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What Makes Yemeni Mocha Coffee Delicious and Which Shops Are Recommended

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange, more coffee bean information, please follow Cafe Workshop (WeChat public account cafe_style). Yemeni Mocha coffee bean origin introduction: Yemen produces peaberry beans: This type of coffee bean is smaller and rounder than most coffee beans, looks like a pea, and is sometimes called Mocha coffee bean. The shape of Mocha coffee beans is also similar to Ethiopian...

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Introduction to Yemen Mocha Coffee Bean Origin

Yemen produces peaberry coffee beans: these beans are smaller and rounder than most coffee beans, resembling peas and sometimes referred to as mocha coffee beans. The appearance of mocha coffee beans is similar to Ethiopian Harrar coffee beans - they are small-grained, highly acidic, and mixed with a peculiar and indescribable spicy flavor. With careful tasting, you can also discern a hint of chocolate flavor, making the addition of chocolate to coffee a natural development process.

In Yemen, coffee growers plant poplar trees to provide necessary shade for coffee trees. As in the past, these trees are planted on steep terraces to maximize the utilization 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. Authentic "mocha coffee beans" are only produced in the Republic of Yemen on the southwestern Arabian Peninsula, growing on steep mountain slopes at altitudes ranging from 3,000 to 8,000 feet, making them one of the world's oldest cultivated coffees.

Yemen Mocha Varieties

Mokha Mattari

A renowned coffee market name from Mattari in the Bani Mattar (also spelled Bany Mattar) province west of Yemen's capital Sana'a. This is high-altitude coffee, typically characterized by excellent red wine aroma, dried fruit flavors, full body, and often displays bittersweet chocolate notes when dark roasted. High-quality Mattari beans are small in size, with uncooked beans having a prominent sweet wine aroma and moderate fermented fruit flavor. They consistently emerge as winners due to their more distinct Yemeni style.

Mokha San'ani

A broad market name for coffees from growing areas west of Yemen's capital Sana'a. This is a blend from tens of thousands of small farms on the slopes near the capital San'a. The growing altitude is slightly lower than Mattari, generally with a lighter body than Mattari and lower acidity, but with good fruit aroma, often having better fermented fruit and wild flavors than Mattari. Based on experience, the quality variation of San'ani has been extremely large in recent years, sometimes producing inferior products with flat flavors, earthy notes, or excessive fermentation. Careful cupping and selection is essential work for coffee merchants - absolutely no cutting corners.

Mokha Ismaili

One of the traditional ancient varieties, a market name for famous coffee from central Yemen, also described as a botanical classification of traditional Yemeni coffee with high beverage quality. It grows at very high altitudes, above 6,500 feet, characterized by more rounded bean shapes and smaller than Mattari beans, with full body and high complexity. Generally, it often outperforms Mattari. This is the lowest-production, most expensive Yemeni mocha (Yemeni mocha is already not cheap). High-quality Mokha Ismaili comes from mountain slopes in the Hirazi region (though not as famous as Bani Matar, it has the best local reputation in Yemen), with the highest altitude reaching 8,000 feet!

Mokha Rimi

Produced in the Djebel Remi (also known as Raimi, Rayma) region, with quality similar to San'ani. Mokha Rimi typically has slightly heavier fermentation, occasionally displaying surprisingly rich raisin sweetness. When properly roasted, the coffee beans smell like opening a bottle of rich jam.

Mokha Yafeh

Produced in Yemen's southern Yafeh (also known as Yaffe) province, this is an uncommon Yemeni mocha and Yemen's only "southern style" coffee. Production is limited, with most sold to neighboring United Arab Emirates, making it rarely seen in the international specialty coffee market.

Arabian Mocha

A single-origin coffee from the mountainous regions of Yemen on the southwestern Arabian Peninsula bordering the Red Sea. One of the world's finest cultivated coffees, known for its high viscosity and distinctive rich, wine-like acidity.

Yemeni mochas achieve different schools based on their growing regions, much like the chocolate and acidity of MATTARI mocha, and the wildness and fragrance of SANANI mocha.

Characteristics of Yemeni Coffee

Despite Yemeni coffee's superior quality, smooth texture, and aromatic profile, there are shortcomings - 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, then Sanani. These coffee beans have low caffeine content. Dark-roasted Yemeni coffee often displays chocolate-like bittersweet notes, influencing today's chocolate-flavored specialty coffees which are also labeled "mocha."

Yemeni coffee possesses the world's most unique, rich, and fascinating complex aromas: red wine fragrance, wildness, dried fruit notes, blueberry, grape, cinnamon, tobacco, sweet spices, woody notes, and even chocolate flavors - you can see various adjectives used to describe Yemeni mocha. Just as mocha has multiple meanings, its English spelling also varies: Moka, Moca, Mocca are all common spellings, with local spellings on Yemeni coffee bags and documents reaching four types: "Mokha," "Makha," "Morkha," "Mukha" - all representing the same meaning.

Yemeni mocha has complex and varied flavors. For coffee roasters, how to roast Yemeni mocha to bring out its best flavors is a major challenge! Light to medium roasting reveal fruit sweetness, gentleness, and warm natural fermentation notes; dark roasting display rich red wine fragrance and bittersweet chocolate aftertaste.

Flavor Profile

Exotic flavor, slightly wine-like, spicy and stimulating, unique and distinctive - a must-try

Recommended Roasting Method

Medium roasting

★★★: Excellent

Yemeni Coffee Market

Yemen's coffee is exported from December to April of the following year. A persistent problem has been that coffee from the north is adulterated with inferior substances before being shipped from the southern port of Aden. Only coffee shipped from the port of Hodeida can be confirmed as truly from the north. Most of Yemen's coffee grows under natural conditions, mainly due to growers' lack of funds.

Recommended Yemeni Mocha Coffee Bean Brands

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted Yemeni mocha coffee beans offer full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they offer excellent value - each 227-gram package costs only about 85 yuan. Calculating at 15 grams of coffee beans per cup, one package can make 15 cups of coffee, with each cup costing only about 6 yuan. Compared to coffee shops selling cups for tens of yuan, this is truly a conscientious recommendation.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans, while also providing online store services.

https://shop104210103.taobao.com