Blue Mountain vs Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Coffee Compared

Blue Mountain vs Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is a comparison between two famous coffees that sit at opposite ends of the flavour map. Jamaica Blue Mountain is celebrated for balance: mild, clean and smooth. Yirgacheffe, from southern Ethiopia, is celebrated for brightness: floral, citrusy and tea-like. Both are protected names, both are washed arabica in their classic form, and both are on many coffee lovers' lists to try. This guide compares where they come from, how they are grown and processed, how they taste, and how to choose.

Where each coffee comes from

Jamaica Blue Mountain is grown in a designated area of the Blue Mountains in eastern Jamaica. The regulator, the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA), describes the Blue Mountain Area as lying in the parishes of St Thomas, St Andrew and Portland, and certifies the coffee for export. Coffee was brought to Jamaica in the eighteenth century, and the Blue Mountain trees are mostly of the Typica variety.

Yirgacheffe is a town and coffee-growing area in the Gedeo Zone of southern Ethiopia. Ethiopia is where arabica coffee originated, and coffee still grows there in forests, gardens and small farms, often among other crops. Most Yirgacheffe coffee comes from many smallholders whose cherries are processed at shared washing stations, so a lot is often named after its washing station or cooperative rather than a single farm.

Side by side

Varieties: one classic against many landraces

Jamaica Blue Mountain is built on Typica, one of the oldest arabica varieties spread around the world from Ethiopia via Yemen and Asia. World Coffee Research describes Typica as having good cup quality but low yield and susceptibility to major diseases, part of why Blue Mountain volumes are small.

Ethiopia, as arabica's home, has far greater genetic diversity than anywhere else. Yirgacheffe lots are typically made up of local landraces and selections that are rarely separated on the farm, which is why bags often just say heirloom. That diversity is one reason Ethiopian coffees can taste so different from those grown elsewhere. Our guide to arabica coffee varieties explains how variety shapes flavour.

Processing changes Yirgacheffe more

Classic Yirgacheffe is washed: the fruit is removed and the beans fermented and washed before drying, which gives the clean, floral, lemony profile the name is famous for. Natural Yirgacheffe, dried with the fruit still on, tastes very different: heavier, sweeter and full of berry and tropical fruit notes. Always check which you are buying. Jamaica Blue Mountain is washed, which suits its clean, balanced character. See washed vs natural vs honey coffee for how each process affects the cup.

Protected names

Both names are protected, but in different ways. Jamaica Blue Mountain is defined in Jamaican law and every export is certified by JACRA. Ethiopia chose trademarks: according to WIPO, between 2005 and 2007 the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office filed trademark applications for Harrar, Sidamo and Yirgacheffe in 34 countries, with 28 registrations granted by mid 2007, including in the United States, where Yirgacheffe was approved first. The aim was to keep ownership of the names while licensing them royalty-free to coffee companies. Our guide to coffee geographical indications compares these approaches.

How they taste

Jamaica Blue Mountain is prized for what it does not do: no sharp acidity, no heaviness, no harsh finish. Tasters describe a smooth, clean cup with medium body, gentle sweetness and notes such as milk chocolate, nuts and soft fruit. It is the kind of coffee people drink black and find easy. Read what Blue Mountain coffee tastes like for more.

Washed Yirgacheffe is the opposite kind of beautiful: lively acidity, a light, tea-like body and aromatics often compared to jasmine, bergamot, lemon and stone fruit. People who love it describe it as elegant and perfumed; people who prefer a rounder cup may find it too bright. Neither profile is better. They are simply two different ideas of a great coffee.

Brewing each one

• Yirgacheffe shines in a paper-filtered pour over, which keeps the cup clean and highlights florals. Lighter roasts preserve its character.
• Jamaica Blue Mountain works well as pour over, drip or French press, and in a medium roast. Its balance also makes it a gentle espresso.
• Our comparison of pour over vs French press explains how each brewer changes the cup.

Reading the labels

The two coffees are labelled in different ways, and knowing what to look for avoids disappointment. A genuine Jamaica Blue Mountain bag should say 100% Jamaica Blue Mountain and usually names a grade, such as No. 1 or Peaberry; blends must state the percentage, and anything that just says Blue Mountain style or Blue Mountain blend is not the same thing. A Yirgacheffe bag often names the washing station or cooperative, the processing method (washed or natural), sometimes a grade such as Grade 1 or Grade 2, and the altitude. Because the processing method changes the cup so much, it is the single most important detail on a Yirgacheffe label. For both coffees, look for a recent roast date rather than only a best-before date. Our guides to reading a coffee label and buying Blue Mountain coffee go through every line you are likely to see, and coffee storage mistakes explains how to keep delicate aromatics fresh once the bag is open.

How to choose

• Choose Jamaica Blue Mountain if you like smooth, mild, balanced coffee with low bitterness and gentle acidity, and value a small, certified origin.
• Choose washed Yirgacheffe if you enjoy bright, floral, citrusy coffee and lighter body.
• Choose natural Yirgacheffe if you want big fruit flavour.
• Taste both side by side. They make an ideal first pair for learning how to cup coffee at home, because the contrast is so clear.

To taste the balanced end of the comparison, try our Jamaica Blue Mountain whole beans next to a washed Yirgacheffe, both ground fresh and brewed the same way.

Sources

• JACRA: About coffee (Blue Mountain Area)
• WIPO Magazine: Making the origin count, two coffees (Ethiopia and Colombia)
• WIPO IP Advantage: The coffee war, Ethiopia and the Starbucks story
• World Coffee Research: Typica
• World Coffee Research: Sensory Lexicon