Yemen Coffee Bean Cultivation History: Characteristics and Brewing Methods of Yemen Coffee

The Legacy of Yemeni Coffee

For coffee enthusiasts with some background, mention Yemeni coffee and "Mocha" comes to mind almost at once.

Historical Significance

Yemen has a remarkably long history of coffee cultivation. By the early 17th century, Yemeni coffee beans were being shipped out from the southwestern port of Mocha to Europe. Europeans therefore called the beans sent from Mocha port "Mocha coffee." Ethiopia, across the Red Sea from Yemen, later exported its beans through Mocha as well, which is why Ethiopian natural-processed beans also came to be regarded as Mocha.

Cultivation Methods

Yemeni coffee is grown much as it was 500 years ago, almost entirely on mountain slopes between 3,000 and 7,000 feet in altitude. Rainfall is sparse, so the trees must survive dry spells on their strong water-retention ability alone. The harsh conditions produce smaller beans of considerable hardness. Yemeni varieties are also quite complex, with recognized types including the small-bean Ismaili, ancient heirloom varieties, as well as Adeni and Mattari.

Processing Techniques

Yemeni coffee is naturally processed. After harvest, the cherries are typically spread out in courtyards or on rooftops to dry in the sun. Some are even left to dry on the tree before picking, a method known as floating.

The dried cherries must then be hulled. Yemen still preserves the ancient method of stone hulling, with the stone mills powered by camels or donkeys.

Renowned Growing Regions

Yemen has many coffee-growing regions, and Mattari from Bani Matar province is the most famous, representing the highest quality among Yemen's coffee exports.

The Port of Mocha

The early port of Mocha, which carried the heavy responsibility of export, was known by many names and spellings, such as Mocha, Mokka, Moca, Moka, Al-Mocha, and Al-Makha. The port was later abandoned because of silting, and exports are now handled through the eastern port of Aden and the northern port of Hodeida.

Unique Flavor Profile

The arid Arabian soil and the dry air make the beans grown here especially hard and small. That unique climate also gives Yemeni Mocha its wonderful layered flavor, at once wild and restrained, and deeply complex. Those captivated by its shifting character praise Yemeni Mocha as the precious wine of Arabia.

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee brewing parameters:

V60 / 1:15 / 90°C / 2-minute brewing time

Flavor Notes

Grape juice, chocolate, caramel, spices.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Yemen Mocha's wild-yet-restrained fruit and spice find a family resemblance in FrontStreet Coffee's natural Huakui from Ethiopia. Grown in the Hambella area of Guji Sidamo and processed the traditional natural way—ripe cherries dried on raised beds for 21 days and turned constantly for even drying—it opens in a medium-light roast with a gentle fermented-wine aroma, florals, citrus, and mango. Honeyed sweetness, a cocoa note, a hint of spice, a full body, and a lasting finish give it something of the same layered depth.

For another natural-processed African coffee with plenty of fruit, FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe Red Cherry is worth a cup. Natural processing lets the sugars of the fruit sink into the bean before it is milled and sorted, and the result is a clean, aromatic profile of peach, cocoa, honey, and lemon that echoes the fruit-and-chocolate axis of a good Mocha.