing some of the coffee oils to be retained. Unlike filter paper, which usually filters out all the oils, coffee brewed with flannel filter cloth is fuller-bodied and smoother in mouthfeel than with filter paper.

Parameters: 18 g coffee grounds, coffee-to-beverage ratio 1:10, water temperature 88°C, grind size: 60% passing through a No. 20 standard sieve.

Brewing technique: Bloom with 36 g of water for 30 seconds, then pour with a low stream until the server reaches 180 ml. Total brewing time: 1 minute 56 seconds.

Flavor: This brewing method expresses the body of this Blue Mountain bean, further enhancing the overall mouthfeel of the cup while maintaining a balance of acidity, sweetness, and bitterness.

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