Is Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Worth the Price?

While this question is necessarily a matter of personal preference (and whether you can afford it!), Jamaica Blue Mountain is like a particularly fine champagne, whiskey, or cheese- consumed on rare occasions as an experience and not as your everyday morning cup. While almost everyone universally agrees that Jamaica Blue Mountain produces a great cup of coffee, many are quite skeptical of the price it commands- finding Kona Coffee or a single-origin Papua New Guinea to offer just as much at a fraction of the price. If you are a coffee enthusiast, you should try it once and decide for yourself.

What are the origins of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee?

Coffee beans were introduced to Jamaica in 1728 by Sir Nicholas Lawes, who was serving as the governor of the island. From this time, coffee has been cultivated on the island. But not all the coffee produced in Jamaica is Blue Mountain coffee- to be certified True Blue Mountain coffee, the beans must come from a plantation located in Jamaica’s Blue Mountain range. This mountain range is not only Jamaica’s longest, but is also home to Jamaica’s highest point. Within the mountain range are various plantations that cultivate coffee crops on the ridge.

What is Required for Coffee Beans to Qualify as Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee?

The plantations must be located within the parishes of St. Andrew, St. Thomas, St. Mary and Portland. Coffee grown along a mountainside- as opposed to on flat fields- is labor intensive and difficult, and this is another reason why Blue Mountain Coffee is so expensive. The mountains themselves host a unique environment that is conducive to producing very high quality coffee: high amounts of precipitation, lots of rainfall, and typically cool and misty. The soil of the mountains is also particularly rich and fertile, while allowing for thorough drainage. These factors contribute to a superb coffee bean.

What is Required for Coffee Beans to Qualify as Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee?

The plantations must be located within the parishes of St. Andrew, St. Thomas, St. Mary and Portland. Coffee grown along a mountainside- as opposed to on flat fields- is labor intensive and difficult, and this is another reason why Blue Mountain Coffee is so expensive. The mountains themselves host a unique environment that is conducive to producing very high quality coffee: high amounts of precipitation, lots of rainfall, and typically cool and misty. The soil of the mountains is also particularly rich and fertile, while allowing for thorough drainage. These factors contribute to a superb coffee bean.