Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is a variety of coffee which is cultivated in Jamaica's Blue Mountains. Although it comes from ordinary coffee plants, this coffee is far from ordinary, and it is in fact highly prized, typically commanding prices which are among the highest in the world. Japan imports the vast majority of Jamaican Blue Mountain produced every year, although it can be found in exclusive coffee shops in other regions of the world.
This coffee is named for the distinctive mountain ridge which crowns Jamaica. The conditions in Jamaica are ideally suited to growing coffee, as the island has a temperate climate and rich soil. These conditions can create a superior bean when a coffee plant is well tended, as people have known for centuries, ever since coffee was first introduced to Jamaica. Over time, coffee from the Blue Mountain region became particularly renowned, and today it is a protected certification mark, meaning that coffee produced in the Blue Mountains and certified by the Coffee Board of Jamaica is the only coffee that may be labeled as “Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee.”
This coffee has a few distinct features. The first is a notable lack of bitterness, and the second is a mild, very complex, almost creamy flavor. Coffee tasters often detect a profusion of floral notes in Jamaican Blue Mountain, along with an almost chocolaty flavor. Fans are willing to pay high prices for this incredible coffee, which is delicious when drunk black or with cream. This coffee is well worth trying, if you have an opportunity to do so.
Obviously, the island of Jamaica has a vested interest in protecting the integrity of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. The Coffee Board carefully examines crops, using bean size and other characteristics to determine whether or not the coffee will be certified, and at what grade. Once certified, the coffee may be roasted or shipped green for off-site roasting. As a general rule, Grade One Jamaican Blue Mountain is the finest coffee.
In order to be classified as Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, the coffee must be grown between 2,000 and 5,000 feet (609 and 1,524 meters) in the parishes of Saint Andrew, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, or Portland. Coffee grown below that height is known as Jamaican Low Mountain or Jamaican High Mountain coffee, depending on the elevation, while no coffee is grown higher, as the top of the Blue Mountains is a nature preserve.