Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Beans

A sophisticated coffee grown in the Blue Mountain District of Jamaica, Jamaica Blue Mountain is a wet processed (washed) coffee that is silky smooth and well-balanced, with an excellent full body, a classic and refined mild taste with a slightly (and unusually) sweet flavor, very rich (sometimes almost creamy). The taste is complex, and often often with hints of chocolate.

Jamaica Blue Mountain is revered worldwide for its sophistication and smooth, clean taste. Grown in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica Coffee, Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is typically wet processed and is very well balanced with a full body.

The finest of the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffees are grown on the old estates named Silver Hill, Wallenford, Moy Hall and Mavis Bank as well as the Old Tavern Estate.

Jump to:

• Coffee characteristics
• Espresso
• Growing Regions
• Traditional estates
• Roasting

Coffee characteristics

A good Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee, despite how smooth and mild it tastes, exhibits a bright and vibrant yet smooth acidity, a clean taste with virtually no bitterness, and a bold yet sparkling aroma with a profusion of floral notes and sweet herbal and nutty overtones.

The flavor of Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is said to be refined and mild with an extremely pleasant sweetness that verges on creamy. Tones of chocolate appear in the complexity of the coffee which also exhibits a smooth yet bright acidity and almost a total lack of any bitterness.

The aroma of Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is said to sparkle in its boldness and offers up delightful floral tones along with sweet nutty and herbal notes. Jamaica Blue Mountain peaberry coffee beans are very popular for use in espresso blends.

At its best, Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee produces the quintessential cup of coffee that is one of the world's top premium gourmet coffees.

Espresso

Traditionally used for espresso are the Jamaica Blue Mountain peaberry coffee beans - a peaberry is when one whole bean forms in a coffee cherry, or fruit, rather than the usual two half-beans. These larger, denser beans make roasting take longer, which helps to control the development of the espresso roast profile.

Growing Regions

Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is named for the mountain ridge that crowns the island of Jamaica, and is know for producing some of the best coffees in the world. The Blue Mountain growing region is north of Kingston and south of Port Maria.

The certified Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee-growing estates are located at elevations between 3,000 feet (914 meters) and and 5,500 feet (1,676 meters) above sea level, while lesser Jamaican coffees are grown at lower elevations - Jamaica High Mountain is grown between 1,500 and 3,000 feet and Jamaica Supreme/Jamaica Low Mountain is grown below 1,500 feet.

The unique Blue Mountain growing region features an ideal coffee-growing terrain and temperate climate - misty and cool with lots of rain, rich soil, and great soil drainage. This area contains some of the Caribbean's highest coffee-growing regions.

Though the Blue Mountains rise to 7,402 feet, no coffee is grown above 5,500 feet because this area is maintained as a Forest Reserve.

Traditional estates

A range of Blue Mountain coffees are grown in various parishes including Saint Thomas, Saint Andrew, Saint Mary, and Portland.

Some of the most renowned old Jamaica Blue Mountain estates include Mavis Bank, Wallenford, Old Tavern, Moy Hall, and Silver Hill, all of which have registered the right to label their coffee as Jamaica Blue Mountain™ and most recently Old Tavern Estate has earned the right to sell Jamaica Blue Mountain™ coffee.

Some of these Jamaica Blue Mountain estates now serve primarily to acquire coffee beans from the many small farms located nearby, and then mill the coffee beans or send the beans to other areas (e.g., at sea level) to be milled.

Roasting

A Medium-Dark Roast or Medium Roast is recommended for Jamaica Blue Mountain, as it will free the beans' flavors and fragrances without losing their best qualities.

Japan has been known to corner the market on Blue Mountain Coffee, making one of the world's most enjoyable gourmet coffees also one of the most expensive.