Characteristics of Single Origin Mocha Coffee Beans - Introduction to Mocha Coffee Bean Countries of Origin - Are Mocha Coffee Beans Expensive

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Mocha Coffee Beans (MOCHA)

Origin: Yemen

Mocha coffee beans can be considered one of the world's primary coffee origins. Currently, Yemen produces the highest quality coffee, followed by Ethiopian Mocha. Mocha coffee offers smooth medium to strong acidity, exceptional sweetness, and unique flavors with a distinctive yogurt-like aroma and chocolate notes. It possesses an elegant quality with a lasting aromatic aftertaste. It is an extremely distinctive single-origin coffee. Typically, brand names are directly derived from their place of origin, while "Mocha" was the name of the port where Europeans first purchased coffee, facing the Red Sea. "Mocha Mattari" belongs to the top-tier variety and is widely popular. Even when used in coffee blends, it's highly favored as it can mask the shortcomings of other coffee origins. Mocha, Brazilian, and Colombian coffees are known as the "Blend Triple Crown," and most coffee blends utilize Mocha coffee.

01 | Regional Profile

History of Yemen

Yemen is famous for frankincense or spice trade and is the world's earliest origin of coffee cultivation for Mocha.

If traced back historically, this is also where Noah built the ark in the Bible.

Legend tells that 3,000 years ago, the legendary Queen of Sheba led a large delegation carrying gold and spices to Jerusalem, met King Solomon, and gave birth to a son. (There are rumors that this son was Ethiopia's first king)

Regardless, perhaps due to ancient history, the people of this land are said to maintain strong self-respect and extreme independence.

Yemen, continuing lifestyles preserved thousands of years ago, reportedly has many areas where the central government's authority cannot reach. Ethiopia, across the sea from Yemen, also exported coffee through Mocha Port, so Ethiopian natural-processed coffee is often called Mocha (such as Ethiopia Harrar Mokka). Yemen Mocha is the originator of the world coffee trade, and Yemen's contribution to spreading delicious coffee worldwide is undeniable. It was called "Arabian Coffee," which later gave rise to the name "Arabica."

It is said that in the 17th century, Europeans first imported coffee and spread it to the world through the world's largest coffee port—Mocha Port.

Today's "Mocha Port" has not continued its prosperity compared to its former reputation, becoming a historical port with only white sandy beaches.

Even so, it still "travels far and wide" in the name of coffee.

Although Ethiopia was the first country to discover coffee, Yemen was the first country to produce coffee on a large scale as an agricultural crop. In the early 17th century, the first batch of Yemeni coffee was exported to Europe through the ancient small port of Mocha, astonishing Europeans. Because all exported coffee bags had to be marked with MOCHA to prove they were transported from Mocha Port, Europeans called the delicious coffee from Mocha Port "Mocha Coffee." This is why early Mocha became synonymous with coffee.

Yemen coffee grows on steep terrain with little rainfall, poor soil, and insufficient sunlight—unique and difficult conditions unfavorable for coffee growth. Yet these conditions have cultivated the irreplaceable Yemen Mocha in the coffee world. The main coffee-producing regions are Sanani, Mattari, and Ismaili.

The Mattari region is located in the highlands west of the capital, with elevations between 2000-2400 meters. It is Yemen's highest elevation region but also the most remote with inconvenient transportation. Farmers often have to wait some time after harvest before they can transport it out.

02 | Processing Method

Ancient Natural Processing

Yemen is a classic of ancient natural processing flavors and the world's only country producing exclusively natural-processed coffee. The traditional water-free processing method has remained unchanged since the 17th century when Europeans fell in love with wild Mocha. This is related to Yemen's extremely dry climate. Coffee is mainly grown in the central highlands with annual rainfall of only 400-750 millimeters, far below the optimal 1,500-2,000 millimeters for Arabica.

Due to the water-scarce environment, farmers have been unable to introduce more advanced washed processing methods. The wild flavor surpasses Harar coffee, making Yemen the best choice for experiencing ancient flavors.

The central highlands of Yemen feature rolling mountains and rugged terrain. Small farmers mostly use scattered planting methods—a few plants on steep slopes, dozens on terraces or cliffs—each with different soil and microclimates, resulting in different aromatic components.

Yemen farmers' natural processing method is rougher than Ethiopia's. Coffee cherries are not picked when they turn red but are left to dry naturally on the branches until they turn purplish-black and fall to the ground, where they are collected. This differs from the refined natural processing of Yirgacheffe or Sidamo, where red cherries are picked and spread on "raised African beds," which is the main reason for Yemen's particularly wild flavor.

Yemen's natural processing method involves harvesting fully ripe coffee cherries by hand and then placing them directly in dedicated coffee drying grounds or their own compacted earthen courtyards to sun-dry. During the sun-drying period, similar to drying rice in Taiwan, the beans must be raked with wooden rakes to ensure uniform drying. After about twenty days when the coffee is completely dry, the outer pulp and skin are removed to extract the coffee beans. Yemeni coffee offers rich, complex, bold, and full-bodied flavors with strong fermentation notes and lower acidity. Additionally, Yemeni coffee often contains uncertain factors (such as seasonal rainfall timing) that make it unpredictable, making it not an exaggeration to call it the world's most special coffee.

