Introduction to Yemen Mocha Ismaili and Harazi Regions: What is the Traditional Natural Processing Method?

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The Legendary Origins of Mocha Coffee

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. Ethiopia, the neighboring country across the Red Sea, also exported coffee through Mocha Port, which is why Ethiopian sun-dried processed coffee is often called Mocha. Although Ethiopia was the first country in the world to discover coffee, Yemen was actually the first country to produce coffee on a large scale as an agricultural crop. Since all exported coffee bags had to be stamped with "MOCHA" to prove they were transported from Mocha Port, Europeans came to call the delicious coffee from Mocha Port "Mocha coffee" (such as Mocha-Harrar Ethiopia Harrar).

Today, the old Mocha Port has long been abandoned due to sediment deposition (now known as Al Makha), becoming a historical port with only white sandy beaches. Exports are now handled by the northwestern port of Hodeida, but people have long been accustomed to the name Mocha, and the reputation of Mocha resounds throughout the world. Yemeni Mocha is the originator of the world coffee trade, and Yemen's contribution to promoting delicious coffee worldwide cannot be overstated. It was called "Arabian coffee," which later gave rise to the name "Arabica original species."

Yemeni coffee is characterized by rich, complex, wild, and mellow flavors, with strong fermentation notes and lower acidity. Additionally, Yemeni coffee often contains an unpredictable factor (the timing of seasonal rainfall) that makes it elusive. Calling it the most special coffee in the world would be no exaggeration.

Ancient Sun-Drying Processing Method

Yemen is the classic example of ancient sun-dried flavor and the world's only entirely sun-dried coffee-producing country. The traditional water-free processing method has remained unchanged since the 17th century when Europeans became fascinated with wild-flavored Mocha. This is related to Yemen's extremely dry climate. Coffee is mainly grown in the central highlands, with an average annual rainfall of only 400-750 millimeters—far below the optimal 1,500-2,000 millimeters for Arabica. Due to this water-scarce environment, farmers have been unable to introduce more advanced washed processing methods. With wild flavors surpassing Harrar coffee, Yemen has become the best choice for experiencing ancient flavors.

In the central highlands of Yemen, with its rolling mountains and rugged terrain, small farmers mostly adopt a decentralized planting approach. A few plants are grown on steep slopes, dozens on terraces or cliffs, each with different soil and microclimates, resulting in different aromatic components.

Yemeni farmers' sun-drying method is rougher than Ethiopia's. Coffee cherries grow naturally on trees without any artificial fertilizers or pesticides. In summer, they receive moisture from the mountain slopes' light rain and mist, flowering and bearing fruit. When dry winter arrives, mature coffee cherries are allowed to hang on trees to air-dry naturally until the fruits naturally dry into purplish-black on the branches and fall to the ground, where they are then collected. This differs from the refined sun-drying method used for Yirgacheffe or Sidamo, where red cherries are picked and spread on raised African beds, and is the main reason why Yemeni coffee has such a strong wild flavor.

Mokha Ismaili

Mokha Ismaili is one of the traditional ancient varieties, though some say it's a region. It's a market name for a famous coffee from central Yemen, also described as a traditional botanical classification of Yemeni coffee with high beverage quality. It's grown at high altitudes in rugged mountains above 1,981 meters. Its characteristics include rounder bean shapes, more inconsistent sizes, and smaller beans than Mattari. It offers a thick mouthfeel and high complexity, often outperforming Mattari. This is the least produced and most expensive Yemeni Mocha (Yemeni Mocha is already expensive to begin with). High-quality Mokha Ismaili is produced in the mountainous side areas of the Hirazi region (although Bani Matar is more famous, Hirazi is actually the region with the best local reputation in Yemen), with the highest altitude in Hirazi reaching 2,438 meters!

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