For most coffee connoisseurs Blue Mountain coffee represents the epitome of flavour and aroma in the “coffee world”.
There are three types of coffee beans – coffea arabica, coffea robusta, and coffea liberica. Arabica is considered to be the superior and also most expensive. Coffea liberica beans are mostly used for instant coffee production.
Yet there are a few points about Blue Mountain coffee worth knowing
The coffee plant is indigenous to Ethiopia. In 1723, a single self-pollinating coffee tree arrived in Martinique, and then spread throughout the Caribbean and South America due to suitable soil and climatic condition.
English had coffee plantations in Haiti, but during the Haitian Revolution in 1791 they had to flee to friendlier Jamaica where they started growing coffee again.
Eventually, Jamaican coffee developed a fine reputation in Britain and the country became the largest importer of Jamaican coffee.
After World War II, Jamaica Coffee Board was created to ensure minimum standard quality levels of exported coffee.
Caribbean populations to this day are not big coffee enthusiasts.
Gradually exported coffee quality declined due to fraudulent middlemen and Keble Munn, the grandson of a Jamaican coffee farmer, started to complain this practice of inferior coffee grown on low altitudes as being passed as Jamaica Blue Mountain. He could foresee that in the long run the reputation of Blue Mountain coffee would suffer, and prices would have to decline.
He was able top push legislation through in 1973 to ensure stringent quality criteria: Blue Mountain Coffee must be grown on the soils of specific villages located 900 metres above sea level, the beans must be large and flawless, of coffea arabica plants, and be shipped in distinct barrels.
Subtle, well-targeted marketing ploys i.e the writings of N. Coward and Ian Fleming’s and James Bond’s praises helped gain an unprecedented reputation
Japanese started to import Blue Mountain coffee in 1950’s and prices started to climb. Japanese coffee drinkers pay very high prices for a cup of coffee i.e $ 5.00 for a cup, and hence importers can afford to pay top prices for their coffee.
Unfortunately, in 1988 hurricanes Gilbert and Ivan destroyed 60 per cent of Blue Mountain coffee plants, and it has become a rare commodity. Today, authentic Blue Mountain coffee costs, when available, three times more than regular high-quality coffee.
Blue Mountain coffee trees are big. The beans are flawless, and if freshly roasted, ground and brewed, yield a delicate harmonious, balanced and “sweet” drink with hints of chocolate and a lingering aftertaste. Alas, authentic Blue Mountain coffee reputable importers costs
$ 35.00 to 50.00 a pound. These companies buy their coffees from small farmers growing their plants at 1100 metres above sea level. The beans are more aromatic and refined in
taste.
Generally, Blue Mountain coffee blend means nothing unless these beans come from reputable dealers who guarantee their provenance.

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Tags: BLUE MOUNTAIN COFFEE

This entry was posted on Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 06:00 and is filed under Food & Wine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.