Which regions grow authentic jamaican coffee?

True Blue Mountain coffee beans come from only three regions in Jamaica's Blue Mountains: St. Andrew, Portland and St. Thomas. The market is full of imitations labeled Blue Mountain flavor or Blue Mountain blend, and those are not genuine Jamaican coffee.

Jamaica exported more than 375 tons of pure coffee over eight years, and the 1932 harvest exceeded 15,000 tons. The Jamaica Coffee Industry Board, set up in 1950, enforces quality standards and issues an official seal for exported green and roasted beans. Six marks identify Blue Mountain origin, including Mavis Bank, Wallenford and the Portland cooperative.

Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is globally recognized as one of the top specialty coffees, but the market is flooded with imitations labeled "Blue Mountain flavor" or "Blue Mountain blend." True Blue Mountain coffee beans come only from three major regions in Jamaica's Blue Mountains: St. Andrew, Portland, and St. Thomas. This article will guide you through Blue Mountain coffee's geographical advantages, historical background, strict grading system, and unique barrel-export tradition. Meanwhile, Front Street Coffee will share why Clifton Farm Blue Mountain No. 1 was chosen, along with pour-over brewing parameters and flavor performance, helping coffee enthusiasts fully understand this legendary coffee.

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Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee beans are renowned in the specialty coffee world, and their high profile has led to a market flooded with counterfeit products, usually under the banner of "Blue Mountain flavor" or "Blue Mountain blend." In reality, only coffee beans grown in Jamaica's Blue Mountains can truly bear the Blue Mountain name. Next, Front Street will walk you through the origin background of Blue Mountain coffee.

Jamaica is an island nation in the Caribbean, and the Blue Mountains are its highest range. The areas surrounding this range are also Jamaica's only coffee-growing regions. To date, Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is divided into three major producing regions: St. Andrew, Portland, and St. Thomas.

Over eight years, Jamaica exported a cumulative total of more than 375 tons of pure coffee. 1932 marked a peak in coffee production, with that year's harvest exceeding 15,000 tons. In 1950, the Jamaican government established the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board, which is responsible for setting and enforcing quality standards for Jamaican coffee, thereby ensuring coffee quality. The Board issues a special official seal for exported green and roasted beans, a measure that ranks as the highest level of national coffee authority certification in the world. Currently, there are six marks representing the Blue Mountain coffee place of origin, from the Mavis Bank Central Factory (M.B.C.E), the Blue Mountain Coffee Cooperative (M.H.C.C.T.), the Portland Blue Mountain Coffee Cooperative (P.X.X.S.H.), the Coffee Industry Association (Wallenford), the Coffee Industry Association (Silver Hill Peak), and J.A.S. In 1969, conditions improved, and with Japanese loans, production quality was enhanced, securing the market. Today, this coffee has reached a level of feverish popularity.

In 1981, Jamaica cleared about 1,500 hectares for coffee planting, then invested further to open another 6,000 hectares of coffee plantations. In fact, today's Blue Mountain region has only 6,000 hectares under cultivation, so it's impossible for all coffee labeled "Blue Mountain" to come from there. The remaining 12,000 hectares are used to grow two other types of coffee: Jamaica High Mountain Supreme and Jamaica Prime Washed.

【Geographical Advantages】

Blue Mountain coffee is hailed as the world's most exceptional coffee, and Jamaica's climate, geology, and topography together create an ideal growing environment. The ridge running through Jamaica extends all the way to the eastern part of the island, with the Blue Mountains reaching over 2,100 meters in elevation. The climate here is cool, misty, and frequently rainy, and this fertile land benefits from the harmony of rainfall. Local farmers use mixed planting, letting coffee trees grow alongside banana and avocado trees on terraces. Some small estates also engage in cultivation.

However, even the largest estate owners in the region are considered small-scale by international standards, and many are smallholders whose families have farmed this land for two centuries. The Jamaican coffee industry faces a series of challenges, such as hurricanes, rising labor costs, and the difficulty of mechanizing terraced fields. Many small estates and farms struggle to achieve rationalized cultivation. Due to Japan's continued investment in the Jamaican coffee industry, most Blue Mountain coffee is now controlled by Japanese interests, and they also hold priority purchasing rights.

In 1992, Jamaica sold 688 tons of Blue Mountain coffee to Japan, 75 tons to the United States, and 59 tons to the United Kingdom. Today, 90% of Blue Mountain coffee is purchased by Japan. Since the rest of the world can only get 10% of Blue Mountain coffee, it remains in short supply regardless of price fluctuations.

