Jamaican Blue Mountain is one of the most prestigious and rarest coffees in the world. It is famous for its balanced sweet, sour and bitter flavor, with a smooth and full taste. Strict and precise regulations give Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee a quality standard that is unmatched by any other coffee. The authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee was introduced to Jamaica in the 1700s. Blue Mountain coffee is usually located between Kingston in the south and Port Antonio in the north. At 2,256 meters high, they are one of the tallest mountains in the Caribbean. Not only that, the area has a cool and misty climate, heavy rainfall, fertile soil and good drainage, making it considered one of the most ideal places for growing coffee. It is because of these conditions that Blue Mountain coffee is considered one of the finest coffees in the world.
However, there are always some fake and shoddy Blue Mountain coffees on the market, which makes it hard to guard against. Facing the current domestic coffee market with mixed good and bad, we must be vigilant at all times. We must fully understand and master relevant knowledge and understand the salient characteristics of Blue Mountain coffee in order to properly identify its authenticity. The first thing to note is that many coffee beans are actually labeled as "Blue Mountain flavor" rather than "Blue Mountain coffee." "Blue Mountain flavor" coffee may only add a few percent of Blue Mountain coffee, which cannot be equated with real Blue Mountain coffee.
Today, FrontStreet Coffee brings you eight ways to test Blue Mountain coffee:
First: taste the taste
For coffee masters, taste buds are the most convincing. The taste of Blue Mountain coffee is smooth, giving people a mellow feeling, which is perfect; while the fake Blue Mountain coffee either tastes thin or is too irritating, and always cannot find the most balanced feeling.
Second: Jamaica Coffee Industry Council certification
As mentioned earlier, authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee has strict standards. In Jamaica, only companies confirmed and approved by the Coffee Industry Bureau are qualified to export Blue Mountain coffee. The Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica (CIBOJ) was established on 2 June 1950 under the Coffee Industry Regulation Act of 1948 to encourage the development of the coffee industry in Jamaica and to promote the welfare of those engaged in it. He is responsible for: Licensing Jamaican coffee processors and dealers, establishing or reviewing quality standards for coffee, being the sole exporter of certified Jamaican coffee exports and green coffee beans, and providing advisory services to farmers and other industry stakeholders.
On 1 January 2018, the functions of CIBOJ were taken over by the newly established Jamaica Agricultural Regulatory Authority (JACRA), which is responsible for the regulation, promotion, standardization and development of the agri-food industry. The certificate of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee of Front Street Coffee is hung at the entrance of the store to show customers and popularize this knowledge point to everyone.
Third: Confirm the place of origin
Some friends may think that this is nonsense. Well, Blue Mountain Coffee is naturally produced in Jamaica. Do you still need to confirm it? This is true, but don't forget that the Blue Mountain caffeine sold in Asia was once monopolized by Japan's UCC company, so almost all of it is marked with the UCC company's trademark, so it is very important to confirm the production area.
Fourth, inspect the packaging
A long time ago, authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee was packaged in sealed aluminum foil and the outer packaging was burlap bags. However, in recent years, green beans are mostly packed in wooden barrels. Jamaica is the only country in the world that still retains coffee packaging in wooden barrels. Many counterfeit Blue Mountain coffees in the domestic market are also packaged in wooden barrels, and the barrels are also painted. Just think about it, coffee is a food that wins by its taste. Once it is contaminated with the smell of paint, how can it be appreciated? Jamaicans can’t be that stupid, can they?
Fifth, check the level
Blue Mountain coffee is divided into five grades, namely Blue Mountain No. 1, Blue Mountain No. 2, Blue Mountain No. 3, Blue Mountain PB and Jamaican Alpine Coffee. Counterfeit Blue Mountain coffee in the domestic market often has the logos of AAA, AA, A and G1, which are totally unrelated and must be fake, because there have never been these grades of Blue Mountain coffee.
Sixth, check the appearance
The raw beans of authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee are green, neat in appearance, medium to small in shape, with the ends of the beans slightly upturned. After roasting, the volume expands, and the bean shape is full and round.
Seventh, grinding conditions
Blue Mountain coffee is grown at a moderately high altitude. The cytoplasmic structure of its green beans is relatively loose. When ground with a manual grinder, it will have a distinct crispy feeling, with almost no blocking or stiffness.
Eighth, identify the aroma
Blue Mountain coffee has a rich fruity and chocolate aroma (some say it is creamy). The aroma of roasted Blue Mountain coffee beans is rich and steady, while the so-called Blue Mountain coffee blended with other varieties has a frivolous aroma, no sense of stability, and is easily dissipated.
After introducing the above methods on how to distinguish real and fake Blue Mountain, FrontStreet Coffee will now introduce to you Front Street’s best-selling Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee from Clifton Manor. Clifton Manor is currently the largest coffee estate in the Blue Mountains, but according to international standards, it is only a small-scale cultivation. Clifton Manor was founded 270 years ago and is said to be one of the oldest coffee estates. It is the only local coffee farm certified for rainforest, which also proves that the ecological environment of its estate is very superior.
Front Street's Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee tastes very clean and mild, with a perfect balance of acidity, body, and aroma. It has no bitter taste at all, only a moderate and perfect sourness, and a long-lasting fruity taste at the end. The dry aroma will have the aroma of roasted peanuts and roasted hazelnuts. There will be an oolong tea aroma when wet. It has a chocolate flavor in the mouth and a caramel sweetness in the finish. Friends who have purchased Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee from FrontStreet Coffee, here are the brewing suggestions for FrontStreet Coffee:
Filter cup: kono
Amount of powder: 15g
Pink to water ratio: 1:15
Water temperature: 88 degrees
Grinding Size: Medium Coarse
I use a kono filter cup because this type of filter cup will achieve better steaming results. During the brewing process, the water level rises, allowing the filter paper to cling to the wall of the cup, and the air can only be discharged from the gap between the ribs and green plants below. The interaction of the water powder will form an effect similar to a siphon, making the overall taste of the coffee much mellower.
Brewing method:
Steam 30 grams of water for 30 seconds, then slowly pour water in a circle with a small flow of water outwards from the center to 120 grams, then wait until the powder layer drops to 1/2, and then pour water with a large flow of water to 225 grams. Wait until all the coffee liquid in the filter cup flows into the lower pot, then remove the filter cup to end the extraction. Total brewing time is approximately 2 minutes.
You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
