Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee beans, what is Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee?

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Jamaica is a small country with the Blue Mountains northeast of Kingston, the capital. Most of the peaks of the Blue Mountains are more than 1800 meters above sea level, and the famous Blue Mountain Coffee grows in this mountain area. Coffee in Jamaica was introduced in 1723 by a French naval officer from a nearby area, but the cultivation of the crop did not initially attract enough attention. Blue Mountain coffee began to emerge in 1932, when Jamaica authorities adopted an important decision to encourage coffee cultivation to reduce dependence on sugar exports.

Blue Mountain Coffee's unique flavor is related to Blue Mountain's geographical location and climatic conditions. Generally speaking, south of the Tropic of Cancer and north of the Tropic of Cancer, this area is suitable for growing coffee, known as the "coffee belt". Jamaica is just south of the Tropic of Cancer. Blue Mountain steep, fresh air, no pollution, rainy all year round, day and night temperature difference, has a unique fertile new volcanic soil. Most importantly, every afternoon, clouds cover the entire mountain area, not only for coffee trees natural shade, but also can bring abundant moisture. The superior geographical and climatic conditions make Blue Mountain coffee taste and aroma outstanding, to be superior to other similar.

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In addition to outstanding natural conditions, Blue Mountain coffee from planting, picking, to cleaning, shelling, roasting, etc., every process is very particular, there are strict standards. For example, there are clear regulations on what organic fertilizer needs to be used in which growing period, picking and many subsequent procedures are completed by hand, and most of them are female workers. Jamaica is one of the last countries to transport coffee in traditional barrels in order to guarantee the quality of coffee during transport.

At a Blue Mountain coffee processing plant dedicated to tourists, the narrator revealed to reporters why Blue Mountain coffee tastes pure "secret": their coffee trees all grow on rugged hillsides, the picking process is very difficult, non-local skilled female workers simply can not be competent. It is important to choose the right ripe coffee beans when picking, as immature or overripe coffee affects the quality of the coffee. The beans are shelled the same day and allowed to ferment for 12-18 hours. Coffee beans are then washed and sifted. The subsequent drying process must be carried out on a concrete floor or thick blanket until the moisture content of the coffee beans has dropped to 12 -14%. Then they are stored in special silos. When needed, take it out and roast it, then grind it into powder. These procedures must be strictly controlled, otherwise, the quality of coffee will be affected.

Blue Mountain coffee can maintain today's best status, but also with the local government's policy of limiting production and quality. Jamaica does not mass produce Blue Mountain coffee regardless of quality because it is famous. rather, quality is given priority, and it is better to sacrifice yield and protect the golden signboard of blue mountain coffee. Brazil, the world's largest coffee producer, produces 30 million bags (60 kilograms each) of coffee a year, while Jamaica produces just over 40,000 bags a year. The difference in output can be seen here.

Coffee drinks

Blue Mountain coffee beans are divided into several types according to quality, the top blue mountain coffee beans generally do not enter the circulation market, most of them are reserved by the royal family and the rich, and the listed blue mountain coffee beans are guaranteed by the Jamaica government "Blue Mountain" brand coffee beans. Statistics from the International Coffee Organization website show that in 2003 -2004, Jamaica produced 43,000 bags of coffee, of which 24,000 bags were consumed. nearly 90 percent of the exports went to japan, while the rest went to europe and the united states. Blue Mountain coffee has been in short supply on the international market because of limited production and small export volume. As the saying goes, rare is expensive, and Blue Mountain coffee is expensive even in its country of origin. A 4-ounce (114-gram) bag of Blue Mountain coffee sells for nearly $7 in the Jamaica market.

In recent years, various coffee shops have sprung up in China, and top Blue Mountain Coffee has naturally become the target of people, especially young people. For a moment, it seemed as if only having tasted Blue Mountain coffee was really drinking coffee. And if you don't sell Blue Mountain coffee, you're not a real coffee shop. The price of each cup of Blue Mountain Coffee ranges from 30 yuan to 100 yuan, which is really expensive. Of course, if it is genuine, the above price is also in line with the valuable identity of Blue Mountain Coffee.

However, Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee production and exports are limited, China does not import a share of Blue Mountain Coffee directly from Jamaica, and the International Coffee Organization does not have any records of Blue Mountain Coffee beans exported to China. In addition, it is believed that most coffee lovers in China do not have considerable discrimination ability, and cannot distinguish the differences between different quality coffee. So remind people to be careful: despite the high price you paid, the coffee in your cup is likely not the real Blue Mountain coffee.