Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee

Blue Mountain coffee: the caviar of coffee

There are many famous types of coffee, but few reach the taste, fame and excellence of the Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee beans. It is not by chance that connoisseurs have nicknamed this particular variety as "the coffee caviar".

Introduced more than 300 years ago on the island, Jamaican coffee is enriched by drawing its nourishment from the side of the Blue Mountain range and the constantly humid climate.

The local soil favours the growth of a unique variety of Arabica which, thanks also to its atypical location and particular taste, feeds the fame of the Blue Mountain coffee beans.

Getting your hands on a bag of Jamaican coffee beans is not easy: on the one hand Blue Mountain coffee is well known for its price, on the other we have Japan that annually absorbs 80% of exports of an already limited coffee production.

Fortunately, Jamaican coffee from Blue Mountain can still be found on the market. The price, despite the high quality and limited production, is high, but not inaccessible.

However, in order to better understand where the myth originates, it is necessary to understand what are the properties that make the taste of these beans so sophisticated and what are the reasons why the production of coffee is so limited every year.

Velvety, round, not very bitter: the Arabica of the Blue Mountain

Jamaican coffee has a unique flavor, a mixture of aromatic peculiarities that can rarely be found in the same bean.

Despite this, those who have been lucky enough to taste it, praise the harmony of flavors and the balance of tastes of this special coffee.

The flavor is round, soft. The bitterness is barely present, in a very delicate note, and the same goes for the acidity, which is almost absent.

A velvety taste but certainly not lacking in character: vibrant, floral, with notes of chocolate, hazelnuts and spices.

This is the unique mix of properties that makes Arabica Blue Mountain so special and interesting.

A special experience, obligatory for anyone who defines himself as a true coffee lover and enjoyable for occasional drinkers who are curious to try a soft and unique coffee. 

The price of Blue Mountain coffee

When it comes to fine coffee varieties, the first thing that springs to mind is the price. This is also the case with our beans from the island of the Greater Antilles.

Jamaica Blue Mountain comes, as mentioned, from the Blue Mountain range, the only area certified for the production of this authentic Arabica variety.

As you can easily guess, growing coffee on the side of mountain peaks is not an easy operation, especially when the arable land to obtain the certification of authenticity is so limited.

The mountains are relatively low, the highest peak does not exceed 2300 metres, however cultivation takes place mainly between 910 and 1700 metres above sea level. It is in this strip of land that you will find the characteristics of the soil and climate that make this variety so special.

A limited territory, difficult to cultivate, but fed by the natural springs that form on the side of the mountains.

In order to grow this plant, man must know how to adapt to circumstances and not vice versa.

For this reason, the annual production of coffee is extremely limited. Only about 2 tons of beans are roasted every year. Of these, we recall that 80% is destined for the Japanese market, so that only a small amount of beans can reach consumers in the rest of the world.

Unique and hard to get: the perfect recipe for a quality coffee that takes the question of price very seriously.

It all started with a coffee plant...

The history of the origin of Jamaican coffee is remarkable because of its particularity.

In fact, coffee was not a native plant of the island. It arrived there only by sea, after King Louis XV of France sent 3 plants as a gift to the governors of his colonies in Martinique. We are talking about the year 1700.

Of these 3 plants, only one survived the journey. The plant arrived in the hands of Sir Nicholas Lawes, former governor of Jamaica.

From here it took very little to realize the potential, that this soil rich in Potassium, Nitrogen and Phosphorus, had in sustaining a coffee plantation.

Coffee cultivation exploded: in just 10 years exports of beans began. 

Maturation and processing of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee

To obtain an authentic Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee it is not enough to pay attention to the soil and altitude. The process of ripening, harvesting, processing and roasting also plays a crucial role in the preparation of this bean variety.

Unlike most of the other varieties of Arabica spread around the world, this one has much longer maturation times: we are talking about 10 months or more.

This means one harvest every year, half as much as the most common plantations, which have ripening times twice as fast as those of the Blue Mountains. For this reason, the harvested beans go through a very different growth process and are much larger than the other varieties.

In addition to this long wait, there are another 6 weeks of rest to which the beans are subjected after the first processes. A delicate and carefully monitored preparation and roasting process follows, so as not to compromise the unique qualities of the coffee.

The Jamaican government personally regulates and controls the quality of the final product, so that only the best can bring the name of Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee to the world.

The real Blue Mountain coffee

Growing Blue Mountain coffee is not easy: the exposure of the plantation must be the correct one, the same goes for the altitude.

But the Blue Mountains also produce other qualities of coffee, coffee that bears the name of “Jamaica High mountain Coffee”, when the production takes place between 500 and 1000 metres of altitude and “Jamaica Low Mountain Coffee” or “Jamaica Supreme”, when the cultivation drops below 500 meters of altitude. With all this choice available, care must be taken to find and choose the right Blue Mountain certified package.

Otherwise, the risk is that of finding a fine but different coffee in your hands.

In addition to certification, which protects consumers from imitations, attention must also be paid to the concentration of Blue Mountain coffee beans in the blend. Some coffee brands, apparently cheaper, offer a product that contains only a millesimal quantity of Blue Mountain beans.

This is not a scam, but a compromise that lowers the price of the final product, and it is not always clear to the customer who buys the coffee package expecting to perceive the presence of Blue Mountain Jamaica beans. 

Why you should try Jamaica Blue Mountain

The history of the Jamaica Blue bean has its roots in an incredible past. Its unique processing is the result of centuries of perfection, its taste is a heritage that the Jamaican government and producers jealously guard.

The Blue Mountain coffee is a product of a truly important tradition, it is a precious product. It is cultivated in harmony with nature and offers to the taste unique notes.

It is precisely this set of qualities that have made Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee famous in the world. The bean from the Jamaican mountains has really involved many lovers of the drink, who have rediscovered the pleasure of a delicate and unexpected experience in its flavor and aromas.

In this section you will find all our blends containing the Jamaica Blue Mountain beans, including a Tasting Set composed by us to give you the opportunity to taste three different compositions and to save money.