How to Drink Yemen Matari Coffee? What is the Main Coffee Variety of Matari Coffee?

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When people mention Yemeni coffee, they immediately think of rich, wild, full-bodied natural beans. For centuries, Yemeni farmers have followed traditional cultivation methods passed down from their ancestors. Because Yemen's terrain is rugged and hard to farm, and rainfall is scarce, Yemeni farmers mostly cultivate on terraces or in depressions, choosing spots that are not strongly exposed to direct sunlight. Most Yemeni farmers are also poor and cannot afford pesticides, so almost all of them farm organically by default.

When Did Yemen Begin Cultivating Coffee?

There are various theories, but the 13th-century account is the most persuasive. According to a legend recorded in "The Origin of Coffee" by the Arab Islamic scholar Abd al-Qadir, coffee was already being consumed in the 13th century. What is more, the ancient city of Zabid, registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, was not only a center of education and religion in the Islamic regions of the Indian Ocean but also a hub beyond Yemen from the 13th century to about the 16th. Expanding Islamic influence in the 13th century reached deep into Ethiopia, and it is widely believed that coffee spread from Ethiopia at that time. Existing literature traces the etymology of the word "coffee" (Kafuwa) back to the 13th century.

Production Status

Ninety-five percent of Yemeni coffee comes from the mountainous regions running south to north in the west of the country. Yemeni coffee is grown on terraces (platforms) built into steep, bare mountain slopes at roughly 1,700-2,300 meters, and on farmland along dry river valleys that turn into underground streams at 1,500-1,700 meters. Because a stable water source cannot be guaranteed, all coffee is processed using the traditional non-washed method — that is, natural processing. Combined with the original traditional Arabica varieties, this produces a very distinctive fruity Mocha aroma that has long been popular in Japan.

Varieties

Yemeni coffee production is concentrated in the western mountains, with varieties such as Mataru, Ismaili, Harazi, Raymah, and Yaffaa. According to government research, Yemeni varieties are classified into four types: Dawairi (tree height 1-4 meters, larger round cherries), Tufahi (tree height 2-6 meters, larger apple-shaped cherries), Udaini (tree height 2-4 meters, smaller round cherries), and Buraa'i (tree height 1-3 meters, smaller oval cherries). Among these, Udaini, which appears to have the most common characteristics, is considered the prototype of Yemeni varieties.

Market Circulation

Traders in the capital, Sana'a, buy raw material from production regions across the country. They take this raw material — which cannot be traced to a specific growing area — and export selected grades under the name "Sana'ani" (meaning "from Sana'a"). Each exporting company then adds its own brand. In Japan it is customary to refer to Yemeni coffee as "Mokha Mattari," but inside Yemen, beans harvested from specific areas are named with adjectives. Coffee harvested in the Bani Matar region, for example, is called "Matarli," and coffee from Raymah is called "Raymi." The main export destination is overwhelmingly Saudi Arabia, followed by the United States and Japan. Europe's evaluation of Yemeni coffee is not especially high, and the volume that reaches it is small.

Brewing Recommendations from FrontStreet Coffee

Here are FrontStreet Coffee's brewing suggestions for Yemeni coffee beans:

• Dripper: V60
• Water Temperature: 88°C
• Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 4
• Roast Level: Medium roast
• Bloom Time: 25 seconds

Flavor Profile: Balanced, with chocolate notes and a persistent caramel sweetness in the aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Method: Use 15g of coffee grounds, ground at Fuji Royal grinder setting 4, with a V60 dripper and water at 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water for a 25-second bloom. Then pour to 104g and pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then continue pouring slowly to 220g, avoiding the last 5g. The water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15, with a total extraction time of approximately 2:00, counted from the end of the bloom pour.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Yemen's draw is its wild, natural-processed, dried-fruit intensity, and if that is the profile you enjoy, FrontStreet Coffee's sun-dried Ethiopian lots share a similar spirit. The sun-dried Red Cherry, picked only from fully ripe fruit and dried slowly on raised beds, brings berry juice, honey sweetness, and a creamy body, while the sun-dried Huakui shows a more tropical, fermented-fruit character with notes of peach, cocoa, honey, and lemon. Both are grown in the same broad region where coffee first spread toward Yemen, and both carry that deep, layered fruit sweetness that makes naturally processed coffee so distinctive.

If you prefer something lighter and more aromatic while still keeping a natural-process profile, the sun-dried Hamashu 74158 offers strawberry, star fruit, and green grape sweetness with a soft floral lift — a gentler introduction to the style than a full Mocha.