Article Coffee Tip

The island of Jamaican is known for many things
sandy beaches
reggae music
Bob Marley and coffee. The high regard for Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee among avid coffee drinkers has driven its price up to between $26 and $40 a pound. What is it about this particular brew that warrants such a high price tag?

True to its name
Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is grown in the Blue Mountain region of Jamaica
generally located between Kingston to the south and Port Maria to the north. Rising to 7
500
feet
the Blue Mountains are the highest point in the Caribbean. The area is characterized by cool
wet weather and dark
rich soil with good drainage
ideal conditions for cultivating coffee. Though coffee is not native to Jamaica
it is the chief export of the island.

Not just any old cup of Joe can call itself Jamaican Blue Mountain. The Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica must certify every bag of coffee to ensure only the highest quality beans bear the prestigious trademark. The Board only recognizes beans grown in specific parishes of Jamaica: St. Andrew
St. Thomas
Portland and St. Mary.

The Coffee Industry Regulation Act established a system of three grades of Jamaican Blue Mountain based on the screen or size of the bean. The term screen refers to the literal screens of various dimensions used to sort the beans according to their size. The theory behind this practice is that beans grown in higher altitudes are larger and make better-tasting coffee than those grown in lower altitudes.

The rigorous quality standard for Jamaican Blue Mountain excludes beans that would probably be considered fine for other coffees. The screening process also helps to eliminate maragogipe (elephant beans). A mutant strain believed to have originated on Brazil
elephant beans are large
green
porous beans that seem to absorb the flavor of the soil they grown in. The jury is still out on their worth
but they are considered an insufferable defect for Jamaican Blue Mountain production.

At least 96 percent of the beans used must be of the same size and bluish-green tint. No more than two percent can stray from that standard in any way. Sour or black beans
or foreign matter of any kind
are considered unforgivable defects and do not fall under the two-percent rule. The most unbending benchmark is needed to maintain the traits that coffee drinkers have come to expect.

The geographical area that grows Jamaican Blue Mountain beans is relatively small and can only produce so much coffee. The limited quantity
the matchless quality resulting from painstaking cultivation
the alluring aroma and the renowned name of Jamaican Blue Mountain have undoubtedly contributed to its reputation as one of the most sought-after coffees in the world. As long as hard-core coffee drinkers continue to demand it
it will also be one of the most expensive.