A brief introduction to the varieties of coffee beans the charm of Blue Mountain Coffee

Jamaica, the origin of Blue Mountain Coffee, gets its name from the Blue Mountains surrounded by the Caribbean Sea. Sour, sweet, bitter taste are very harmonious and have excellent flavor and aroma, suitable for individual coffee, suitable for moderate roasting.

The Blue Mountains are located in the eastern part of the island of Jamaica, hence its name because it is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea. On clear days, the sun shines directly on the blue sea, and the peaks reflect the bright blue light of the sea. The highest peak of the Blue Mountains, which is 2256 meters above sea level, is the highest peak in the Caribbean and a famous tourist attraction. Located in the coffee belt, with fertile volcanic soil, fresh air, no pollution, humid climate, foggy and rainy all the year round (the average precipitation is 1980 mm, the temperature is around 27 degrees), such a climate has created the world-famous Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. It also creates the highest price coffee in the world. no, no, no. This kind of coffee has the characteristics of all good coffee, not only full-bodied and mellow, but also because of the perfect combination of sweet, sour and bitter coffee, it has no bitter taste at all, only a moderate and perfect sour taste. It is generally drunk on a single product, but because the output is very small and the price is extremely expensive, it is generally made with coffee with a similar taste on the market.

The "secret" of why Blue Mountain coffee tastes pure: their coffee trees are all on rugged hillsides, and the picking process is so difficult that non-local skilled women are simply unable to do it. It is very important to choose the right ripe coffee beans when picking. Immaturity or ripeness will affect the quality of the coffee. The picked coffee beans are shelled on the same day, and then let them ferment for 18 hours. After that, the coffee beans were cleaned and screened. The subsequent process is to dry, which must be carried out on the cement floor or on a thick blanket until the humidity of the coffee beans drops to 12% 14%. And then store it in a special warehouse. Take it out and roast when needed, then grind it into powder. These procedures must be strictly mastered, otherwise, the quality of coffee will be affected. [1]

History.

Blue Mountain Coffee

Blue Mountain Coffee beans

In 1717 King Louis XV of France ordered coffee to be grown in Jamaica, and in the mid-1920 s, the Governor of Jamaica, Nicholas. NicholasLawes imported Arabica seeds from Martinique and began to plant them in St. Andrews (St.Andrew). To this day, St. Andrews is still one of the three major producers of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, with the other two producing areas: Portland (Portland) and St. Thomas (St.Thomas). In eight years, Jamaica exported more than 375 tons of pure coffee. In 1932, coffee production reached its peak and more than 15000 tons of coffee was harvested.

In 1950, the Government of Jamaica established the Jamaica Coffee Industry Committee (theJamaicaCoffeeIndustryBoard), which sets quality standards for Jamaican coffee and oversees the implementation of quality standards to ensure the quality of Jamaican coffee. The Commission awarded special official seals to raw and roasted coffee exported from Jamaica, which is the highest-level national coffee institution in the world. At present, there are six kinds of marks that can represent the origin of Blue Mountain Coffee, such as Mafis River Embankment Central Factory (M.B.C.E), Blue Mountain Coffee Cooperative Factory (M.H.C.C.T.), Portland Blue Mountain Coffee Cooperative Factory (P.X.X.S.H.), Coffee Industry Association (Wallenford), Coffee Industry Association (St. John's Peak) and J.A.S.

By 1969, the situation had improved because the use of Japanese loans had improved the quality of production, thus ensuring the market. By now, this kind of coffee has reached the point of being feverishly loved.

