Jamaica produces numerous varieties of Jamaican coffee, including Jamaican blends and Jamaican High Mountain but only a small percentage of the beans grown on this magnificent island are from Blue Mountain. While they are all ‘Jamaican’, there is a distinct variance in the quality of Jamaican high growns and Jamaican Blue Mountain. Proudly standing on Jamaica’s eastern tip, the Blue Mountains are among the Caribbean’s highest with growing ranges of 4,200 – 7,500 feet above sea level. This combination of high elevations, a cool, misty climate, steady rainfall, gentle cloud cover, mountain shade, rich soil, and excellent drainage make the Blue Mountain’s growing condition practically perfect in every way.
Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is revered by coffee aficionados world-wide. The demand for this pricey single origin is significantly higher than the supply, making it one of the most expensive coffees on the shelf…if you can even find it on the shelf. Jamaican Blue, which is often pre-ordered, is particularly popular with the sophisticated Japanese market. In fact, much of the Mountains’ annual crop is earmarked for Japan before the coffee plant even starts producing cherries.
Coffee with the Queen 