03 | Green Bean Analysis

The grades of Mocha are divided into: Sanani

Due to Yemen's low annual coffee production, only about 35% is Mocha Sanani and Mocha Mattari, which can be considered the better quality Yemeni coffees.

Coffee from the Mattari region is characterized by its "unattractive" appearance, uneven sizes, and significant color variations, appearing to be composed of small pea-like beans and empty defective beans.

Green Bean Information:

Yemen Mocha Mattari

Country: Yemen

Region: Mattari

Altitude: 1,300-1,900m

Varietal: Typica, Bourbon

Process: Natural / Sundried

Because the bean shape is very small, some call it Small Mocha. Mocha is flat beans, not round beans—small but aromatic.

04 | Roasting Analysis

Yemen Mocha belongs to green beans with relatively low moisture content. Considering the uneven size of the beans, the charging temperature for low-moisture green beans should not be too high. Pre-heat for 30 seconds, open the air damper to 3, until the green beans turn light green or white, then open the air damper to 4, and after first crack open to 5 (maximum).

FrontStreet Coffee suggests making data records before roasting: coffee bean moisture content, density, origin, processing method, roasting room temperature and humidity, etc., and planning your roasting curve. Record relevant chemical and physical changes during the roasting process, which will help you better understand the final roasting results and improve the roasting curve.

Roasting machine: Yangjia 800N, 550g green beans loaded

Roasting curve:

Heat the drum to 170°C and charge the beans, air damper at 3. After 1 minute, adjust heat to 140°C, air damper unchanged. At 5'00", temperature reaches 147.2°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, dehydration completed, adjust heat to 110°C, air damper to 4;

At 8'00 minutes, ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, toast aroma clearly transitions to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this time, listen carefully for the sound of first crack, which begins at 8'23". Adjust heat to 60°C, air damper fully open (adjust heat very carefully, not so low that there's no cracking sound), and discharge at 197.9°C.

Cupping Report:

Medium roast City (caramel aroma): Before grinding, the coffee beans have a peanut aroma. After grinding, there's a caramel scent. During cupping, complex layers reveal a slight grape acidity appearing at the end of taste changes. The spicy aftertaste is long, with a sweet, moistening, rounded quality reminiscent of Middle Eastern milk tea that persists for a long time. The bottom of the cup has malt sweetness. Medium-roasted Yemen Mocha continues to develop changes. It's recommended to brew 7-14 days after roasting when the complex wild fermentation flavors are at their best.

04 | Brewing Analysis

The condition of the coffee bed in pour-over brewing cannot be ignored—this must be emphasized! The coffee bed plays a subtle role, one of which is providing resistance, allowing hot water to remain in the filter long enough to ensure sufficient flavor extraction. For medium roasts, the coffee bed must also have certain structural strength to perform its "blocking" function. To prevent weakening the coffee bed's support strength, one must master the [water column intensity], [pouring position], and [stable circular pouring technique] to complete a proper [pouring technique].

1. Filter: V60

2. Water temperature: 88°C

3. Grind size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 4

4. Roast level: Medium roast

5. Bloom time: 25 seconds

Flavor: Balanced, chocolate, lasting caramel sweetness in aftertaste

FrontStreet Coffee recommends: 15g coffee, Fuji Royal grinder setting 4, V60 filter, 88-89°C water temperature. First pour 30g water for 25s bloom, then pour to 104g and stop. Wait until the water level in the bed drops to half before continuing to pour. Slowly pour until reaching 220g, discarding the last 5g. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time approximately 2:00 (counting starts after bloom pour is completed).

Mocha was a port in ancient Yemen that specialized in exporting Yemeni and Ethiopian coffee to the world, so everyone became accustomed to calling coffee from these regions "Mocha coffee." Even though Mocha Port is now abandoned due to sediment deposition, the names "Yemen Mocha," "Ethiopian Harrar Mocha," and "Ethiopian Jimma Mocha" are still used today. Furthermore, although these regions have diverse varieties, most have similar cocoa-like flavors, so many classify them as "Mocha beans." Due to the special cocoa flavor of Mocha beans, the term was later extended to refer to "coffee with chocolate sauce (and milk) flavoring" as Mocha coffee.

Recommended Yemen Mocha Coffee Bean Brands

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted Yemen Mocha coffee beans offer full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they offer exceptional value—227 grams per package at only around 85 yuan. Calculating at 15g of coffee beans per cup, one package can make 15 cups, with each cup costing only about 6 yuan, making it a conscientious recommendation compared to café prices that often cost dozens of yuan per cup.

FrontStreet Coffee Yemen Mocha Mattari Ancient Natural Process Coffee Beans - Freshly Roasted to Order Black Coffee Beans

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