By 1981, about 1500 hectares of land in Jamaica had been reclaimed for coffee cultivation, followed by investment in another 6000 hectares of coffee land. In fact, today's Blue Mountain area is a small area with a planting area of only 6000 hectares, and it is impossible to grow all the coffee marked "Blue Mountain" there. Another 12000 hectares are used to grow two other types of coffee: Alpine Top Coffee and Jamaican Superior Coffee. [2]

Geography

Blue mountain high-quality coffee beans

Blue Mountain Coffee is the most superior coffee in the world, and the weather, geological structure and topography of Jamaica provide an ideal place. The ridge that runs through Jamaica extends to the eastern part of the island, with the Blue Mountains rising to more than 2100 meters. Cool weather, foggy, frequent precipitation, use this rich soil Rain Water to reconcile. Here, a mixed planting method is used to grow coffee trees to accompany banana trees and avocado trees on terraces. Some small estates are also planted. But even the largest landowners in the region are small-scale growers by international standards, many of whom are small landowners whose families have been working for two centuries. The coffee industry in Jamaica faces a series of problems, such as the impact of hurricanes, increased labor costs and difficult mechanization of terraces. Many small estates and farms are difficult to rationalize.

As Japan has always invested in the Jamaican coffee industry, most of the Blue Mountain Coffee is now owned by the Japanese, and they have also obtained the right of priority to buy Blue Mountain Coffee. In 1992, Jamaica sold 688 tons of Blue Mountain coffee to Japan, 75 tons to the United States and 59 tons to Britain. Now, 90% of Blue Mountain coffee is bought by the Japanese. Now that the rest of the world can only get 10% of Blue Mountain, Blue Mountain coffee is always in short supply, regardless of the price. [3]

classification

There are three grades of coffee in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica: blue Mountain Coffee (BlueMountainCoffee), Alpine Coffee (JamaicaHighMountasinSupremeCoffeeBeans) and Jamaican Coffee (JamaicaPrimeCoffeeBeans). Among them, Blue Mountain Coffee and Alpine Coffee are each divided into two grades. In terms of quality, the order from top to bottom is: blue Mountain 1, Blue Mountain 2, Gaoshan 1, Gaoshan 2, Jamaican Coffee. Coffee grown between 457m and 1524 m above sea level is usually called Blue Mountain Coffee. Coffee grown between 274m and 457m above sea level is often called JamaicaPrimeCoffeeBeans, and the price of blue mountain coffee is several times higher than that of alpine coffee. It is mainly distributed in 5 peaks such as JohnCrow,St.John'sPeak,Mossman'sPeak,HighPeak,BlueMountianPeak. [3]

Characteristics.

Blue Mountain Coffee

The real Blue Mountain Coffee is made from the best local raw coffee beans, which is the official pleasure of tasters. Its flavor is rich, balanced, fruity and sour, and can meet people's various needs. In addition, the high-quality fresh Blue Mountain coffee has a long-lasting flavor, as drinkers say, with a lingering aftertaste. The best blue mountain coffee beans are NO.1peaberry, also known as pearl beans, which are carefully selected small round beans and boutique products at an altitude of 2100 meters. Flavor: the aroma is very full-bodied, with persistent fruit flavors. Granule: fuller suggested roasting method: the caffeine content of moderately roasted Blue Mountain coffee is very low, less than half of other coffee, in line with modern people's concept of health. The same coffee tree species, whether planted in Hawaii, Kenya, Papua New Guinea or anywhere else with a similar climate, cannot produce the flavor of blue mountain coffee beans. Pure Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee perfectly combines the unique sour, bitter, sweet, mellow and other flavors of coffee to form a strong and attractive elegant flavor, which is unmatched by other coffee. People who love Blue Mountain Coffee say: "it is a 'coffee beauty' that combines all the advantages of good coffee." Jim, general manager of Pitt, which is famous for its coffee and tea business in the United States, said of Blue Mountain Coffee: "it tastes fragrant, smooth and mellow, and it makes me feel as precious as a gem. It is precisely because the taste of Blue Mountain coffee is moderate and perfect, so Blue Mountain coffee is generally drunk in the form of black coffee. " Its liquid is golden in the sun and tastes smooth. According to the coffee book, Blue Mountain is the only bitter and sour coffee in the world that people can enjoy. Just drink it. [3]

