How are Blue Mountain coffee beans graded and exported?

Jamaican law allows only beans grown in the Blue Mountain region to be called Blue Mountain coffee. High-grade lots are sorted by bean size into No. 1 (screen 17 to 18 and above), No. 2 (screen 16), and No. 3 (screen 15), where screen 17 equals 17/64 inch. All three grades must pass government-approved tasters and show consistent cup quality.

Green beans ship in wooden barrels of 70 kg, 30 kg, and 15 kg, marked with the estate name, importer abbreviation, lot number, and arrival port, and importers get a green certificate of origin. The coffee beans origin is verified by that paperwork; the Jamaican government also restricts exports of defective or faulty beans.

Jamaican law explicitly stipulates that only coffee beans originating from the Blue Mountain region may be called Blue Mountain coffee. High-grade Blue Mountain coffee is classified by bean size into three grades: No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3. Although the sizes differ, the cup quality of all three must be confirmed by government-approved professional tasters, and the quality is consistent. These green beans must be shipped in wooden barrels for export, with the barrel bearing information such as the estate name, importer abbreviation, lot number, and port of arrival; importers also receive a green certificate of origin. The Jamaican government also imposes strict export restrictions on defective beans and coffee with flavor problems. The virtues of Front Street Blue Mountain coffee can only be fully revealed at a specific degree of roasting. This article will analyze in detail the grading of Blue Mountain coffee, export packaging specifications, and the certificate of origin system, to help enthusiasts distinguish genuine from fake.

Jamaican law stipulates that only coffee beans originating from the Blue Mountain region are eligible to be called Blue Mountain coffee.

Blue Mountain coffee that meets high standards is divided into three grades: No. 1 requires beans of screen size 17 to 18 and above, No. 2 is screen size 16, and No. 3 is screen size 15, with screen size 17 equivalent to 17/64 inch.

These three grades show no difference in flavor; all must be appraised and confirmed by professional cuppers authorized by the Jamaican government, and the only difference lies in bean size.

All three grades of green beans must be packed in wooden barrels to be exported overseas, with barrel specifications of 70 kg, 30 kg, and 15 kg per barrel.

The barrel body is marked with the name of the producing estate, the English abbreviation of the importer's name, the lot number of each shipment, and the name of the port of arrival.

For example, the Blue Mountain coffee imported by the Japanese parent company ATAKA Trading Co., Ltd. of Shanghai Jialumeng Coffee Company has the abbreviation ATC printed inside the diamond mark on the barrel; while the Blue Mountain coffee imported by the Japanese Ueshima Coffee Company has UCC inside the diamond mark on the barrel.

Therefore, when you see a barrel of Blue Mountain coffee, you can learn which estate in the Jamaican Blue Mountains the coffee came from, who the importer is, and which port it arrived at.

At the same time, the Jamaican exporter also provides the importer with a green certificate of origin.

This certificate of origin, recognized by the Jamaican government, is issued only to importers who purchase in whole-barrel units (70 kg/barrel, 30 kg/barrel, 15 kg/barrel), and it records information such as the name of the exporting estate, the importer's name, the year's goods, quantity, grade number, lot number, and the name of the port of arrival.

(Among green coffee beans produced outside Jamaica's Blue Mountain region, only High Mountain coffee beans are packed in wooden barrels.)

Next, for those green beans that are damaged, uneven in size, and poor in appearance but not inferior in flavor, the Jamaican government stipulates that they may only be exported abroad in burlap sacks.

And the next lower grade consists of coffees with flavor defects; the Jamaican government strictly stipulates that such coffee may not be exported as green beans, and can only be roasted locally in Jamaica, and must be exported as dark roasts.

The reason is that only a dark roast can mask or eliminate the defective flavor.

And the virtues of Front Street Blue Mountain coffee can only be perfectly displayed at full [sic].

So, if you buy strong-roasted small-packaged Blue Mountain coffee directly imported from Jamaica in a domestic store, that is the lowest-grade product among Blue Mountain coffees, but at least it is still genuine Blue Mountain coffee.

Many consumers in China spend high prices yet buy fake Blue Mountain coffee containing not a single Blue Mountain bean—that is truly an injustice!!!

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