The Flavor Profile of Yemen Mocha Coffee Beans What Are the Characteristics of Single-Origin Yemen Mocha Coffee Beans?

The Origins and Etymology of Coffee

The word "coffee" traces back to ancient tribal societies. Before Islam, the term was one of the names for "wine": in the old dictionary "Lisan al-Arab" (The Language of the Arabs) it meant wine, and its root, qaha, means "loss of appetite."

Ethiopian Origins

Coffee originated in Ethiopia, on the East African plateau. For nearly 2000 years the region has produced high-grade hand-dried Arabica beans, named after the ancient capital, Harar.

The Spread Through Mocha Port

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.

More than 1500 years ago, coffee trees crossed the Red Sea into Yemen, and the world journey of the coffee bean began. Yemeni coffee was shipped through the port of Mocha (now silted up and abandoned), mainly to Europe via Turkey, so the coffee took its name from its export port - what we now commonly call "Mocha beans."

Characteristics of Yemen Mocha Coffee

Mocha beans are often associated with Ethiopia - and indeed, before the 6th century AD Yemen was itself known as Arabia, so coffee trees carried from there were called Arabian coffee trees. Yemen was the first country in the world to produce coffee as an agricultural crop on a large scale, and today its cultivation and processing methods are essentially the same as they were hundreds of years ago.

On most Yemeni plantations, farmers still refuse chemical fertilizers and other synthetic chemicals. As in the past, the trees are planted on steep terraces that make the most of limited rainfall and scarce land. Even more distinctive: Yemen Mocha is still shipped in bags woven from straw, unlike the woven plastic sacks used elsewhere.

Flavor Profile

The beans are small but deeply aromatic: strong acidity and a mellow body, slightly wine-like, spicy and stimulating, with moderate sweetness and a distinctive character. It is a renowned high-quality coffee, usually enjoyed as a single origin.

Yemen's coffee is considered the best Mocha, with Ethiopian Mocha close behind. Mocha coffee shows smooth medium-to-strong acidity, excellent sweetness, unique flavor, and chocolate notes - a noble, ladylike temperament in a distinctly characterful pure coffee.

Physical Characteristics

Mocha (Mocca) beans are so small that some people call the variety "small Mocha." The small Mocha grown in Central and South America has short trees, small beans, and low yields. The beans typically measure about 10-11 mesh wide - a width of 0.39 cm to 0.43 cm - far smaller than the general 18-mesh Central American bean at 0.7 cm. Note that small Mocha is flat on one side, meaning each cherry holds two green beans. It does also produce peaberries, but at only about 2% - far below the 5-10% common in general Arabica.

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's brewing parameters for Yemen Mocha:

V60 / 90 degrees C / 1:15 / two minutes

Flavor: dark chocolate, grape acidity, spices.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Yemen Mocha and Ethiopian coffee share a family tree, and if the wild, dried-fruit character of Mocha appeals to you, Ethiopia - coffee's birthplace, with countless native varieties - is the natural next stop. These FrontStreet lots trace the threads from Mocha's chocolate-and-spice profile back to Ethiopia's florals and fruit:

• FrontStreet Washed Yirgacheffe - the gateway to Ethiopian specialty coffee: clear jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity in a light, elegant, tea-like cup, like a clean, refreshing lemon tea. Yirgacheffe itself is a small town in southern Ethiopia where spring-like, misty weather lets thousands of coffee trees thrive.
• FrontStreet Natural Red Cherry (Yirgacheffe) - natural processing at its most careful: broken and moldy cherries removed first, then two weeks of sun drying until the fruit's sugars infuse the bean and moisture drops to 12%, followed by density and color grading plus final hand sorting. The result is honeyed and pristine, with peach, cocoa, honey, and lemon.
• FrontStreet Natural Huakui (Sidama Guji, Hambella) - a 200-hectare farm drying cherries on raised beds for 21 days, turned constantly and hand-sorted every 3-5 days. At a medium-light roast it shows a light fermented wine note, florals, citrus, and mango, with honey sweetness, cocoa, and a touch of spice over a thick body and long finish.
• FrontStreet Kaffa Forest - wild coffee at its finest, grown at 1400-2100 meters under natural forest shade. A medium-light roast brings white florals, bright lemon acidity, sweet orange and bergamot, and a green-tea-like finish with a faint melon-and-nut aftertaste.

Brew them as you would the Yemen Mocha - V60, 90 degrees C, 1:15, about two minutes - and taste for yourself how one variety's journey from the Ethiopian plateau through the port of Mocha still echoes in every cup.