Perhaps Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is the most famous coffee in the world, but in fact few people know its history and why its price is so high. The first person to introduce coffee to the island of Jamaica in 1789 was a Frenchman who was escaping the French Revolution. The first coffee was cultivated to increase local consumption in France and then for export, and, for the first 100 years, it was a local industry. Very small. However, in 1932 a law was passed by the Jamaica Conference to encourage coffee farming to reduce the island's dependence on sugar exports. In order to ensure the quality of Blue Mountain coffee, modifications were made in the Jamaican coffee industry to standardize the processing process, improve the quality of coffee, and achieve parity in the market to save the fate of top coffee. The Jamaica Industry Association has taken responsibility for the quality of Jamaica's Blue Mountain coffee. The smaller coffees that thrive on the island also grow equally well, and are given final authority over the export of coffee from Jamaica - all coffee must go through the Jamaica Industry Association before it can be exported.
People may ask why Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is so special? The answer is everything about it. True Blue Mountain coffee is one of the most advantaged growing conditions in the world, and Jamaica's weather, geological structure and topography all provide a unique and ideal location. Designated Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee can only be grown in the Blue Mountains region, north-east of Kingston on the island of Jamaica. Coffee grows on mountains up to 1,800 meters (almost 6,000 feet), which is quite high for arabica coffee. Moreover, the mountains are very uneven and the harvesting process is very difficult (coffee harvesters are almost exclusively women. ). The trees are mainly small-grained Geisha High Bred type. Seeds from these trees have been exported to other countries like Hawaii, Kenya, Papua New Guinea and elsewhere, but nowhere have they been able to recreate the flavor found in Blue Mountain coffee beans.
With careful farming and harvesting in steep and high-altitude mountains, all Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is ground, tasted and distributed by the Jamaica Industry Association. The coffee tastes very clean in the cup, and it's one of the sweetest coffees in the world. This flavor has been described by Jim Reynolds in Peet's Coffee and Tea: The best example of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is that it is aromatic, smooth and rich...it feels like a jewel-like quality to me. It is as precious as a gem. It's complex, but very mild, it's sweet, it has a very strong body. You have to taste it in order to know what I'm talking about. Unique growing conditions and the utmost care in all production processes make Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee very famous.
Jamaica is one of the regions with the smallest coffee production in the world. The harvest is about 40,000 bags - 60 kg/sack (most of the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is actually shipped in 70 kg wooden barrels. They are the last country to still use this traditional packaging method, but their production volume is 60 kg/sack as that is the international standard for coffee production measurements). Compare that to Brazil, the world's largest coffee exporter, with an annual production of 30 million bags - 60 kg/sack.
Before 2008, the Japanese continued to invest huge sums in the entire industrial chain of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and promised to underwrite 90% of its annual output. Therefore, other countries in the world only have the remaining 10 quotas, resulting in a long-term shortage of supply and rising prices.
The unique growing conditions give birth to the unique flavor of Blue Mountain coffee. Making it one of the "best coffees". Global 100 Pure Blue Mountain Coffee refers to being produced within a specific range of the Blue Mountains in eastern Jamaica. Every step during its planting and processing processes has passed the strict quality management standards of the Jamaica Coffee Industry Bureau before it can be certified as "Pure Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee".
Special conditions such as abundant rainfall, year-round fog and low temperatures, an average temperature of about 20°C, and fertile new volcanic soil in the Blue Mountains constitute a good growing environment for Blue Mountain coffee. Located at a high altitude of 2,200 to 6,000 feet, it creates a unique slightly sour taste without being irritating or uncomfortable.
It takes about 2 years to cultivate the seedlings in the nursery. Organic fertilizers are used during the growth period. During the harvest, they are harvested one by one manually. All processing, roasting, and packaging processes must comply with the high standards set by the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board.
Typica, which is small in quantity but good in quality, is the best variety of Arabica. Most coffee-producing countries are only willing to plant other varieties with high yields but poor quality. However, Jamaica prioritizes quality and is willing to sacrifice Blue Mountain coffee production in exchange for the best quality of Blue Mountain coffee.
100 pure Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee has a strong and alluring elegance that is beyond the reach of other coffees. When it goes through the steps of grinding, brewing and tasting, its flavor is brought to its fullest, spreading all around. It’s hard not to get drunk with the aroma of coffee! Its caffeine content is very low, only about half of that of other varieties of coffee, which meets the health requirements of modern people.
100 pure Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee perfectly and balancedly blends the unique sourness, bitterness, sweetness and mellow taste, plus the rich and unique aroma. No wonder coffee lovers all over the world are deeply attracted by it. Fascinated! The high-altitude origin gives it a slightly high-quality sour taste, and the very slight bitterness is short-lived and does not remain in the mouth. It turns into a slightly sweet feeling when it enters the throat, and the mellow throat notes leave people wanting more.