Picking and selling

Blue Mountain Coffee

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is harvested every year from June to November, usually by hand. After picking, it goes through the processes of washing, peeling, fermentation, dehydration, sun drying, shelling, and baking before you can get a ripe blue mountain coffee bean. In the process of raw bean processing, there are special personnel responsible for quality supervision in each step. For the very precious Blue Mountain Coffee, the packing and transportation mode adopted by the Jamaican government is also different. Unlike other coffees, Blue Mountain Coffee is not packed and transported in cloth bags at 60kg / bag, but in wooden barrels at the standard of 70kg / barrel. Jamaica is also the last country to still transport coffee in traditional wooden barrels. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans must obtain a certificate of quality recognition issued by the Jamaican Coffee Industry Committee, which is the only body in Jamaica authorized to issue such a certificate. And each batch of export will have special quality supervision experts responsible for sampling, baking, grinding and brewing coffee, and finally make a judgment on whether to meet the standard. Because of its high price, Blue Mountain Coffee has a relatively fixed consumer group, and its market is mainly concentrated in Japan, followed by some European and American countries. Coffee beans are full in shape and slightly larger than ordinary beans. Its taste is very subtle, sour, fragrant, mellow, sweetness is uniform and strong, slightly bitter, harmonious taste, excellent flavor, suitable for individual coffee. It uses medium roasting (MediumRoast) to maximize the original taste of the coffee and enhance its aftertaste. With the improvement of coffee consumption in China, a large number of cafes begin to serve "Blue Mountain Coffee", and its price is often only a fraction or a tenth of that of authentic Blue Mountain coffee. In 2005, under the guidance of Taiwan coffee merchants, a large number of Chinese media began to pay attention to and report the authenticity of Blue Mountain Coffee. So far, authentic Blue Mountain coffee is still out of reach of most Chinese consumers because of its price and supply in the mainland market. Blue Mountain Coffee can maintain its top status today, which is closely related to the local management policy. In 1932, Jamaica reduced the island's dependence on sugar exports through policies to encourage coffee production. Unlike most coffee-producing countries, the local government does not plant a large number of high-quality and poor-quality coffee in order to increase the output, but prefer to sacrifice the output to ensure the quality. Therefore, Jamaica is one of the countries with low coffee production in the world. Brazil, the world's largest coffee exporter, produces 30 million bags of coffee a year, while Blue Mountain produces only about 40, 000 bags a year. At present, there is rarely a blue mountain coffee bean in the "Blue Mountain style" coffee on the market. One kind of "Jamaican mixed Blue Mountain" coffee is a mixture of 30% Blue Mountain Coffee and 70% of the best Jamaican Alpine Coffee. The above two kinds of coffee try to imitate Blue Mountain Coffee, but can not achieve the perfect state.

Blue Mountain Coffee is "given the cold shoulder" in the United States, which has something to do with American habits. Since the 1970s, seasoned coffee has gradually become a favorite. It is to add spices to coffee beans, or to add coffee companions to brewed coffee, flavoring hundreds of coffee. Seasoned coffee is mostly made from cheaper coffee beans. When Blue Mountain Coffee is usually $80 per pound, Maxwell Coffee costs only $3 per pound. [3]

Something special.

Blue Mountain Coffee beans

The real Blue Mountain Coffee is one of the most advantageous coffee growing conditions in the world. The weather, geological structure and topography of Jamaica provide a unique ideal place. Designated Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee can only be grown in the Blue Mountain area, in Kingston, Jamaica is in the eastern north of the island. Coffee grows on a mountain with a maximum height of 1800 meters (almost 6000 feet), which is already quite high for small-grain coffee, and the mountains are very uneven and the process of harvesting is very difficult (coffee harvesting is almost entirely female). The tree is mainly small grain "GeishaHighBred" type. Seeds from these trees have been exported to other countries, such as Hawaii, Kenya, Papua New Guinea and elsewhere, but wherever they go they also have the ability to recreate the taste of Blue Mountain coffee beans.

