Yemeni Coffee Flavor: How to Enjoy Yemeni Specialty Coffee Beans and the Characteristics of Yemeni Mocha Coffee

The Enigmatic Charm of Yemen Coffee

When mentioning Yemen coffee, one immediately thinks of the magical natural sun-dried beans with their rich, full-bodied texture. The aftertaste presents layers of fantastic wild aromas reminiscent of fermented tea, as mysterious and unpredictable as the country of Yemen itself, inspiring endless fascination.

Geographical Origins and the Mocha Legacy

Located in Asia, Yemen faces Ethiopia across the Red Sea to the east. It is the highest-quality producer of natural sun-dried coffee. Coffee produced in Yemen is known as Mocha beans. In fact, Mocha is a coffee export port. Early on, natural sun-dried beans from nearby East Africa were exported worldwide through the port of Mocha, so natural sun-dried beans from this region, including Yemen and Ethiopia, are collectively referred to as Mocha beans.

Traditional Natural Processing Method

Yemen coffee's natural sun-drying processing involves hand-harvesting fully mature coffee beans and placing freshly harvested beans directly on specialized coffee drying grounds or compacted earthen front yards to receive sunlight. During the drying period, similar to drying rice in Taiwan, wooden rakes are used to turn the beans to ensure even drying. After about twenty days, when the coffee is completely dry, the outer pulp and skin are removed to extract the coffee beans. Yemen coffee offers rich, complex, wild, mellow, and strong fermentation flavors with low acidity. Combined with the unpredictable factor of rainfall timing during the season, Yemen coffee is truly one of the world's most special coffees.

Unique Growing Conditions

Yemen coffee grows on steep terrain with little rainfall, poor soil, and insufficient sunlight—conditions that are uniquely challenging and unfavorable for coffee cultivation. However, these harsh conditions have nurtured the irreplaceable Yemen Mocha in the coffee world. The main coffee-producing regions are Sanani, Matari, and Ismaili.

Traditional Processing Techniques

Yemen coffee undergoes natural processing. After harvesting, the fruits are typically spread on courtyards or rooftops for sun exposure. Some are even allowed to dry directly on the tree before being harvested (a method called floating).

After drying, the fruits must be ground to remove the husks. To this day, Yemen still preserves the ancient method of stone grinding for dehusking, with the stone grinders powered by camels or donkeys.

Renowned Growing Regions

There are many coffee-producing regions in Yemen, with Mattari from Bani Matar province being the most famous and producing the highest quality coffee among Yemen's export varieties.

Early on, the port of Mocha carried the heavy responsibility of coffee export. Its name has many variations in spelling, such as Mocha, Mokka, Moca, Moka, Al-Mocha, Al-Makha, and so on. The port of Mocha was later abandoned due to sedimentation, and coffee is now exported through the eastern port of Aden and the northern port of Hodeida.

The Yemen Moka Legacy

Located on the Arabian Peninsula of the Asian continent, facing Africa across the Red Sea, Yemen is generally classified as African beans. When mentioning Yemen, most people immediately associate it with Mocha! In fact, Mocha is a port in Yemen. Previously, almost all coffee from the region was exported through the port of Mocha, so Mocha became synonymous with coffee and continues to be used today. In reality, the port of Mocha disappeared long ago due to siltation! However, due to traditional conventions, coffee beans from many other countries (such as natural-processed Ethiopian beans) are still labeled as Mocha. The word Mocha has many spellings, including Moka, Mocha, and Mocca, though Mokha is closest to the original Arabic.

Yemen has several famous growing regions, such as San'ani, Mattari, Hirazi, Rimy, and Dhamari. These regions produce many high-quality natural beans. Because of natural processing, coffee beans often vary in size and may sometimes be mixed with grains like corn. Also, being natural-processed beans, they carry the characteristic flavors and wild profiles of natural processing. Overall, Yemen coffee has a unique character—wild, complex, and stimulating—especially the charming wine-like acidity and deep dark chocolate flavors that many people love, though some find Yemen coffee beans somewhat bitter. Regardless, this is the unique Yemen coffee bean.

FrontStreet Coffee's Yemen Mocha Mattari

FrontStreet Coffee also offers this unique coffee—Yemen Mocha Mattari. When brewed with 89°C water, the first sip reveals rich dark chocolate flavors, followed by the gradual emergence of rounded grape acidity, with layers of complexity that are truly surprising.

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