In 1728, coffee was first introduced to Jamaica for cultivation. Due to the suitable soil, climate, lighting and other conditions in Jamaica, the quality of coffee was outstanding, and cultivation gradually expanded from St. Andrews to other regions;
In 1737, Jamaican coffee production reached 83,000 pounds/year;
In the next 40 years, many private estate owners appeared. By 1800, there were 686 coffee-growing estates in Jamaica;
Due to the serf trade, labor costs rose sharply, and the manor owners were overwhelmed by the cost. By 1850, the number of coffee planting manors was reduced to 186;
By 1900, the Jamaican government formulated The first coffee quality standard, but this standard was resisted by many private estate owners and was ultimately not implemented;
Since then, due to the lack of quality standards, the quality of Blue Mountain coffee exports has been uneven, greatly It affected its international reputation. In 1943, Canada, which was a major importer of Blue Mountain coffee, refused to import Blue Mountain coffee. In 1944, the Jamaican government realized the need to regulate the Blue Mountain coffee industry and re-enacted the Blue Mountain coffee regulations. Three regulatory recommendations for the mountain coffee industry: ① Centralize the processing of Blue Mountain coffee beans, ② Establish Blue Mountain coffee quality standards, ③ Establish a CIB to be responsible for market organization, management and the role of export supervisor;
In 1948, the world-famous Coffee Board of Jamaica (CIB) was formally established. At the same time, the Jamaican government legislated the "Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Industry Management Act." The main responsibility of CIB is to improve the quality of Blue Mountain Coffee through management supervision and regain the global reputation of Blue Mountain Coffee. ; At this time, the definition of Blue Mountain coffee has been strictly stipulated in the law: ① Four statutory coffee estates, including Wallenford, are given centralized processing of Blue Mountain coffee beans to ensure the quality of Blue Mountain coffee; ② Grown in 3000- 5000 feet Blue Mountain area, ③Blue Mountain coffee export grades: No.1, No.2, No.3, round beans.
Beginning in 1960, hurricanes hit the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, destroying most of the estate’s facilities and coffee trees. Foreign capital, including Japan, provided help and acquired shares in most estates. and priority import rights. At this time, in order to maintain the reputation of the national treasure Blue Mountain coffee, the Jamaican government still retained Wallenford Manor as state-owned and transferred part of CIB's supervisory functions to Wallenford. Wallenford Manor became synonymous with CIB and shouldered the mission of managing and innovating the coffee industry. , estate managers are also appointed by government departments.
① The logo of the Jamaica Coffee Industry Bureau, which registers and certifies all merchants in the entire industry chain of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee production, sales and roasting; ② The only certified green bean agent LOGO in China; ③ The official registration of the Jamaica Coffee Board (CIB) JAMAICA BLUE MOUNTAIN Trademark, marked on all certified Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee green beans and cooked bean products;
With the globalization of the reputation of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and the introduction of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee cultivation around the world, As a result, many counterfeit Blue Mountain-flavored coffees appear on the market, seriously affecting the excellent reputation of authentic Blue Mountain coffee. The Jamaican government strongly advocates that Blue Mountain coffee be roasted in the country and exported in original packaging rather than in the form of green beans to avoid the impact of counterfeit Blue Mountain flavor coffee. The importance of this measure lies in the fact that the Jamaica Coffee Board can monitor every aspect of Blue Mountain coffee exports to ensure the purity and high quality of Blue Mountain coffee. In the Blue Mountains, the legal production area of ??Blue Mountain coffee is above 2,200 feet. Wallenford only selects Blue Mountain coffee berries grown above 4,000 feet above sea level for processing. Not only that, the four legal Blue Mountain coffee processing factories in Jamaica, Wallenford, Mavis Bank, Silver Hill, and Moy Hall, account for 90% of Blue Mountain coffee exports, and the Blue Mountain coffee produced by Wallenford and Moy Hall is known as "Superior" Quality” (absolute quality). On the official website of the Jamaica Coffee Industry Bureau, the list of all identified Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee producers, global Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee sales agent certifiers and related management information are all reflected on this website.
Wallenford Manor’s extremely strict quality control is also reflected in the product shelf life. Usually the shelf life of single-origin roasted coffee is 12 months, but Wallenford implements the most stringent 8-month product shelf life. Obviously, in While giving up financial interests, Wallenford has won high popularity among coffee gourmets around the world. In their evaluation of all the Jamaican Blue Mountain estates, Wallenford performed best in terms of quality management, stability, popularity and flavor. According to Jamaica CIB export statistics as of 2004, of the limited Blue Mountain No. 1 quota, 85 are allocated to Japan, 5 to the United States, 5 to Europe, and 5 to other countries. However, among the global consumption distribution of authentic Blue Mountain No. 1, according to statistics from the International Coffee Association (ICO), China accounts for 15% of the consumption of Blue Mountain coffee, which shocked the world. The reason is that part of the Blue Mountain coffee from Japan, Australia and Europe is exported to China through direct-operated branches.
The above differences in export quotas and consumption distribution make the Jamaican government extremely embarrassed. Asymmetric Blue Mountain coffee export quotas have kept most of the profits in trading companies in Japan and other countries, and the Jamaican coffee industry has not benefited from this. The key to the transformation was in 2005, when the Minister of Agriculture of Jamaica made a clear announcement: More Blue Mountain coffee should be roasted in Jamaica, distributed directly through quotas, and tended to be distributed directly from Jamaica to consuming countries.
The means that the Jamaican government relies on to change export quotas comes from the Wallenford estate directly controlled by the government. Obtaining the Wallenford Blue Mountain No. 1 quota means that the Jamaica Coffee Board (CIB) recognizes the country’s Or the company's quota indicators.
In May 2010, the Hangzhou Coffee and Western Food Industry Association, with the support of the Hangzhou Municipal Government, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Blue Mountain Coffee Green Bean Trade Cooperation with the Jamaica Coffee Industry Bureau in Hangzhou. In July of the same year, the association was invited to send a delegation to visit Jamaica to formally inspect the Blue Mountain Coffee project. On July 15, local time in Jamaica, a letter of intent was signed to become the sole general agent of Blue Mountain Coffee Green Beans in China. China provides at least 70 tons (1,000 barrels of 70-kilogram standard wooden barrels) of green Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans. On May 26, 2011, the first container of Blue Mountain coffee beans arrived at the Port of Ningbo, China.
The Jamaican Blue Mountain green beans imported by the Hangzhou Coffee and Western Food Industry Association cover CIB-certified six brands including WALLENFORD, MAVIS BANK, GOLD CUP (AMBER), COFFEE TRADES, and RSW, including NO.1, NO.2, NO.3, and There are round beans.