How Is Jamaican Coffee Graded by Screen Size and Altitude?

Jamaican coffee grading sorts beans by screen size into Blue Mountain No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and Peaberry, with altitude boundaries separating Blue Mountain coffee from High Mountain coffee and from other Jamaican coffee. Many cups sold as Blue Mountain flavor are not genuine Blue Mountain No. 1.

Blue Mountain coffee grows in the coffee belt within the Blue Mountains and uses the Typica variety, with washed and natural processing producing different results. It is widely regarded as among the more expensive coffees, and the grading system is what lets drinkers tell exactly which category their cup belongs to.

Blue Mountain coffee has long ceased to be a secret, but what many people drink may only be "Blue Mountain flavor" rather than genuine Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 1. From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article systematically reviews Blue Mountain coffee's growing environment, grading system, Typica variety characteristics, and the differences between washed and natural processing, and includes Front Street's brewing parameters and flavor descriptions. You will learn: how Blue Mountain No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and Peaberry are classified by screen size, the elevation boundaries between High Mountain coffee and Jamaican coffee, and why Blue Mountain coffee has become a world-recognized pinnacle. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned enthusiast, this article will help you identify exactly which category the Blue Mountain in your cup belongs to.

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Does anyone still ask "What is Blue Mountain coffee" nowadays? Front Street thinks Blue Mountain coffee has long ceased to be a secret—everyone has heard of it to some degree. The real problem is: you may not be clear about which Blue Mountain coffee is authentic, or which category what you usually drink falls into. So some friends will follow up: Is Blue Mountain coffee divided into several types? Front Street tells everyone, it's not that Blue Mountain coffee is divided into several varieties, but that every coffee bean has its own grade classification. What you drink may only be coffee with a Blue Mountain flavor, not genuine Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 1. Next, Front Street will chat with everyone about Blue Mountain coffee, and you can also check for yourself which type you're drinking.

Blue Mountain coffee is hailed as the most aromatic and mellow coffee in the world, with a rich and full-bodied taste where sweetness, acidity, and bitterness are perfectly balanced, so there is almost no bitterness, leaving only a moderate and beautiful acidity. Wine lovers often say this flavor is unforgettable after just one sip. The reason Blue Mountain coffee has become one of the most expensive coffees in the world is well-founded. It is considered the most exceptional coffee in the world.

Blue Mountain Coffee's Growing Environment

The Blue Mountains lie in the coffee-growing belt between 25 degrees north and south latitude, with a uniquely advantageous geographical location. Jamaica has a tropical rainforest climate, with abundant rainfall year-round, humid air, and mountain mists and clouds all year round. The Blue Mountain range is located in eastern Jamaica, surrounded by the Caribbean Sea. On clear days, sunlight strikes the azure sea surface, and the peaks reflect the sea's brilliant blue glow—hence the name Blue Mountain. The highest peak of the Blue Mountains is 2,256 meters above sea level, the highest peak in the Caribbean region and also a famous tourist destination. Located within the coffee belt, it has fertile volcanic soil, fresh and pollution-free air, a humid climate, and is foggy and rainy all year round. Front Street believes it is precisely these terroir conditions that have created the world-renowned Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, and also the world's most expensive coffee.

Coffee grown on the Blue Mountains usually ripens between June and November each year, and local women workers familiar with the terrain are arranged to pick coffee cherries on the steep slopes. The pickers need some experience and only harvest cherries at the proper ripeness, because underripe or overripe coffee cherries will both affect the quality of the subsequent coffee. Precisely because Blue Mountain coffee is so rare, it usually appears as a single-origin coffee.

Blue Mountain Coffee Bean Grading

Every coffee bean has its own grading method, and Blue Mountain coffee beans are classified by elevation and bean size. In addition to limiting the growing region and elevation for Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, Jamaican authorities have also established a more detailed grading system. In 1953, Jamaica established the Coffee Industry Board (CIB for short) and passed coffee export grade standards, with clear standards for the size, color, defects, and flavor of exported green beans. On the premise that the green bean defect rate is below 3%, according to the bean size of Blue Mountain green beans, they are divided into: Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee, Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 2 coffee, Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 3 coffee, and Jamaican Blue Mountain Peaberry coffee.

1. Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Blue Mountain coffee and High Mountain coffee are each divided into four grades. From highest to lowest quality: NO.1, NO.2, NO.3, and PB, where PB means Peaberry. According to CIB standards, only coffee grown at elevations between 1,000 and 1,700 meters can be called Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. Its output is scarce, the beans are large, the quality is excellent, and the taste is well-balanced, combining appropriate acidity, bitterness, aroma, body, and sweetness. It is recognized worldwide as a pinnacle, so the price of the national treasure Blue Mountain No. 1 is the highest among all Blue Mountain coffees.

(1) No.1 - 17/18 screen, defect bean ratio no more than 2%. (2) No.2 - 16/17 screen, defect bean ratio no more than 2%. (3) No.3 - 15/16 screen, defect bean ratio no more than 2%. (4) Peaberry - 10MS, defect bean ratio no more than 2%.

2. Jamaican High Mountain Coffee Coffee produced at elevations between 500 and 1,000 meters in Jamaica's Blue Mountain region is called High Mountain coffee, with quality second only to Blue Mountain coffee.

3. Jamaican Coffee Coffee grown outside the Blue Mountain range is called Jamaican coffee, grown at elevations below 500 meters.

Therefore, Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee is recognized worldwide as a pinnacle and is also the highest-priced among all Blue Mountain coffees. Which type of Blue Mountain coffee are you drinking?

Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is the only coffee-producing region in the world that uses wooden barrels to ship green beans; all other regions use burlap sacks. The rainforest tree frog logo on the barrel means Clifton Estate complies with "sustainable agricultural system standards" and has obtained Rainforest Alliance certification.

Front Street's Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is sourced from Clifton Estate, an export company designated by the Jamaican Coffee Industry Board. The wooden barrel containing the green beans is printed with Clifton Estate's English name and a green tree frog logo. The basic standards for the Blue Mountain No. 1 green beans Front Street sources are: above 17 screen, defect rate below 2%, moisture content around 13%, plump and uniform appearance, and a blue-green color. In flavor, it combines pleasant acidity, sweetness, bitterness, aroma, and a full-bodied feel.

Blue Mountain Typica Variety

Typica is the oldest coffee variety of Arabica, with a long cultivation history, and Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is precisely the Typica variety. Typica Blue Mountain coffee has a dark chocolate flavor—not milk chocolate, but dark chocolate with a purity above 92—and this flavor stems from the pure Typica variety. Typica coffee is very susceptible to leaf rust. The Typica widely planted in Central and South America was continuously replaced due to leaf rust epidemics, but thanks to its geographical advantages, Jamaica still has Typica as its main planted variety here, with a very low incidence of leaf rust.

The Typica tree is tall and slender, with copper-red young leaves at the top, so it is also often called red-top coffee. Typica has a pure and elegant flavor, but it is weak in constitution, poor in disease resistance, and very low-yielding per plant. This is also why Typica varieties are becoming fewer today. Typica was introduced to the Blue Mountains for planting in the 18th century and has been there for over two hundred years since. Blue Mountain's Typica has also adapted to the local island terroir and evolved better disease resistance, with much stronger resistance to coffee berry disease than ordinary Typica.

Blue Mountain Coffee Bean Processing Methods

It's often said that washed-process coffee beans better express the essence of the flavor, and Front Street agrees. That's why almost all of Front Street's daily beans are washed-process. Blue Mountain coffee used to be washed-process as well, but with the development of specialty coffee, in 2019 Clifton Farm attempted for the first time to release a natural-process Blue Mountain batch. Of course, Front Street has both natural and washed Blue Mountain coffees.

Front Street Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Blue Mountain coffee, whether green beans or roasted beans, is especially beautiful. Facing such beautiful coffee beans, you really don't want to waste a single one. Of course, Front Street believes that no matter what coffee beans you have, try not to waste them—be sure to brew a delicious cup of coffee!

To brew a good cup of coffee, besides the coffee variety, the freshness of the coffee beans is also crucial. Front Street believes freshness is a very important part of brewing. The coffee beans shipped by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) are all within 5 days of the roast date, because Front Street knows well how much freshness affects flavor. Front Street's roasting philosophy is "freshly roasted good coffee," so that every customer who places an order receives coffee in the freshest state. Coffee's resting period is about 4 to 7 days, so by the time customers receive it, it is at its peak flavor.

Of course, some customers need Front Street to help grind the beans, and that's fine, but Front Street must remind you: once coffee beans are ground in advance, they no longer need resting, because during transport the pressure from carbon dioxide inside the packaging also rounds out the coffee's flavor, so you can brew a cup immediately upon receiving the ground coffee. But ground coffee needs to be brewed as soon as possible, because after contact with air it oxidizes quickly and the flavor dissipates faster, making the coffee taste less good. So Front Street recommends buying whole beans and grinding fresh right before brewing, so you can better taste the coffee's flavor.

Front Street's Blue Mountain Coffee Brewing Parameters:

When brewing these two Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio and a grind size with 75% passing through a No. 20 standard sieve. To highlight Blue Mountain coffee's balanced, full-bodied character and soft fruit acidity, Front Street uses a water temperature of 88°C. For the dripper, KONO is the first choice. Front Street takes into account that both Blue Mountain beans use a relatively dark roast; the darker the roast, the faster coffee compounds dissolve. To avoid over-extraction, Front Street uses a lower water temperature for extraction while using the slower-flow Kono dripper to ensure as much coffee material is extracted as possible under low-temperature conditions.

The brewing parameters Front Street uses are: Kono dripper, 88°C water temperature, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, 15g coffee dose, grind size (75% passing through a No. 20 standard sieve).

Front Street uses staged extraction, namely the three-stage pouring method, using 30g of water for blooming with a bloom time of 30s. In the first stage, pour in a small stream in circles until 125g, then stop. When the liquid level drops to just before exposing the coffee bed, continue the second stage, pouring until 225g to finish extraction. Total extraction time (including bloom) is 2'00.

Blue Mountain Coffee Flavor Description [Front Street Natural Blue Mountain Coffee Flavor] Mild berry acidity, reminiscent of smoked plum and mulberry; overall balance is good, with rich dark chocolate and nutty flavors and a slight fermented note. [Front Street Washed Blue Mountain Coffee Flavor] Rich dark chocolate and nutty flavors, a creamy and smooth mouthfeel, with balanced acidity, sweetness, and bitterness.

Although Blue Mountain coffee is excellent, Front Street doesn't recommend drinking only one kind of coffee—that would be too monotonous. You should try coffees from other regions or countries and experience more diverse coffee charms. Front Street has over fifty single-origin coffees from different regions, each with different flavors. Even different regions within Ethiopia have distinctly different flavors. So come to Front Street—believe us, it will bring you a completely different coffee experience!

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