In the steep and high-altitude mountains, careful farming and harvesting, all Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is ground, tasted and distributed by the Jamaican Industry Association. The coffee in the cup tastes very clean, and it is one of the sweetest coffee in the world. This taste has been described by JimReynolds in Peet Coffee and Tea: "the best example of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is that it is fragrant, smooth and strong, and it makes me feel like a gem. It is as precious as a gem. It's complex, but very mild, it's sweet, it's very mellow. You have to taste it in order to know what I'm talking about. Unique growth conditions, and in all the production process are very careful, making Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee very famous.

Jamaica is one of the small coffee producers in the world, with an annual harvest of about 40000-60 kg / sack (Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is actually shipped away in 70kg barrels, they are the last countries to still use this traditional packaging method, but their production is in 60kg/ sacks, as that is the international standard for measuring coffee production). Compare Brazil, the world's largest exporter of coffee, with an annual production of 30000000 bags to 60 kg per sack.

The Japanese have invested heavily in the blue mountain coffee breeding area of Jamaica and have won 90% of the annual production. The rest of the world must bid for the remaining 10%, or 3500 barrels. The real Blue Mountain Coffee has a unique taste, making it the most expensive coffee in the world. Its demand is very high, so some of the market is in short supply.

The unique growth conditions give birth to the unique flavor of Blue Mountain Coffee and make it one of the "gourmet Coffee". 100% of the world's pure Blue Mountain Coffee refers to a specific range of Blue Mountain Coffee in eastern Jamaica, and every step in its planting and processing has been subject to stringent standards of quality control by the Jamaica Coffee Industry Authority. can be proved to be "pure Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee".

The abundant rainfall in the blue mountain area, the average annual low temperature of about 20 ℃, and the fertile new volcanic soil constitute a good growing environment for blue mountain coffee. Located at a high altitude of 2500 to 5000 feet, it creates a unique slightly sour taste, but it is not at all exciting or uncomfortable. It takes about 2 years for seedlings to be cultivated in the nursery. Organic fertilizers are used during their growth, and they are harvested one grain at a time during harvest. All processing, baking and packaging processes must meet the high standards set by the Jamaica Coffee Industry Authority.

Typica with low quantity and good quality is the best variety of Arabica. Most coffee-producing countries are only willing to grow other varieties with high yield but poor quality, but Jamaica gives priority to quality, preferring to sacrifice the production of Blue Mountain coffee in exchange for the best quality of Blue Mountain coffee.

100% pure Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee has a strong and attractive elegance, but it is unmatched by other coffees. after grinding, brewing and tasting, it is hard to give full play to its flavor, and it is difficult not to get drunk. Its caffeine content is very low, only about half of other varieties of coffee, in line with modern health requirements. [3]

According to the general production of Blue Mountain Coffee, it should be noted that 99.9% of the Blue Mountains that China can drink are only planted near the Blue Mountains. Only coffee produced on 6000 hectares above 1600 meters above sea level can be called Blue Mountain. The output has always been less than 900t, according to the principle of 10% supply to the world outside Japan. Can this kind of coffee, which the world can only consume 90 tons a year, be drunk in any cafe for dozens of yuan?

Shangdao Coffee, a national coffee chain, has become the focus of public attention after it was exposed by CCTV that fake Blue Mountain Coffee was passed off as Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. After the incident was exposed, the reporter made an undercover visit to the Xi'an branch of Shangdao Coffee and found that there were still fraudulent consumers. According to a CCTV survey, the quantity of Blue Mountain coffee exported from Jamaica to the Chinese mainland area is very small, and the price of real Blue Mountain coffee beans per pound is about 2000 yuan, and a cup costs more than 60 yuan. Therefore, the 20 or 30 yuan cup of coffee sold in Shangdao and other coffee shops is not really Blue Mountain coffee at all.