Jamaica has a radiant culture and tropical scene that has attracted many tourists over the years. Even if you have never been to the island, you may have experienced it through music. If you’ve listened to any Reggae musician, most notably Bob Marley, then you may have a mental image of the place. 

Aside from infecting the world with rasta culture and irie vibes, Jamaica also has a top secret export that is not so secret, blue mountain coffee. 

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is certainly one of the most sought after beans on the coffee market. When sold it has to come with a seal of certification. 

Blue Mountain Coffee in Jamaica?

The coffee beans are grown on the Blue Mountain of Jamaica. While the mountain is about 2000 feet above sea level, it experiences continuous rain. Having a subtropical/tropical climate closer to the equator and rich soil makes this the perfect place to grow coffee. 

While Jamaica does export other coffee brands, what makes Blue Mountain Coffee a cup above the rest is the limited space on the mountain for the coffee to grow. Only so many trees can be planted and harvested, but the appetite for it continues to grow. 

When it comes to supply and demand, the price can tell alot. At about 27 USD per pound, Blue Mountain Coffee is certainly one of the pricier coffee blends. 

If you splurge for a bag, be warned that you may not want to go back! Opening the bag your nose will be greeted by a rich roast and chocolatey aroma.

Does Blue Mountain Coffee Require Special Brewing?

When it comes to brewing the Blue Mountain Coffee there is no right or wrong way! Thankfully it can be sold in varying forms, as the whole coffee bean, coffee grounds, and even as a k-cup for our Keurig fans. 

There are some tips to make sure you get the best flavor!

  • The coffee comes vacuum sealed to preserve freshness. Once you have gotten the necessary amount to make your cup of coffee, then press out as much air as you can, then reseal to maintain freshness.
  • For those of us who like to purchase the whole coffee bean and grind them at home, make sure you only get the amount of beans you need to make your cup of coffee. If you grind up all the beans, then they will lose freshness and taste much quicker than if they remained in the bean form. 
  • To get the best flavor use the immersion brewing technique. Using a french press or drip technique will get the most flavor per cup since the water is in contact with the grounds for longer.
  • Use water that has already been boiled, and cooled for 30 seconds to a minute. Having the water boiled beforehand, gets rid of any flavor the water may have that could throw off the taste of the coffee. 

Where to buy Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee?

As mentioned before there is a limited supply and an ever-increasing demand for this blue mountain coffee. This means there are some third party suppliers selling an imitation at the same high price as the authentic beans. 

To ensure that you are getting the real deal you can either travel directly to Jamaica to pick up a bag, OR order from Volcanica Coffee Company. 

To avoid some false suppliers, here are some tips, tricks, and things to look out for!

Buy from authorized and verified suppliers

To ensure that you are getting exactly what you paid for, start by finding a trusted supplier. Where there is a high demand and low supply of a product, there are also bootleggers. 

Volcanica Coffee Company is the trusted company that will send you the real deal. Even their preparation and shipping process is made to send you the freshest and highest quality blue mountain coffee beans. 

The beans are only roasted once the order is placed to preserve freshness for as long as possible. The freshly roasted beans are this vacuum sealed for storage, and ready to transport directly to you. 

Look for seal of certification

Once you receive the bag of roasted beans in the mail, or if you are at a store location that happens to sell blue mountain coffee, you will want to find the seal of certification from the Coffee Industry Board. Having the seal verifies that this product was reviewed and approved for export as it meets all the necessary qualifications. 

The seal is blue, with a circle surrounded by the words, “Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee”. Inside the circle there is a barrel at the center. The background is made of the outline of the blue mountain. There is a silhouette of the county of Jamaica in the middle just behind the picture of the barrel. Within the circle, below the silhouette and barrel is a coffee bean plant. 

When on the lookout for imposters, one tell tale sign is the shade of blue on the seal. Those who try to copy the seal tend to make the ink either too dark or too light. It is best to find a copy of the seal online to compare to the color. 

Another tip, is to see how crisp the likes are around and in the seal. Some counterfeiters have blurred lines as this can be an identifier of a false product. This may be difficult to detect as the blurring can be a very small amount. 

Lastly you will want to check the pictures in the seal. Make sure that the seal only contains all the items as described previously! Check that nothing is missing from the seal and that the alignment is even. If something is off center or a symbol is missing, then it may not be the real deal.

Read packaging information

Be sure to check the writing on the packaging. All text should be written cleanly and clearly. All words should be accounted for such that the information provided on the packaging makes sense. 

Also when it comes where the beans were grown, roasted and packaged, everything should be in Jamaica. There is not outsourcing for any part of the process as an effort to keep the integrity of the coffee. So if you see anything that says differently, such as packaging in the US or Europe, then you are more than likely dealing with a counterfeit. 

Watch out for coffee blends

When reading through the fine print, be sure to note anything that states if it is a Blue Mountain Coffee Blend. Since there are no regulations on proportions or ratio amounts for how much Blue mountain coffee it takes to make a blend, there is no way to verify if any is actually in the blend. 

Look out for text stating that it is 100% Blue Mountain Coffee. If you so happen to get a blend, then check to verify if the seller actually lists the amounts of coffee in the blend. Counterfeiters and scammers won’t list the ratio amounts, but those selling an authentic blend should list that information. 

Ask questions

Lastly, ask plenty of questions! The more questions you ask the better you will feel about purchasing from the supplier. 

The supplier should be able to answer any and all questions you have concerning blue mountain coffee, as they should be educated on its history and processing. If the company has a difficult time responding or seem like they are giving inaccurate information, then they are more than likely not a true blue supplier. 

Final Thoughts

Blue Mountain Coffee is heavily sought after! With a limited supply and high demand, the likelihood of this bean remaining at the top is high. As one of the most coveted products in the coffee industry, do yourself a favor and give it a try! As a coffee lover, your tastebuds, nose, and rest of your body will scream with delight in thanks!