If you are a coffee lover who likes smooth coffee with a medium roast, or if you just want to explore another smooth coffee from other parts of the world, you should definitely check out the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. This coffee will certainly not disappoint – it is globally known for its excellence, and if you question it, you just need to try it!
The question people normally ask when looking at Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is, is it really worth the price tag? Is this all just hype? What’s the difference between Blue Mountain from other coffee types? And perhaps, above all, how do you ensure that your Blue Mountain is authentic and not a counterfeit – because after all, it’s expensive reputation definitely elicits some scammers who just want to make some money.
This brief guide to Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee will answer all of your relevant questions about the single-origin wonder.
What Is Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee?
Blue Mountain coffee comes from the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. The Blue Mountains stand 7,500 ft. tall above sea level, and are located between Port Antonio and Kingston, Jamaica. Because of the unique temperature and humidity, this is the perfect location for growing Arabic beans.
Blue Mountain coffee is a medium roast. This means that it has a stronger taste than a light roast, but it is not as acidic and powerful as dark roast coffee. Best of all, you can grind this to work for whatever coffee maker you desire, such as a French press, a slow drip, a pour-over, or just in a traditional coffee pot.
Now, for the fun part – how does it taste?
Well, try to imagine this:
The second you open a Blue Mountain bag, you will begin to smell the strong scent of traditional coffee with a little bit of chocolate hint to it. It’s strong and guarantees to overtake your senses, but the taste is even more powerful.
Once you took that very first sip, you will experience one of the best feelings this world has to offer – the rich and robust-tasting coffee hitting your taste buds. The taste alone will give you the boost of energy you’ll need for the day! Pair the unique coffee with a delicious breakfast, and it will be the perfect combo for the start to your day.
Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee can elicit the following flavors:
- Smooth
- Mild but lustrous
- Clean, sharp taste. It should not be bitter.
- It should smell like florals, or sweetened herbs, with a slightly nutty or chocolaty scent.
Why Is Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Expensive?
Now, you may wonder, aside from its excellent quality, what makes Blue Mountain coffee so expensive? Here are some of the reasons why Blue Mountain coffee has a higher price tag than most other coffee beans:
- Small growing region – Not only is Jamaica a small island in itself, but Blue Mountain is even smaller than that. Because of the limited area for growing Blue Mountain coffee, the price is expensive to compensate for such limitations.
- Quality control – It’s important to keep in mind that Blue Mountain coffee has its own certification (more on that later) to keep its authenticity and protect buyers from would-be scammers. Because of that, quality control is made to the highest level to ensure that you get only the authentic and highest quality of Blue Mountain coffee out there. The process itself takes a lot of effort – it is hand-inspected just to ensure that every single bean meets their quality criteria; those that didn’t won’t make it to your bag.
- Takes time to grow and harvest – Blue Mountain coffee usually takes around 10 months to mature – that’s twice as long as our regular coffee. Not only it is grown in limited space, but the growth process is time-consuming, making it even harder to produce.
- Difficulty in harvesting due to its geography – Not only is Blue Mountain grown on very limited space and takes a decent amount of time to grow, but the harvesting process is also difficult. That’s because growers often need to harvest it on steep mountains, costing them a lot of effort in doing so.
- Most of the supply goes to Japan – 80% of exported Blue Mountain coffee goes to Japan, leaving only 20% for the rest of the world.
Basically, it’s expensiveness boils down to limited supply, difficult production, and high-quality standards.
It is important to keep in mind that manual, hardworking growers produce Blue Mountain coffee in Jamaica. From planting to harvesting to quality inspection, the entire process is carefully completed, ensuring that the Blue Mountain coffee you and I sip is the best quality possible. We can appreciate their hard work by paying for its price.
The Certification Process
As mentioned earlier, Blue Mountain coffee is protected by a certification mark to ensure you only get the authentic Blue Mountain coffee and not a counterfeit one.
The certification is simple: the Coffee Industry Regulation Act has given the Blue Mountain coffee a certification mark to, again, protect its authentic identity. The Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica (or CIB) grants this certification.
This means that before you purchase any brand, be sure to find the certification mark to ensure that you’re getting an authentic Blue Mountain coffee. If there’s no mark, it’s simple – it’s fake. Don’t even listen to the seller if they can’t show a certification mark.
Authentic Versus Fake Blue Mountain Coffee, How To Spot A Fraud
Buying a bag of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee can be intimidating because of the price tag. You don’t want to purchase a bag that is pricey but then ends up being a fraud. Here are a few ways to determine if a Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee brand is authentic.
1) Ask the seller for proof of documentation
As well as asking any other questions you have in mind. Basically, don’t be afraid to ask the seller any question about their coffee’s authenticity. Don’t even think about offending them, because if they are a real authentic producer, they will not take offense to the thoroughness.
In fact, a real Blue Mountain seller, knowing that they’re selling a quite rare of a coffee, will be very proud to show you how authentic their brand is. If the seller becomes offended or intimidated when you ask about its authenticity, that is a large red flag.
2) Don’t go with blends
Coffee blends are not necessarily bad, but they do not guarantee an authentic Blue Mountain coffee. Why?
For one, unlike pure packaging, there’s no certification for blended Blue Mountain coffee. So you won’t really be sure if you’re getting the real deal here.
Even if a seller promises a strong blend, it will not be the same experience. In other words, if you want to go for the blend, go for it – it’s less expensive anyway. But if you’re looking for the authentic, pure Blue Mountain coffee, better buy its pure packaging and always check out for authenticity.
3) Check the label
Blue Mountain coffee grows only in Jamaica. If the label or packaging says it was grown from the US or Europe, chances are, that’s not authentic.
Where Can You Purchase Authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee?
The single most important thing about Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is making sure that you are purchasing an authentic blend. Aside from knowing it is authentic, it is important to know where it came from. One great sign when buying this type of coffee is when the brand lets you know the family that farmed it.
There’s no need for stressing over authenticity because here at Capitol City Coffee, we offer a variety of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans. The different beans we offer include:
-
Blue Mountain Coffee (Peaberry) — This bag is made with peaberries, which are single, rounded beans that grow inside the coffee fruit in place of the usual two beans nestled together. Our Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee Peaberry is 100% certified.
-
Capitol City Premium Blue Mountain Blend — This blend is made by the Clydesdale 100% Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is fully owned by the Sharp family. Four generations of this family has worked in the farming business in Jamaica. This Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is carefully picked and processed using the finest methods available.
-
Capitol City Premium Blue Mountain Blend —Taking the best characteristics of the Jamaica Blue Mountain Flat Bean and the Jamaica Blue Mountain Peaberry, the Ultimate Blend creates a perfect coffee blend of acidity, body, and flavor.
Conclusion
Despite its price tag, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is something you should definitely try at least once in your lifetime. It’s bold, fresh, and delicious, even if you’re not a coffee lover.
It’s something that deserves its own renowned category in the world of coffee and in our hearts. Order a bag, grind the beans, then settle down with a nice cup of coffee. The smoothness is beautiful in itself but if you prefer to add creamer, milk, or sugar, go for it. Just remember to take it all in.
Have you tried Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee? If you love it, or if you want to experience it, you can shop for our Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee here. You can drink it black, or make it using one of our favorite coffee recipes here.
