There are two main types of Jamaican coffee ­ Jamaica Blue Mountain and Jamaica Prime.To be known as Jamaica Blue Mountain, coffee must be grown, as its name suggests in the Blue Mountains within the prescribed areas of St. Thomas, St. Andrew and Portland. Package labels indicate if coffee is a blend or 100 per cent Blue Mountain. Jamaica Prime is grown in Manchester, St. Catherine, Clarendon, St. Ann and St. Elizabeth. Jamaica Blue Mountain is cultivated between 2000 and 5000 feet above sea level, while Jamaica Prime is cultivated at slightly lower altitudes. The Coffee Industry Board's trade name for Jamaica Prime is Jamaica Mountain Choice Coffee and it is recognized as a premium quality gourmet bean in its own right.

The reaping of the beans is only the first stage of an involved operation. After reaping, coffee is pulped and washed at a pulperie and the "wet parchment" that results is dried, cured, raded and then sorted. Jamaica is one of only a few countries worldwide that allows the "wet parchment" to sit and age for a minimum of sixweeks so as to ensure consistency. Prior to export, the coffee then undergoes quality control measures including appearance checks and cup testing to ensure the cup-quality of the beans.

Jamaica's coffee farmers still sell their coffee to the government-run Coffee Industry Board. Many farmers work in cooperatives. Seventeen currently exist, only one of which is located in the Blue Mountains. There are twelve coffee pulperies; four of which are in the Blue Mountain Range. There are six authorized coffee roasters in Jamaica who have permission to market Jamaican coffee domestically and internationally. All commercial shipments are inspected by the Coffee Industry Board, which also issues certificates guaranteeing the authenticity of the coffee.

In 1988, Hurricane Gilbert's 150-mph winds damaged 70 per cent of the island's coffee fields and factories causing production to shut down for close to two years. Today, however, production has been restored to former levels. About 75% of the coffee beans produced annually are exported as green beans (raw beans). Annual Production averages 5,500,000 lb of green beans. Annual earnings amount to approximately US$32 million for the Jamaican industry. Approximately 85% of the coffee exported goes to Japan. The other 15% goes to the UK, USA and other countries where it often sells for up to US$40 per pound.





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