What Are the Flavor Notes of Yemeni Coffee? How Should You Drink It? What Are Yemen's Famous Coffee Beans?

The Origins and History of Coffee

The use of coffee beans originated in Ethiopia, with a history that is difficult to trace. Records of humans making coffee beverages, however, date back to 15th-century Yemen. Local Sufi Muslims would drink coffee during religious ceremonies to strengthen sect unity and keep believers alert. Soon after, coffee beverages spread throughout the Red Sea region and reached Istanbul, and by the 16th century they had arrived in Europe and India.

Yemen Coffee: The True Origin of Mocha

Yemen is located on the Arabian Peninsula of the Asian continent, facing Africa across the Red Sea, and is generally classified among African beans. When people mention Yemen, most associate it directly with Mocha! In fact, Mocha is a port in Yemen. Almost all nearby coffee used to be exported from Mocha Port, so Mocha became synonymous with coffee and has been used that way ever since. Mocha Port itself disappeared long ago because of sedimentation. Owing to traditional habit, however, many other countries' coffee beans (such as dry-processed Ethiopian beans) are still labeled as Mocha. The word Mocha has many spellings, including Moka, Mocha, and Mocca, but Mokha is closest to the original Arabic.

Yemen has several famous producing regions, such as San'ani, Mattari, Hirazi, Rimy, and Dhamari. These regions produce many high-quality natural-processed beans. Because they are natural-processed, the beans are often inconsistent in size and are sometimes mixed with grains like corn. Being natural-processed, they also carry the characteristic wild flavors of the method. Overall, Yemeni coffee has a unique character - wild, complex, and stimulating - with a particularly charming wine-like acidity and a deep dark-chocolate flavor that many people love. Some, however, find Yemeni coffee beans bitter. Regardless, this is what makes them unique.

Historical Context

Yemen has a long history of coffee cultivation. By the early 17th century, Yemeni coffee beans began to be exported from the southwestern Mocha Port to Europe, and Europeans called the beans shipped from Mocha Port "Mocha coffee." Ethiopia, which faces Yemen across the Red Sea, later also used Mocha Port to export its beans, so Ethiopian coffee processed by natural methods is likewise often regarded as Mocha.

Cultivation Methods and Varieties

The cultivation methods of Yemeni coffee remain similar to those of 500 years ago. The trees are almost all grown on mountain slopes ranging from 3,000 to 7,000 feet in altitude. Because rainfall is scarce, the coffee trees must rely on a strong water-retention capacity to survive dry periods. The harsh growing conditions result in smaller bean particles but quite high hardness. Yemeni coffee varieties are also quite complex, with recognized small-bean varieties including Ismaili and ancient heirlooms, as well as Adeni and Mattari varieties.

Processing Methods

Yemeni coffee undergoes natural processing. After harvesting, the fruits are usually spread on courtyards or rooftops for sun-drying. Some are even allowed to dry directly on the tree before harvesting (a method called "floating").

The dried fruits must then be ground and hulled. Today, Yemen still preserves the ancient method of stone grinding for hulling, and the stone grinders are powered by camels or donkeys.

Producing Regions

Yemen has many coffee-producing regions, with Mattari from Bani Matar (Bany Mattar) province being the most famous and the highest quality among Yemen's exported coffees.

The early Mocha Port, which bore the important responsibility of export, had many names and spellings, such as Mocha, Mokka, Moca, Moka, Al-Mocha, and Al-Makha. Mocha Port was later abandoned because of sedimentation, and exports are now handled by Aden Port in the east and Hodeida Port in the north.

FrontStreet Coffee's Yemen Mocha Mattari

FrontStreet Coffee also carries such a unique coffee - Yemen Mocha Mattari. Brewed with 89°C water, it presents a rich dark-chocolate flavor at first sip, followed by a gradual emergence of rounded grape acidity, with rich layers that are quite surprising.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Natural processing is what gives Yemeni coffee its wild, wine-like character, and FrontStreet Coffee's natural Ethiopian lots offer that same untamed fruit. The FrontStreet Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Red Cherry is sun-dried as whole ripe fruit, yielding peach, cocoa, honey, and lemon notes with a juicy, berry-like body. For an even more flamboyant cup, the natural FrontStreet Ethiopia Huakui adds a soft fermented-wine aroma over mango, citrus, and honey sweetness.