How Do the Blue Mountain Coffee Grades Differ?
Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is split into three grades by green bean screen size: No. 1 requires 17 to 18 mesh or above, No. 2 is 16 mesh, and No. 3 is 15 mesh, with 17 mesh equal to about 17/64 inch. Only beans grown in the Blue Mountain region may legally carry the name.
Coffee grades here show no flavor difference: every lot is cupped by professionals authorized by the Jamaican government, and only bean size separates them. All grades export in wooden barrels of 70 kg, 30 kg or 15 kg, marked with the estate name, importer abbreviation, batch number and arrival port, which lets buyers trace the barrel back to its source.
Blue Mountain coffee is hailed as a gem of the coffee world, but did you know it is actually divided into three grades: No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3? The Jamaican government has strict regulations on the origin, grade, packaging, and export of Blue Mountain coffee, and only coffee beans grown in the Blue Mountain region can bear the name "Blue Mountain." This article will provide a detailed analysis of the grading standards for Blue Mountain coffee, the secrets of its barrel packaging, the role of the certificate of origin, and how to identify truly high-quality Blue Mountain coffee. At the same time, we will also introduce the recommendation of Blue Mountain No. 1 by the well-known domestic brand Front Street Coffee, to help you make a wise choice when purchasing. Whether you are a seasoned coffee enthusiast or a complete beginner, this article will give you a deeper understanding of Blue Mountain coffee.
According to Jamaican law, only coffee beans grown in the Blue Mountain region are eligible to be called Blue Mountain coffee.
High-quality Blue Mountain coffee is divided into three grades based on green bean size: No. 1 requires 17 to 18 mesh or above, No. 2 is 16 mesh, and No. 3 is 15 mesh. Here, "mesh" is a unit of screen aperture, and 17 mesh is approximately equal to 17/64 inch.
These three grades show no difference in flavor—they must all be evaluated by professional cuppers authorized by the Jamaican government—the only difference lies in bean size.
Blue Mountain green beans of all grades must be packaged in wooden barrels for export overseas, and the barrels come in three specifications: 70 kg, 30 kg, and 15 kg.
The surface of the barrel is marked with the name of the producing estate, the English abbreviation of the importer, the batch number of each shipment, 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 Co., the diamond-shaped mark on the barrel bears the abbreviation ATC; while for the Blue Mountain coffee imported by the Japanese company Ueshima Coffee Co., the mark in the same position bears the abbreviation UCC.
Therefore, simply by observing the markings on a Blue Mountain coffee barrel, one can trace which estate in Jamaica's Blue Mountains this barrel of 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, certified 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 in detail information such as the name of the exporting estate, the importer's name, the year, the quantity, the grade number, the batch number, and the port of arrival.
(It should be added that among green coffee beans produced outside Jamaica's Blue Mountain region, only High Mountain coffee beans are packaged in wooden barrels.)
As for green beans that are defective, uneven in size, and poor in appearance but still acceptable in flavor, the Jamaican government requires that they must be packed in burlap bags for export.
For coffee beans of even lower quality with flavor defects, the Jamaican government has a strict prohibition: such coffee cannot be exported in green bean form and can only be roasted locally in Jamaica, and must be dark roasted before being sold overseas.
The reason is that only heavy roasting can mask or eliminate defective flavors.
However, the advantages of Blue Mountain coffee itself can only be fully revealed when it is lightly roasted.
Therefore, if you buy dark-roasted, small-packaged 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.
For coffee lovers who pursue quality, Front Street Coffee recommends giving priority to lightly roasted Blue Mountain No. 1 to fully experience its delicate and balanced flavor.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
