Luxurious beans
In the world of coffee there are some semi-mythical beans whose names are invoked here and there. There’s the kopi luwak, that rare coffee from a civet’s rear. Then there’s the barista competition smashing geisha one can find in Panama. Then there is Jamaica Blue Mountain. Some may know Jamaica Blue Mountain for being rare, for being expensive, or for the fact that most (80%) of the beans are exported to Japan. All of these rumors are in fact, well, facts, that is to say, they’re true. And while the simple and somewhat flippant response to the question, “why the %$@& are these beans so @$%&ing expensive” would be, “they’re hard to produce” would be much easier, it misses all the nuance and story that these beans deserve to tell. To really understand we have to follow these beans from the land to our mugs.
Jamaican me crazy (sorry for that one!)
Coffee was first brought to the area in which Jamaica Blue Mountain grows today in the 1700’s and from this long tradition has grown a true devotion to excellence. To begin, Jamaica’s Blue Mountain range falls into that “Goldilocks zone” of coffee cultivation. It has a tropical climate. It has tons of precipitation, heavy rains and constant cloud coverage which serve the dual purpose of watering the coffee plants and also shading them from the tropical sun so they don’t get scorched. It offers plenty of altitude and height since it is a mountain range after all! And the soil? Volcanic. With plenty of drainage and acidity. These factors all come together to cultivate otherworldly coffee beans. Take a look around the globe at the major types of coffee beans and almost all of them will meet most of this criteria. Jamaican Blue Mountain certainly does, and this is part of the reason these beans are so prized.
Okay, so the beans grow on a mountain where the soil is all volcano-y, so what? Now here comes the real fun part. The rest of the criteria beans must meet in order to even begin to qualify as Jamaica Blue Mountain! The following is the gauntlet the beans must complete starting with where the coffee plants are even grown.
First, the beans must be cultivated within a perimeter of a few different parishes in Jamaica. The parishes are Saint Andrew, Saint Thomas, Saint Mary and Portland. Within these parishes, the beans must be cultivated at altitudes of between 3000 and 5000 feet up. So already we are starting to see why Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is climbing the price range as its climbing in its particularity. And climbing the actual Blue Mountains!
Okay, so now that we are within the designated tracts of land and high enough in the Blue Mountains, we can start planting coffee. Many of the farms are planted right on the steep slopes, which just adds to the rarity of these beans because it’s actually sort of a dangerous undertaking to cultivate and pick these plants. Since Jamaican Blue Mountain is Arabica, it takes a bit longer for the coffee cherries to develop. And for Jamaican Blue Mountain, only the reddest and fully developed cherries are picked. Hand picked. Not by machines. Once picked the cherries are floated in water. After being floated, only the perfect coffee cherries move on to the next round. Any cherries with defects or that have had a bug or two gnaw on them are tossed aside. The cherries are then brought to a collection station where they get floated once more. This is to make sure only cherries that have been floated before make it any further. No sneaking into the factory for unwashed cherries!
The cherries that make the cut here go to the coffee factory. Here the cherries are floated in water again, this not only allows them to undergo even more inspection but also to get them ready to be pulped. Cherries that are green, overly ripe or have got some bad bug problems get the axe. The pristine cherries are washed in order to clear the cherry pulp away and leave the glorious bean.
The beans are left to dry on big concrete slabs. This process can take up to five days if sun drying, but during Jamaica’s rainy season a machine is used to dry them instead. We still aren’t done with the inspections or the tests. Oh no, they are merely beginning!
The drying process is another test of quality, a specific level of moisture in each bean is ideal and as the beans are drying, they undergo even more inspection. No bush league beans, even during the drying process.
The misleadingly named “resting period” sees the beans bagged up and allowed to simmer in the factory warehouse for a minimum of ten weeks. As one can also already surmise, Jamaica Blue Mountain is anything but rapidly mass produced. This is a truly artisanal bean that takes its time. The resting period plays a key role in allowing the bean’s to develop their astounding aroma, flavor and character. Resting period is no vacation for these beans!
The even more astounding green coffee beans are unveiled during the next step of this lengthy process, the hulling of the husks. And that’s it! Just kidding there are a few more tests and checks the beans undergo.
Now for the other fun part. Sorting! No not into Houses like Slytherin or Hufflepuff, but into different bean Grades. Grades I, II, III and Peaberry. The grades are based on size, with Grade I being the largest and most coveted of the beans because they also have the least amount of defects, and Grades II and III following in descending order of size and amount of imperfections. Grade II is the second largest with moderate imperfections and Grade III is the smallest grade with the most imperfections. As for Peaberry, that is a special grade.
Quick digression on what a Peaberry is. Peaberry refers to coffee beans that develop without a twin bean mirroring their development inside of the coffee cherry. Think about how standard beans usually have one rounded, puffed out side and a flatter side. This is because inside of the cherry, two beans are actually developing, and the sides that press against each other become flat. As for Peaberry coffee beans, a sort of lucky defect occurs that causes just one bean to develop. And because there is no twin to make one side of the bean flat, the single bean develops rounded and rugby ball shaped. This anomaly occurs somewhat frequently with Jamaican Blue Mountain but can occur with other types of coffee beans, too, especially Yirgacheffe in parts of Ethiopia. Even though Peaberries are smaller, they are prized for their unique appearance, rarity and supposed special flavor and aroma.
So now that the beans are sorted, which is also a test administered by humans, not machines, they move on to the really final steps. They are poured into barrels made from Aspen wood and thrown at the mercy of the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board. Here’s yet another key reason why Jamaica Blue Mountain is such a coveted and expensive bean. They are administered by a governing body. This oversight disallows pretenders or counterfeits and makes certain only the best of the absolute best coffee beans really make the cut. In order to legally be sold as Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, the beans must receive the Coffee Board’s stamp of approval as 100% Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. Of the coffee that does receive the stamp of approval most of it as we mentioned above gets sent to Japan, that island nation of coffee innovation and appreciation of fine food and drinks, no matter the steep cost. The rest is for everyone else, including us if we know how and where to purchase these diamond-level beans.
A long and strenuous journey
And there you have it. The many, many reasons as to why Jamaican Blue Mountain is just so very expensive and rare. From the land, to the long period of cultivation, to the human labor costs, to the arduous series of tests, Jamaican Blue Mountain strives to be incredible and that ends with a final product that can sometimes cost triple digits. Devotion to excellence is no joke, and while Jamaica is known for its care free and easy going lifestyle, the game of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is a deathly serious one. So if the high prices and rarity were a mystery before, let the secrets be revealed. And on that note, good luck and keep your eyes peeled for some Jamaican Blue Mountain that doesn’t break the bank!
