Yemen Mocha Specialty Coffee Beans: Mattari Region Introduction, Cultivation History, and Coffee Varieties

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Yemen Mocha Premium Coffee Beans: Mattari Region's Cultivation History and Flavor Characteristics

Origin Information

Region: Yemen, Mattari

Geographic Environment: Altitude 1400 meters above

Processing Method: Natural (Sun-dried)

Flavor Characteristics: Abundant acidity, strong and stimulating, more prominent than fruit flavors, with perfect depth and concentration. When the coffee cools, it reveals hints of fruit aroma and chocolate flavor.

Until the sixth century AD, Yemen was known as Arabia, and thus coffee trees transported from Yemen to other places were also called Arabian coffee trees. The origin of these trees is Ethiopia, and it was the Dutch who spread these coffee trees worldwide. Dutch merchants traveling east around the Cape of Good Hope had to pass through the east coast of Africa to Yemen's Mocha port before beginning their long journey to India. In 1696, the Dutch introduced coffee trees to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and then to Batavia in Java.

Mocha coffee beans are smaller and rounder than most coffee beans, making them look very similar to peas—in fact, peaberry beans are sometimes called Mocha beans. The appearance of Mocha coffee beans is similar to Ethiopia's Harrar coffee beans—small, high acidity, with discernible chocolate notes. Therefore, adding chocolate to coffee was a natural development process.

In Yemen, coffee growers plant poplar trees to provide shade for coffee trees. As in the past, these trees are planted on steep terraces to maximize the use of limited rainfall and land resources. In addition to Typica and Bourbon coffee trees, more than ten different coffee tree species native to Ethiopia are also cultivated in Yemen.

However, even high-quality coffee, such as premium Mocha coffee, has dried fruit pulp that remains attached to the beans after air-drying. Traditional stone mills are still frequently used to remove the hard, dry fruit shells, which results in irregular bean shapes and often damages the coffee beans.

Despite Yemen coffee's superior quality, smooth texture, and aromatic profile, there are shortcomings—the quality cannot be consistently guaranteed, and the grading system for coffee beans is also uncertain. Traditionally, Yemen's best coffee beans come from Mattari, followed by Sharki, and then Sanani. These producing regions all use natural processing methods, so the coffee beans carry wild flavors. Overall, Yemen coffee has a unique character—wild, complex, and stimulating—especially the charming wine-like acidity and deep dark chocolate flavor that many people love. These coffee beans have low caffeine content and are exported from December to April of the following year.

A long-standing problem has been that coffee produced in the north is mixed with inferior substances before being shipped from the southern port of Aden. Only coffee shipped from the port of Hodeida can be confirmed as genuinely produced in the north.

How to Brew Yemen Mocha Coffee

1. Dripper: V60

2. Water Temperature: 88°C

3. Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 4

4. Roast Level: Medium roast

5. Bloom Time: 25 seconds

Flavor Profile: Balanced, chocolate notes, persistent caramel sweetness in the aftertaste

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Method: Use 15g of coffee, ground with Fuji Royal ghost tooth grinder at setting 4, V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water for a 25-second bloom, then pour to 104g and stop. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 220g total. Avoid the last 5g. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time approximately 2:00 (calculated from when the bloom pour is completed).

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

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