How does the Blue Mountain coffee grading system work?
Jamaican law allows only beans grown in the Blue Mountain region to carry the Blue Mountain name. High-grade lots are sorted into No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 by green bean screen size: No. 1 needs 17 to 18 screen or above, No. 2 is 16 screen, and No. 3 is 15 screen, where a 17 screen equals a 17/64-inch sieve opening.
Flavor is not what separates the grades, since all three must be tasted and certified by government-authorized cuppers. Every grade ships in wooden barrels of 70 kg, 30 kg, or 15 kg, marked with the estate name, importer abbreviation, batch shipment number, and arrival port, so buyers can trace a lot back to its source.
Blue Mountain Coffee, as one of the world's top coffees, has extremely strict grading and export regulations. Jamaican law explicitly stipulates that only coffee beans grown in the Blue Mountain region may bear the name Blue Mountain. High-grade Blue Mountain Coffee is divided into three grades—No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3—according to green bean size; all must have their flavor confirmed by government-approved cuppers, and must be exported in wooden barrels. This article will systematically introduce the grading standards of Blue Mountain Coffee, the meaning of the markings on the wooden barrels, the certificate of origin system, and the differences in roasting and export forms among different grades of Blue Mountain beans, helping coffee enthusiasts fully understand the key points for identifying authentic Blue Mountain coffee beans.
Introduction to the Grade and Class of Front Street Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee
According to local Jamaican regulations, only coffee beans harvested within the Blue Mountain production region are eligible to use the name Blue Mountain Coffee.
High-quality Blue Mountain Coffee is divided into three grades in descending order: No. 1 requires 17 to 18 screen sizes or above, No. 2 is 16 screen sizes, and No. 3 is 15 screen sizes; a 17 screen size corresponds to a sieve opening of 17/64 inch.
These three grades show no difference in flavor; all must be tasted and certified by dedicated cuppers authorized by the Jamaican government, and the only difference lies in the size of the green beans.
Blue Mountain green beans of all grades must be exported in wooden barrels, which come in three specifications: 70 kg, 30 kg, and 15 kg.
The surface of the wooden barrel is marked with information such as the name of the producing estate, the English abbreviation of the importer, the shipment number of that batch, and the port of arrival.
For example, for the Blue Mountain Coffee imported by the Japanese parent company ATAKA Trading Co., Ltd. of Shanghai Jialumeng Coffee Company, the diamond logo on the barrel bears the abbreviation ATC;
while for the Blue Mountain Coffee imported by the Japanese Ueshima Coffee Company, the diamond logo on the barrel bears 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 beans came from, who the importer is, and which port it was shipped to.
At the same time, the Jamaican exporter will also issue a green certificate of origin to the importer.
This certificate of origin, certified by the Jamaican government, is provided only to importers who purchase in whole barrels, with specifications of 70 kg, 30 kg, or 15 kg per barrel.
The certificate states information such as the name of the exporting estate, the name of the importer, the year, the quantity, the grade number, the batch number, and the port of arrival.
(It should be noted that among green beans outside Jamaica's Blue Mountain region, only High Mountain Coffee beans are exported in wooden barrel packaging.)
As for those green beans that have defects, are uneven in size, and look poor but have acceptable flavor,
the Jamaican government requires that they must be packed in burlap sacks for export.
And for coffee beans of an even lower grade with defective taste,
the Jamaican government has an explicit regulation that they are not allowed to be exported in green bean form,
and can only be roasted within Jamaica, and must be exported after dark roasting,
because only heavy roasting can mask or eliminate defective flavors,
yet the advantages of Blue Mountain Coffee can only be fully revealed under light roasting conditions.
So, if you buy dark-roasted small-package Blue Mountain Coffee directly imported from Jamaica in a domestic store,
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.
