Blue Mountain (type of coffee)
Jamaica Blue Mountain is the name for an Arabica coffee that grows in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica .
Growing area
Blue Mountain coffee, along with a few other types of coffee, belongs to the top category of coffee specialties. The coffee bushes are grown between 910 meters and 1700 meters above sea level. The cultivation area is just 6,000 hectares. The areas over 1700 meters are densely forested and are preserved as a forest reserve. Fog, cool temperatures and heavy precipitation are the main factors for a special climate in the Blue Mountains, which means that the coffee cherries grow much more slowly.
This long ripening time creates a special aroma with recognition value, which is highly valued by coffee experts. The extraordinary aroma, low yield as well as hand-picking, special packaging in wooden barrels and extensive marketing make the “Jamaica Blue Mountain” one of the most expensive types of coffee in the world with a market price of around $ 100 per kilogram.
history
Coffee came to Jamaica in 1728 through Governor Nicholas Lawes. Around 1800 there were already 700 plantings , as the climate turned out to be suitable for growing coffee. In the peak year of 1814, this led to an export volume of over 15,000 tons. In the 1820s, the British colony of Jamaica exported an average of 10,000 tons of coffee annually. With the abolition of slavery in 1834, the management of the plantations became more difficult. Between 1832 and 1842 the owners gave up more than 300 plantings. Coffee exports fell to 1,500 tons in 1850.
Even later, the coffee industry struggled against setbacks. Around 1943 this industry almost collapsed due to a lack of manpower, organization and mismanagement. The quality of the exported coffee was no longer satisfactory for many foreign customers and sales declined. This led to the establishment of the "Coffee Industry Board" (CIB). This is a government institution that increased sales with strict quality control, centralized marketing and taking over the complete export. The CIB guarantees the required quality and authenticity of the exported coffee to this day.
Classifications
Blue Mountain coffee is divided into different quality levels. A total of five classifications are distinguished, which are subdivided according to factors such as size, color, moisture content and defects as follows:
- Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1: 96% of the beans have a size of 6.75 to 7 mm (screen size 17/18) with no more than 2% significant defects
- Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 2: 96% of the beans have a size of 6.5 to 6.75 mm (screen size 16/17) with no more than 2% significant defects
- Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 3: 96% of the beans have a size of 6 to 6.5 mm (screen size 15/16) with no more than 2% significant defects
- Jamaica Blue Mountain Peaberry: 96% of the beans have a size of at least 4 mm (screen size 10) with no more than 2% significant defects
- Jamaica Blue Mountain Triage: Contains No. 1 to No. 3 if there are no more than 4% significant defects
The green coffee class No. 1 bis Peaberry is bottled in wooden barrels, the Triage class in sacks.
Individual evidence
- ↑ 8 Oz Whole Bean Wallenford Mini Barrel ( Memento of the original from December 17, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Accessed January 15, 2010
- ↑ What is Jamaica Blue Mountain® Coffee? Retrieved January 15, 2010
- ↑ Kathleen Monteith: Boom and Bust in Jamaica's Coffee Industry, 1790-1835 . In: The Journal of Caribbean History , vol. 46 (2012), pp. 1–27, here p. 2.
- ↑ Kathleen Monteith: Boom and Bust in Jamaica's Coffee Industry, 1790-1835 . In: The Journal of Caribbean History , vol. 46 (2012), pp. 1–27, here p. 21.
- ↑ Coffee project ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
