Ingredients
Coffee
- 30 gJamaica Blue Mountain beans, medium roast, whole
- 500 mlfiltered water
To serve, optional
- hot milk
- demerara sugar
Directions
- Check the packaging for the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica certification mark and a Blue Mountain parish of origin. The name is legally protected and widely misused, and blends sold as Blue Mountain Style contain none of it.
- Heat the water to 93°C (200°F), which is roughly 30 seconds off a full boil. Water at a rolling boil scalds a coffee this delicate and pulls out a bitterness that is not otherwise there.
- Grind the beans just before brewing to a medium-fine texture, about the coarseness of table salt. Ground coffee loses its aromatics within minutes, and aromatics are most of what you are paying for.
- Rinse the paper filter with hot water and discard the rinse, so the first cup does not taste of paper.
- Add the grounds, level the bed, and pour 60 ml of water over them. Leave it to bloom for 30 to 45 seconds while the grounds swell and release carbon dioxide.
- Pour the rest of the water in three slow additions, keeping the bed submerged but never letting it overflow. The whole brew should finish in about 3 minutes.
- Drink the first cup black. Blue Mountain is prized for being mild, low in acid and faintly sweet rather than for being strong, and milk and sugar cover exactly the qualities you paid for.
Technique
- This is a coffee that rewards restraint. A dark roast, an espresso extraction or a long steep will flatten it into something indistinguishable from a much cheaper bean.
- Buy it as beans, never ready-ground. Most of the fraud in this trade happens after grinding.
- Brew it a little weaker than you would a Central American coffee. It has no harshness to hide behind.
Substitutions
- A washed high-altitude arabica at medium roast, from Guatemala Huehuetenango or the Dominican Barahona, brewed the same way.
Variations
- French press, coarsely ground, 4 minutes, for a heavier cup.
- Jamaican roadside style, brewed strong and cut with sweetened condensed milk.
- As the coffee base of Tia Maria, the Jamaican coffee liqueur.
History
Coffee arrived in Jamaica in 1728 under Governor Nicholas Lawes; the Blue Mountain name is certified by the state and most is exported to Japan.
Frequently asked questions
What is Blue Mountain coffee?
Blue Mountain coffee is a drink from Jamaica: prized mild coffee grown in the Blue Mountains. Coffee arrived in Jamaica in 1728 under Governor Nicholas Lawes; the Blue Mountain name is certified by the state and most is exported to Japan.
How long does Blue Mountain coffee take to make?
Blue Mountain coffee takes 5 min of preparation and 4 min of cooking. The recipe makes 2 cups. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Blue Mountain coffee?
Yes, within limits. A washed high-altitude arabica at medium roast, from Guatemala Huehuetenango or the Dominican Barahona, brewed the same way.
What is the most important thing to get right in Blue Mountain coffee?
Heat the water to 93°C (200°F), which is roughly 30 seconds off a full boil. Water at a rolling boil scalds a coffee this delicate and pulls out a bitterness that is not otherwise there.
