Authentic Blue Mountain usually refers to Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, not any beans that say "Blue Mountain flavor." Its charm lies not in a certain strong aroma, but in the harmony between sweet and sour, mellow and clean. If you want to buy something delicious and not expensive, start with how you drink it every day, and then decide whether you need to pursue the complete Jamaican Blue Mountain origin label.
If you just want a cup of hot black coffee in the morning, focus on the soft acidity, nutty sweetness and smooth taste of blue mountain beans. It is not as acidic as some lightly roasted beans, and it does not create a heavy feeling with strong burnt bitterness, so it is suitable for drinking directly. When brewing by hand, choose medium light to medium roasting, which can provide a clearer level of aroma and sweetness, and is also more suitable for people who are new to specialty coffee.
If coffee is mainly used with breakfast, especially with bread, eggs or fruit, the balance of Blue Mountain will be more pleasing. The refreshing acidity can enhance the taste, and the soft nutty and cocoa properties can absorb the food and not easily take away the taste of breakfast itself. The brewing concentration can be slightly increased to allow the coffee to still have a full taste after entering the mouth and avoid being covered by food flavors.
For those who are used to adding milk, you need to first check whether the package is marked with pure Jamaican Blue Mountain or a blend containing Blue Mountain beans. The price of pure Blue Mountain is usually higher, so it may not be cost-effective to make latte; if you just want a smooth, low-irritation milk coffee, you can choose a balanced blend based on Brazilian or Colombian beans. They retain caramel and cocoa-like sweetness in milk more easily and are easier on the day-to-day cost.
When buying authentic Blue Mountain, the origin information is more important than the word "Blue Mountain". The packaging should indicate the Jamaican Blue Mountain production area, estate or cooperative, batch, processing method and roasting date as much as possible, and pay attention to relevant official certification or authorization information from Jamaica. If you only write "Blue Mountain flavor" and "Blue Mountain blend" without a description of the origin of Jamaica, it expresses a similarity in style and is not the same as Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.
Low price does not necessarily mean poor quality, but the production volume, grading and import costs of pure Jamaican Blue Mountain all determine that it is difficult for it to stay at the price of ordinary commercial beans for a long time. If you want to control your budget, you can buy small-sized packages first to feel the real flavor; you can also choose small and medium-sized packages of the same batch instead of stocking up on a large amount of beans at once. This can not only reduce the pressure of storage, but also make it easier to judge whether you really like this gentle route.
If you have time to brew it by hand on weekends, you can choose blue mountain beans that have complete information and are not roasted too darkly. The water temperature does not need to be too high, and the water filling rhythm should be kept steady to allow the sweetness and soft acidity to gradually unfold. If it seems thin at the entrance, finer the grinding slightly; if it appears dry at the end, reduce stirring or shorten the brewing time. The value of Blue Mountain lies in balance, and there is no need to pursue intensity through over-extraction.
If you mainly drink iced Americano or cold brew, Blue Mountain will present a smoother acidity and clean finish, but some of the subtle aromas will also be contained by the low temperature. If you want iced drinks to be more present, you can increase the concentration of the coffee liquid and add enough ice cubes to dilute it; cold brew is suitable for making a concentrated liquid that is soaked for a short time. If you prefer obvious fruity aromas, you don’t necessarily have to spend your budget on Blue Mountain.
For example, Front Street Yirgacheffe Fruit Ding Ding is suitable for hand brewing and cold brewing in summer. It tends to have citrus-like brightness, berry aroma and floral aroma in the cup. When it is drunk cold, the overall taste will be softer, and the tail end has a refreshing feeling similar to green tea. It's not a Blue Mountain replacement, but if your drinking scene is iced coffee, an afternoon pick-me-up, or you want a refreshing, fruity drink, this bean may be more relevant to your daily routine than the high-priced Blue Mountain.
If you like iced Pour over(V60) or fruity black coffee on weekends, you can also get to know the Ethiopian Courtesan on Front Street. Its aroma is more towards tropical fruits, strawberry and passion fruit, and its sweetness is active. It has obvious layers when making hot hand brew, and it will appear light after adding ice. Use it in different scenarios with Blue Mountain. One is responsible for mild balance and the other is responsible for bright fruity aroma. The budget arrangement will be more flexible than just buying a single style.
Whether you choose pure Jamaican Blue Mountain or beans of a similar style, it is recommended to check the roasting date, buy enough to drink for one to two months, and store it in an airtight container away from light. After opening, rinse it with a fixed amount of powder and water several times, record your favorite concentration and temperature, and then decide whether to repurchase. The Blue Mountain that truly suits you is not just the name of the place of origin on the packaging, it should also be able to continue to bring a comfortable sense of balance to your cup of coffee every day.
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
