Numerous elements, including sandy beaches, reggae music, Bob Marley, and coffee, have helped to make Jamaica famous as an island. Because of the high respect in which Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is held among connoisseurs of the beverage, the price of a pound of it has increased to between $26 and $40. Why is this specific brew sold at such a premium above others when it has the same ingredients as others?
Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee gets its name from the Blue Mountain area of Jamaica, which is mainly found between Kingston in the south and Port Maria in the north. The region is home to the island’s highest mountains. The Blue Mountains are the tallest mountain range in the Caribbean, reaching an elevation of 7,500 feet. The climate is mild and moist, and the soil is black and rich, with excellent drainage; these are great characteristics for growing coffee in the region. Even though it is not indigenous to Jamaica, coffee is the country’s primary source of foreign revenue.
There are certain requirements that must be met before a cup of coffee can be labelled Jamaican Blue Mountain. In order to guarantee that only the beans of the finest quality wear the famous brand, the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica is required to certify each and every bag of coffee. The Board is only willing to acknowledge beans that come from certain parishes in Jamaica, including St. Andrew, St. Thomas, Portland, and St. Mary.
The Coffee Industry Regulation Act created a hierarchy of three different types of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, each of which is distinguished by the size of the bean as measured by a screen. The word “screen” refers to the physical screens, which may be of a variety of sizes, that are used to sort the beans according to their respective sizes. The reasoning for this approach is based on the hypothesis that coffee beans that are cultivated at greater heights provide a more flavorful and robust beverage than those that are cultivated at lower elevations.
Because of the stringent quality standards for Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, beans that would presumably be acceptable for use in other types of coffee are not permitted. Additionally beneficial to the elimination of maragogipe is the screening procedure (elephant beans). Elephant beans are a mutant variety that are huge, green, and porous beans that appear to absorb the taste of the soil that they are cultivated in. It is claimed that they originated in Brazil. The judgement is still out on their value, but at this point they are regarded as an unacceptable flaw in Jamaican Blue Mountain production.
At least 96% of the beans that are utilised have to be the same size, and their colour should be a bluish-green. In whatever form, such deviation from the standard cannot exceed two percent of the total. The two percent guideline does not apply to beans that are sour or black in colour, as well as beans that include any form of foreign substance. These are deemed to be unacceptable flaws. The most unyielding standard is required in order to preserve the characteristics that coffee lovers have grown to expect from their beverage.
The region that is suitable for growing Jamaican Blue Mountain beans is quite limited, which limits the amount of coffee that can be produced there. There is no question that the restricted supply, unrivalled quality that is the product of laborious cultivation, enticing scent, and well-known name of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee have all contributed to its status as one of the most sought-after coffees in the whole world. It will continue to be one of the most costly options so long as ardent coffee consumers maintain their desire for it.