How is the Quality of Yemen Coffee Beans and How to Roast Them

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Mocha Grading: Sanani

Due to Yemen's low annual coffee production, only about 35% consists of Mocha Sanani and Mocha Mattari, which can be considered the higher quality Yemeni coffees.

Matari Growing Region

Coffee from the Matari growing region is characterized by its "unattractive" appearance - uneven in size with significant color variation, looking like a mixture of small peas and empty defective beans.

Green Bean Information:

Yemen Mocha Mattari

Country: Yemen

Region: Mattari

Altitude: 1,300~1,900m

Varietal: Typica, Bourbon

Process: Natural / Sundried

Because of their very small bean size, they are also called "small Mocha." Mocha beans are flat, not round, and are small yet aromatic.

Roasting Analysis

Yemen Mocha belongs to green beans with relatively low moisture content. Considering the uneven bean size, the dropping temperature for low-moisture beans should not be too high. Steam for 30 seconds with the damper open to 3, until the beans turn light green or white, then open the damper to 4, and after first crack open to 5 (maximum).

FrontStreet Coffee suggests keeping detailed records before roasting: coffee bean moisture content, density, origin, processing method, roasting room temperature and humidity, etc., and planning your roasting curve. Record relevant chemical and physical changes during the roasting process, as this will help you better understand the final roasting results and improve your roasting curve.

Roaster: Yangjia 800N, 550g green beans loaded

Roasting Curve:

Preheat the drum to 170°C, open damper to 3. After 1 minute, adjust heat to 140°C, damper unchanged. Roast to 5'00" at 147.2°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, dehydration complete. Adjust heat to 110°C, damper to 4.

At 8'00 minutes, ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, toast aroma clearly transforms to coffee aroma - this can be defined as the prelude to first crack. Listen carefully for the sound of first crack, which begins at 8'23". Adjust heat down to 60°C, damper fully open (adjust heat very carefully, not too low to stop cracking sounds). Drop at 197.9°C.

Cupping Report:

Medium Roast City (Caramel Aroma): Before grinding, the coffee beans have a peanut aroma. After grinding, there's a caramel fragrance. During slurping, complex layers emerge with a slight grape acidity appearing at the end of the palate. The spicy aftertaste is long, with a sweet, rounded mouthfeel that has a Middle Eastern milk tea feeling, lasting for a considerable time. The cup residue has malt sweetness. Medium-roasted Yemen Mocha continues to develop - it's recommended to brew 7-14 days after roasting when the complex wild fermented flavors are at their best.

Related Recommendations: What is Mocha coffee? Yemen Mocha - Mattari natural beans are Yemen's true Mocha coffee beans

Important Notice :

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