Gourmet Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
Blue Mountain coffee originates from the forested, slopes of the Blue Mountains. Today these mountains are mostly grasslands but some areas are used for the cultivation of vegetables, spices and the world highly renowned Blue Mountain java.
The first new coffee plants seedlings were imported to Jamaica from Hispaniola in 1728 by the Governor, Mister N. Lawes. The mountain slopes were cleared to make coffee plantations and by the early 19th century, Jamaica was the key coffee producer in the whole world.
Today, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is considered to be amidst the best gourmet coffee in the world. Thereby to ensure highest coffee beans quality, the Jamaica Java Industry Board set high standards for the coffee beans and the processing in order to carry the Blue Mountain Coffee label. 90% of the island production is exported to Asia.
Most Blue Mountain coffee beans are grown by small farmers, rather than huge coffee estates seen in other regions. Basically the producers are not paid well some choose to roast and sell their own coffee beans. A number of them can be found on the Kingston-Buff Bay road near the little town of Section. The process of hand picking ripe berries then drying, curing and roasting the beans is time consuming.
High Altitude Origins of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee
The three secrets to virtually all worlds’ great coffees actually are credited to altitude, volcanic soil and austere care for the beans. The Blue mountains of Jamaica are a majestic range of mountains forming the virtual backbone of Jamaica rising over 7,000 feet above sea. The densely wooded north slopes are looked after generally as forest reserves. This region is the center of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee cultivation. This part gets more than 200 inches of rainfall every year and has 5 degrees average air temp, due to a dense cloud cover. These environmental factors slow down the maturation rate of the of the Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee fruit to about ten months from bloom to harvest, as compared to five or six anywhere else. This produces a larger more complex bean, with a concentration of sublime essence.
Volcanic Roots of Blue Mountain Coffee
The Jamaica Blue Mountains are like a lot of mountains in the Caribbean the above ocean peaks of ancient extinct Volcanoes. Through a very long time of soil production, the nutrients deposited on the surface of these volcanoes are essentially botanical steroids. Centuries of biomass accumulation formed through the decomposition of various plant species has produced a premier soil of excellent quality.
This fact has been true across all the vicinity of equatorial Arabica producing countries. In Jamaica, the quality of these 18th century Arabica plants combine with the environment to produce the truly unusual Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee that is a guarantee for a fine cup of coffee. If you actually are a happy owner of Jamaican BMC you should consider buying a proper coffee maker for the job. You can choose from many different Bunn coffee makers or you can go with one of many Keurig coffee makers. The new Keurig b155 should do the job well.
Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee’s Quality is No Accident
The final portion of the great coffee is a combination of botanical husbandry and meticulous processing of the coffee beans from pulping to roast to a cup of gourmet coffee that you can drink. In 1953 the government of Jamaica passed the first of many law regulations establishing the boundaries of exceptional quality. It was decided that only coffees that are grown in a specific Blue Mountain region can be called Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee. The regulations inform processors of acceptable levels of moisture content, bean size and other quality indicators. Each shipment of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is cupped and evaluated by the coffee industry board through rigid cupping and only if the coffee meets their rigid specifications is the shipment allowed to depart from Jamaica.
Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is world renowned for delivering a very well balanced cup, with medium acidity, excellent body and smooth chocolate finish. Well balanced, full-bodied with subtle acidity is the age old criteria that every coffee aspires to reach.
However, if you are a coffee lover you will certainly want to taste Jamaican BMC and if you do, you will not regret it. I promise youu that.
Our tip: Remember to use the best coffee maker for the job. You dont want to ruin the taste with an average coffee maker. If you already have the best coffee maker you just need to know how to make coffee.