What is the taste profile of Yemen Mocha coffee beans? How should Yemen Mocha coffee beans be brewed?

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The Origin and Varieties of Mocha Coffee

Mocha coffee (Café Mocha) is one of the oldest coffees, with a history that traces back to the origins of coffee itself. It is made from Italian espresso, chocolate sauce, fresh cream, and milk. Mocha gets its name from the famous port of Mocha. In the 15th century, coffee export trade was not flourishing throughout the Middle East and Africa, and Yemen's Mocha was the main commercial export port near the Red Sea at that time. Coffee was mainly concentrated at Mocha Port before being exported abroad, and all African coffee exported from there was collectively called Mocha coffee. Although emerging ports have since replaced Mocha Port's status, the coffee origins from the Mocha Port period have been preserved, and coffee beans produced in these regions are still called Mocha coffee beans.

Mocha is a variation of Italian latte. Like classic Italian latte, it is typically made with one-third Italian espresso and two-thirds milk foam, but it also includes a small amount of chocolate. Chocolate is usually added in the form of chocolate syrup, but some coffee selling systems use instant chocolate powder instead. Sometimes, whipped cream, cocoa powder, and marshmallows are added on top to enhance the coffee's aroma and as decoration.

Similar to Italian cappuccino, mocha coffee also has milk foam on top, though sometimes it is replaced with whipped fresh cream. Mocha coffee is often garnished with some cinnamon powder or cocoa powder on top. Sometimes marshmallows are also added to enhance flavor or as decoration.

There is a variation of mocha called White Café Mocha, which uses white chocolate instead of milk and dark chocolate. Besides white mocha, there are other variations that mix two types of chocolate syrup, sometimes called "Zebras" or humorously referred to as "Tuxedo Mocha."

The Historical Origin of Mocha

The name mocha coffee originates from the Yemeni town of Mocha, located on the Red Sea coast. This place monopolized coffee export trade in the 15th century, particularly affecting coffee exports to the Arabian Peninsula region.

Mocha is also a "chocolate-colored" coffee bean (from Yemen's Mocha), which led to the association of mixing chocolate into coffee and the development of chocolate espresso drinks. In Europe, "mocha coffee" can refer either to this beverage or simply to coffee brewed with Mocha coffee beans.

Yemen is a world-renowned coffee homeland, located in Asia and facing Ethiopia across the Red Sea in East Africa.

Before the 6th century AD, Yemen was always called Arabia, so coffee trees transported from Yemen to other places were also called "Arabian coffee trees."

Natural Sun-Drying Processing Method

The natural sun-drying processing method involves manually harvesting fully ripe coffee beans, then placing the freshly harvested coffee beans directly in a dedicated coffee drying field or one's own compacted earthen front yard to receive sunlight. During the drying period, similar to drying rice in Taiwan, wooden rakes are used to turn the beans to ensure each bean dries evenly. After about twenty days, when the coffee drying is complete, the outer pulp and skin are removed to extract the coffee beans. Yemeni coffee features rich, complex, wild, and mellow characteristics with strong fermentation flavors and lower acidity. Additionally, Yemeni coffee often contains an uncertain factor (the timing of seasonal rainfall) that makes it unpredictable, making it no exaggeration to call it the world's most special coffee.

The term "Mocha" comes from the name of a port on the Red Sea coast of Yemen, which was a coffee export port. Natural dried beans from nearby East Africa were all exported from Mocha Port to various parts of the world in the early days, so natural dried beans produced in this region, including Yemen and Ethiopia in East Africa, were collectively called Mocha beans.

Characteristics of Yemeni Coffee

Yemen produces peaberry beans, which are smaller and rounder than most coffee beans, resembling peas and sometimes called Mocha coffee beans. The shape of Mocha coffee beans is similar to Ethiopia's Harrar coffee beans. They are small-grained with high acidity and mixed with a strange and indescribable spicy flavor.

When tasted carefully, one can also detect a hint of chocolate flavor, making the attempt to add chocolate to coffee a natural development process.

Authentic "Mocha coffee" is only produced in the Republic of Yemen on the southwest Arabian Peninsula, which was the first country to commercially cultivate coffee, and the coffee cultivation methods have not changed much to this day.

The arid and dry climate makes Yemen one of the world's most unique coffee-producing countries. The soil and traditional processing methods give Yemeni coffee its rich mellow taste and diverse flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee's Yemen Mocha Brewing Recommendations

V60/90°C/1:15/Time: two minutes

Flavor: dark chocolate, grape acidity, spices

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