Yemen Coffee Estate Origin Introduction: Sanaani with Fruity Wine Aftertaste

Property Characteristics

Farm: Small producers

Grade: Natural dried Arabica beans, no administrative organization, no grading system

Region: Sana'ani

Country: Yemen

Altitude: 1,650 meters

Certification: No certification. All coffee is grown organically following traditional methods, without chemical pesticides or other agents.

Coffee Characteristics

Variety: 10 special local native Mocha varieties, mainly Jaa'di, Taffahi and Dawairi

Processing System: Red ripe cherries dried on African beds (sun-dried on raised beds)

Harvest period: Main crop harvest from October to December, with a secondary harvest in certain regions during April

Top Jury Descriptions: Cupping roast level begins 60 seconds after first crack (Cinnamon roast)

Aroma/Flavor: Banana, spices, cinnamon, clove, bergamot, maple syrup, longan, chocolate

Acidity: Citrus, plum, cherry, tartaric acid

Complexity and Other: Rose perfume, a fresh-milk-like rich and mellow mouthfeel, heavy caramel sweetness, a persistent fruit-wine aftertaste

FrontStreet Coffee's Cupping Score and Overall Evaluation

Yemen Sanani green beans are full of wine-like acidity, with fewer woody notes and mainly fermented fruit aromas. Deep aroma and a long-lasting aftertaste are Yemen coffee's strengths. Recommended as pour-over coffee beans.

Yemen lies on the Arabian Peninsula of the Asian continent, very close to Africa, just across the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Yet because other Arab countries do not produce coffee, the world classifies Yemen coffee as African coffee. Mocha was Yemen's coffee export port. Since naming every tiny sub-region in coffee trade history was impractical, even the insignificant small areas that produced excellent coffee were named after their export location. Nearby sun-dried beans from East Africa were also exported worldwide through Mocha port in early days. Today Mocha port has long been silted up and gone. Many Ethiopian sun-dried beans are also named Mocha, such as the well-known Harar Mocha, because their flavors share common traits with Yemen coffee.

Yemen was the first country to use coffee as a cash crop. Legend holds that in the 6th century, Islamic Sufi pilgrims introduced it from Ethiopia. The most correct spelling is "Al-Mahka," the Arabic form. The coffee grows on steep terrain with little rainfall, poor soil and insufficient sunlight, unique and difficult conditions that are unfavorable to coffee. Yet these conditions nurtured the irreplaceable Yemen Mocha. Most wild Yemen beans are unmanaged, growing naturally until they mature, fall and dry; farmers merely gather them. In overall style they are "wild" or "natural," with earthy notes and extremely high complexity. To some, the spicy aroma is pungent, but either way you should find time to try it. If you fall deeply in love with it too, that will be the start of a whole new coffee journey.

Yemen Sanani lies in the capital region, with coffee planted on terraces. There are wild varieties with no verifiable documentation. The biggest characteristic of Sanani green beans is their fermented wine aroma. The calm, ample fermented-wine aftertaste is not found in the sun-dried beans of other countries.

Related Recommendations

What is Mocha coffee? Yemen Mocha Mattari sun-dried beans are Yemen's true Mocha coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If it is the delicate, aromatic side of Yemen that draws you in, FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Emerald Estate Red Label Geisha explores a similarly elegant register. This Geisha lot carries a very refined jasmine fragrance along with citrus, bergamot and black-tea notes, and the cup is clean and transparent with a long, sweet finish and rich layering. It is one of the great experiences that pour-over drinkers chase, and it rewards careful brewing.

For the wine-like, fermented quality that Yemen Mocha is famous for, FrontStreet Coffee's naturally processed options are worth exploring: its Huakui brings layered tropical fruit, honey sweetness and a fermented fragrance, and its naturally processed Yirgacheffe Red Cherry adds berry juiciness and a creamy body on top of the region's floral acidity.