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 Is Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee The Best Coffee In The World?
By Tod Sponer
Blue Mountain coffee has its origins in 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 recognized Blue Mountain coffee.
The first new coffee plants seedlings were imported to Jamaica from Hispaniola in 1728 by the Governor, Sir N. Lawes. The trees were cut down to make plantations for coffee 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 among the best gourmet coffee in the world. To ensure highest coffee beans quality, the Jamaica Java Industry Board selected standards for the coffee beans and the processing in order to carry the Blue Mountain Coffee label. Ninety % of production is exported to Asia.
Although some java estates remain, majority of coffee beans are grown on small plots by local producers. Basically the farmers are not paid well some choose to roast and sell their own coffee beans. Several of them can be found on the Kingston-Buff Bay road in the vicinity of the little town of Section. The procedure of hand picking ripe berries then drying, curing and roasting the beans is time consuming.
High Altitude Origins of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee
The majority of 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 absolutely are a majestic range of mountains forming the backbone of Jamaica rising over 7,000 feet above sea level. The densely wooded north slopes are maintained largely as forest reserves. This part is the center of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee cultivation. Annual rainfall is a mere 200 inches and average temperature hovers near 5°C, caused by a dense cloud cover. These environment factors slow the growth rate of the of the Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee fruit to about 10 months from bloom to harvest, as compared to 5 to 6 anywhere else. This produces a larger more advanced bean, with a concentration of sublime flavor.
Volcanic Roots of Blue Mountain Coffee
The Jamaica Blue Mountains are like all mountains in the Caribbean the above ocean peaks of ancient died out Volcanoes. Through centuries 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 variety of plant species has produced a premier soil of excellent quality.
This fact has been true across all the near 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 are a lucky owner of Jamaican BMC you should consider buying a proper coffee maker for the job. You can choose from lots of different Bunn coffee makers or you can go with one of many Keurig coffee makers. The new Keurig b155 should do the job well.
The Quality of Blue Mountain Coffee is not a Fluke
The last part of the great coffee is a combination of high processing quality and botanical husbandry of the 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 countless laws establishing the boundaries of exceptional quality. It was first decreed 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 indicators of quality. Each shipment of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is cupped and evaluated by the coffee industry board through rigorous cupping and only if the coffee meets their rigid standards is the shipment allowed to be exported from Jamaica.
Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is world recognized 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 description that each 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.
What does CoffeeInspector think about blue mountain coffee and get the last news on countless coffee machines all over the World.
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Views expressed in the article are those of the author and are not necessarily the opinions of CaribbeanChoice, its staff or members.
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