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Jamaican Blue Mountain
ORIGIN
DESCRIPTION
The Jamaican coffees are described as one of the best in the world. They
are full-bodied, flavorful, and aromatic.
HISTORY*
Coffee was brought into Jamaica by Sir Nicholas Lawes from the nearby
island of Hispanola in 1728. From his plantation, Temple Hall, the seedlings didn't take
long to get to other parts of the island. In 1791 the Jamaica Assembly tried to encourage
the cultivation of coffee and other crops in order to reduce the island's dependency on
sugar. Ironically, it was the sugar's total domination of the flat lands that led to
coffee's introduction and full cultivation in the Blue Mountains. By the 1940's, several
setbacks led to a sharp decline in individual estates which resulted in decreasing amounts
of average coffee. To make things worse, in 1951, a disastrous hurricane swept the island
and almost completely destroyed the industry.
An enterprising planter and processor, Victor C. Munn had bought five acres of land at
Mavis Bank and outlying districts. As the few remaining estates found it uneconomical to
process their berries to the "green bean" form, they sent their coffee by mule
to Munn's Factory. Through the Coffee Industry Board (est. 1950), attractive incentives
were offered and guidelines drawn up for the effective grading of coffee produced for
export. Along with the Mavis Bank Factory only three other properties were operating:
Silver Hill, Moy Hall, and the Government Station at Wallenford. In 1955 Mavis Bank was
destroyed by fire, but was rebuilt by Victor Munn's nephew and present Chairman, Keble
Munn. The industry came of age in 1973 when the government decreed that only coffee
processed by the four estates, and coffee growing in a specific region of the Blue
Mountain range, could be certified as 100% Blue Mountain coffee. Today the same four
estates remain as the only government approved producers of Blue Mountain Coffee. Mavis
Bank remains the largest and most established. They produce over twice as much as the
other three combined. Wallingford estate is now mostly owned by the Japanese who hold
Jamaican coffees in high esteem. They pay up to five U.S. dollars for a cup!
As a result of this demand, 80% of all Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is exported to Japan.
ABOUT THE COFFEE
The variety used in Jamaica is the Arabica plant, of course. This
Jamaican plant is germinated in nurseries for one to two years, where one of the two root
systems is removed. The new one root plant takes longer to flower and berry. This fact,
along with the high altitude, is primarily responsible for the unique high quality yield
without the acidity of some exotic gourmet coffees. The other distinguishing factor is the
region itself. the mountains have a blue-green hue to them. It is, in fact, a constant
blanket of mist which forms during the 80 degree days and puts a cool dew on the plants.
This is critical for good coffee. The clay loam of this young volcanic mountain range
provides great drainage for the heavy rainfall in the region.
The average height of the mountains is 4,500 feet with the highest peak at 7,402 feet. The
higher elevation, along with the rain and soil conditions, makes ideal growing conditions
for the Arabica plant. The plant takes longer to mature, and provides a smaller yield, but
the crop is by far the best coffee in the world, many say.
Since 1973 only coffee processed by Wallenford Plantation and three other
processors can legally be termed Blue Mountain Coffee, certified as grown in a
legally defined area from which Blue Mountain Coffees have been exported for
over 200 years.
Interestingly enough, in addition, Blue Mountain Coffee has less than half the caffeine of
regular gourmet coffee.
UPDATE July, 2007 ~ Once again,
JBM is in short supply. No word on when it will be available again ~
hopefully soon!
* Thanks to Coffee Masters for much of this
information.
Updated
Saturday, April 05, 2008
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