Grades of Blue Mountain Coffee Beans Grading

Coffee from Jamaica's Blue Mountain region is divided into three grades: Blue Mountain Coffee, Jamaica High Mountain Supreme Coffee Beans, and Jamaica Prime Coffee Beans. Blue Mountain Coffee and High Mountain Coffee are each further subdivided into two grades. From highest to lowest quality, they are: Blue Mountain No. 1, Blue Mountain No. 2, High Mountain No. 1, High Mountain No. 2, and Jamaica Prime.

Clifton Farm

What Front Street purchases is Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee beans from Clifton Farm. Front Street chose this farm's Blue Mountain coffee beans because it is one of Jamaica's oldest coffee estates still in operation. Around 1750, Clifton Farm began planting and producing coffee. Its coffee cultivation and processing areas sit at an average elevation of 4,300 feet (1,310.64 meters). Sufficient altitude, gentle afternoon cloud cover shading the mountain forests, ample sunlight, and mineral-rich soil provide excellent growing conditions for coffee trees and also extend the maturation of coffee cherries.

The Blue Mountain coffee bean variety is the genetically superior Typica. Due to the island's closed environment, Typica still retains characteristics from over 300 years ago, whereas Typica on the mainland has long undergone generations of hybridization and mutation. Therefore, the single-variety Blue Mountain coffee bean also gives it a very clean cup profile.

Traditional Blue Mountain coffee beans must be washed. In fact, aside from a small batch of natural-process and Geisha varieties Jamaica has tried producing in the past two years, washed Typica has always been the authentic Blue Mountain coffee.

Washing and fermentation are used to remove the skin, pulp, and mucilage. Farms using the washed method must build washing channels and have access to a continuous supply of fresh water. During processing, the skin and pulp are first removed, then the beans are fermented for 12–18 hours. After fermentation, the beans are placed in channels and moved back and forth, using the friction between beans and the force of flowing water to wash them until smooth and clean. The advantage of this method is that it ensures the stability and high quality of Blue Mountain coffee's flavor.

Another characteristic of Blue Mountain coffee beans is that among all coffees, only Blue Mountain is exported in barrels, while other coffees are exported in burlap sacks. It is said that in the mid-18th century during the British colonial period, flour shipped from Britain to Jamaica came in barrels; after the empty barrels were recovered, they were used to transport coffee and rum. Today's barrels are made from wood from American temperate forests. The advantage of wooden barrels is that they absorb and release moisture internally and externally without major fluctuations, helping buffer sudden temperature changes during transport. The sealed barrels also isolate coffee aromas, preserving the best coffee quality, though the added cost is relatively high.

Of course, if you want to verify whether beans are truly Blue Mountain coffee, in addition to the original wooden barrel, the Blue Mountain certification issued by Jamaican authorities is also an important criterion.

Currently, the Jamaica Coffee Board can issue certificates for all exported Blue Mountain coffee.

There are three types of certificates:

(1) Quality certification certificate issued by the Jamaica Coffee Board.

(2) Authorized sales certificate issued by the Blue Mountain coffee producer.

(Blue Mountain coffee is distributed by 4 Jamaican government-licensed processors and exported by 16 licensed exporters.)

(3) Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Certificate of Origin.

Quality certification certificates indicate time and quantity. The Jamaica Coffee Board randomly selects one package from submitted Blue Mountain coffee for inspection, and if it meets Blue Mountain coffee conditions, a certificate is issued. The certificate Front Street applied for is the authorized sales certificate issued by the Blue Mountain coffee producer.

For roasting, Front Street uses a dark roast. In fact, in the realm of dark roasting, Blue Mountain coffee's flavor and mouthfeel are in a class of their own. Front Street recommends brewing with pour-over.

Front Street recommends using freshly roasted coffee beans for brewing , so you can experience the coffee's rich flavors to the fullest . Coffee beans shipped by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) are within 5 days of roasting , because Front Street knows well how much freshness affects flavor . Front Street's roasting philosophy is " Freshly roasted good coffee ," so every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee possible . Coffee resting period is about 4-7 days , so when customers receive it, it is at its optimal flavor .

Brewing Parameters

Dose: 15g

Grind: medium-coarse, 75% passing a No. 20 sieve

Ratio: 1:15

Water temperature: 87°C

Dripper: Kono dripper

Brewing method: Front Street uses a three-stage pour. First stage: pour 30ml and bloom for 30 seconds; second stage: pour 100ml; third stage: pour 95ml. Extraction time is about 2 minutes.

Blue Mountain coffee flavor characteristics : very clean taste, complex, very mild, chocolate sweetness, very strong body. Rich and mellow flavor, with the coffee's sweetness, acidity, and bitterness perfectly balanced, with no bitterness at all, only a moderate and perfect acidity, and a long-lasting fruity finish.

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