Coffee culture

What Does the Yemen Coffee Brand Sanani Mean? Are Yemen Mocha Coffee Beans Expensive?

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee
Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). Yemen coffee beans brand - Mocha Sanani coffee beans. Yemen Mocha Sanani. When it comes to coffee beans from Yemen and Ethiopia, many people will think of Mocha (Mocca, Mocha, Moka, Mokha, Mokka - any spelling you can find, pronounced as "Mo"

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For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

Yemen Coffee Bean Brand - Mocha Sanani Coffee Beans

Yemen Mocha Sanani

When it comes to coffee beans from Yemen and Ethiopia, many people will immediately associate them with "Mocha."

(Mocca, Mocha, Moka, Mokha, Mokka... whichever spelling you might encounter, they all essentially refer to the same thing. Here we'll use "Mocha" to represent them all.)

In the modern 21st century, when people mention Mocha coffee, many recognize it as "coffee with chocolate added."

This is indeed a method of preparing coffee, but the word "Mocha" originally referred to the "export port" of coffee's origin - Yemeni coffee beans. After five hundred years, the Port of Mocha has of course been destroyed and is no longer in use.

It has been replaced by modern new ports, but the word "Mocha" has been passed down through time, preserving its ancient legacy.

Five hundred years ago, Yemeni coffee beans exported from Yemen were extremely popular upon reaching Europe.

However, the production volume of Yemeni coffee beans is extremely low. Therefore, using the same dry processing method, Ethiopia, just across the gulf from Yemen, also exported through the Port of Mocha.

This is why today when people mention "Mocha beans," they typically associate them with coffee beans from Yemen and Ethiopia.

In reality, the first beans introduced to the West were 'Yemeni coffee beans,' while Ethiopia was the first place where coffee beans were discovered. Later, both came to be generally referred to as Mocha beans.

However, in actuality, their cupping profiles reveal distinctly different flavors (there's no superior or inferior - it all comes down to personal preference).

Ethiopian coffee will be briefly mentioned here.

'Yemeni coffee beans' are among the most unique and acclaimed coffees in the world.

They are generally described as wild, primitive, with earthy notes, complex, spicy, and with chocolate flavors

(this is precisely why coffee with chocolate added came to be called Mocha coffee).

Mocha represents three layers of meaning:

1. The Port of Mocha; 2. Coffee produced in Yemen and Ethiopia; 3. Coffee with chocolate added.

Yemen has many coffee producing regions, including Sanani, Mattari, Hirazi, Dhamari, Rimy, and more.

Beans from each producing region have their own characteristics, with slightly different flavors and textures.

What they share in common is that their cultivation and processing methods haven't advanced much compared to five hundred years ago.

Wild-grown (therefore natural and pesticide-free), manually harvested, limited growing areas (therefore low production volume),

Dry-processed (resulting in less attractive bean appearance than washed beans, with uneven particle sizes), stone-ground for hulling (resulting in many broken beans).

As the first coffee-exporting country, after five hundred years of development,

Yemen ranks 46th in the world in coffee bean export volume.

(laughs, really far behind~ though this might fluctuate slightly, the changes won't be significant)

Sanani is grown in the highlands surrounding Yemen's capital, Sana.

Compared to other Yemeni beans, it's famous for its aroma and balanced flavor profile.

Sanani is elegant, with subtle tobacco and chocolate notes.

It has lower acidity than other Yemeni beans, but its aroma (especially fruity notes) is richer.

With a red wine-like texture and a long-lasting aromatic aftertaste, it's suitable for both light and dark roasts, making it highly recommended.

Yemen Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted Yemen Mocha coffee beans offer excellent guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they provide exceptional value for money - a 227-gram package costs only 85 yuan. Calculating at 15 grams per cup, one package can make 15 cups of coffee, with each cup costing less than 6 yuan. Compared to coffee shops selling cups for dozens of yuan each, this is truly a conscientious recommendation.

Important Notice :

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Tel:020 38364473

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