Yemen: An Ancient Coffee Growing Nation and Flavor Profile of Sun-Dried Yemen Coffee

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Yemen is one of the ancient coffee-growing countries with a rather wild flavor profile. From the 17th century, Europeans have been fascinated by the wild Yemen Mocha, and this fascination continues to this day. Yemen has an extremely dry climate with annual rainfall of 400-750mm. Fortunately, Yemen's coffee genetics come from the drought-resistant Harrar variety from Ethiopia, so from ancient times to the present, Yemen's coffee beans have been exclusively processed using the natural method. Yemen is also the only coffee-producing country in the world that exclusively uses natural processing.

The Origin of Yemen Mocha Coffee

Yemen is located at the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, bordering Saudi Arabia and Oman, with coastlines along the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Arabian Sea. The western and southern regions of Yemen feature continuous mountains and plateaus, with Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb reaching an elevation of 3,666 meters, making it the highest point in Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula. The northeastern region consists of vast highland areas.

When it comes to Mocha coffee, many people think of the Italian milk coffee with chocolate sauce found in coffee shops today or the Mocha coffee made with a Moka pot. However, the Yemen Mocha coffee mentioned here refers to the Yemeni coffee that was first sold to Europe in the early 17th century. It was exported through the ancient small port of "Mocha Port," which astonished Europeans. They began calling the delicious coffee from Mocha Port "Mocha coffee," which is the origin of the term "Mocha coffee."

Today, the old Mocha port has long been abandoned due to sediment accumulation (now known as Al Makha), becoming a historical port with only white sand beaches remaining. Exports have shifted to the northwestern port of Hodeida. However, people have long been accustomed to the name Mocha, and its reputation resonates worldwide. The name has been used to this day.

Yemen Coffee Growing Regions

Yemen's specialty coffee growing regions are mainly concentrated in the central highland areas of Mattari, San'ani, and Ismaili.

Mokha Mattari

Mokha Mattari: This is the most renowned coffee market name from Bani Mattar (also spelled Bany Mattar) west of Yemen's capital Sana'a. It is coffee produced at high altitudes, typically exhibiting good red wine aroma, dried fruit flavors, and a rich body. When dark roasted, it often displays chocolate bittersweet flavors. High-quality Mattari beans are small in size, with raw beans having a prominent sweet wine aroma and moderate fermented ripe fruit notes. It always emerges as a winner due to its more pronounced Yemeni character. Elevation: approximately 2,000-2,400 meters.

Mokha San'ani

Mokha San'ani: A broad market name for coffee from several growing areas west of Yemen's capital Sana'a. It is a blend from tens of thousands of small farms on the slopes near the capital San'a (left image shows Yemen's capital Sana'a). The growing altitude is slightly lower than Mattari. Generally, it has a lighter body than Mattari, lower acidity, but good fruit aroma, often with better ripe fruit and wild characteristics than Mattari. Elevation: approximately 1,650 meters.

Mokha Ismaili

Mokha Ismaili: One of the traditional ancient varieties, some also consider it a growing region. It is a market name for a famous coffee from central Yemen and is also described as a traditional botanical classification of Yemeni coffee with high beverage quality. It is grown at high altitudes in rugged mountainous areas above 1,981 meters. Its characteristic is more round-shaped beans with inconsistent sizes, smaller than Mattari beans, with a rich body and high complexity. Generally, it often outperforms Mattari. This is the least produced and most expensive Yemen Mocha (Yemen Mocha is already not inexpensive to begin with). High-quality Mokha Ismaili is produced in the mountainous side areas of the Hirazi region (although not as famous as Bani Matar, it is the region with the best local reputation in Yemen). The highest altitude in the Hirazi region reaches up to 2,438 meters.

Yemen Coffee Varieties

In recent years, Yemen has mainly cultivated Typica and Bourbon varieties. The Mocha mentioned above is actually the real variety of Yemen coffee called Udaini. It is not only an ancient Typica variety but also one of the most common and oldest coffee varieties in Yemen. The beans are very small, and some people call them "small Mocha." Mocha is a flat bean, not a round bean, small but aromatic and flavorful.

A Flavor Profile That Divides Opinions

The wild flavor profile of Yemen coffee creates polarized evaluations among coffee connoisseurs. Those who like this wild character consider it a wild fragrance brought by fermentation, while those who dislike it think it tastes like durian. Such flavor evaluations repeatedly sparked FrontStreet Coffee's curiosity, so they procured Yemen Mocha to roast in-house, then experienced this wild sensation through cupping and brewing. FrontStreet Coffee believes that although Yemen Mocha's flavor is wild with spicy aromatics and lacks cleanliness, there is always a hint of surprise behind the wildness.

Country: Yemen

Region: Mattari

Elevation: 1,300-1,900m

Varieties: Typica, Bourbon

Processing: Natural processing

Yemen's Natural Processing Method

Yemeni farmers' natural processing method is coarser than Ethiopia's. Coffee cherries are not picked when they turn red; instead, they are left to naturally dry on the branches until they turn purplish-black and fall to the ground, where they are then collected. This differs from the refined natural processing of Yirgacheffe or Sidamo, where red cherries are picked and spread on "raised African beds." This is the main reason for Yemen's particularly wild flavors. However, because farmers store natural-processed beans for varying durations, almost every batch of raw beans has its own distinct character.

Yemen's natural processing method involves hand-harvesting fully ripe coffee beans and then placing them directly in dedicated coffee drying areas or their own compacted earthen front yards to sun-dry. During the sun-drying period, similar to drying rice in Taiwan, wooden rakes are used to turn the beans to ensure even drying. After about twenty days when the coffee is completely dry, the outer fruit flesh and skin are removed to extract the coffee beans. Yemeni coffee is rich, complex, wild, mellow, with strong fermentation notes and lower acidity characteristics. Additionally, Yemen coffee often contains an uncertain factor (timing of seasonal rainfall) that makes it unpredictable. Calling it the most special coffee in the world is no exaggeration.

FrontStreet Coffee's Green Bean Analysis

When lightly roasted, these Yemen Mocha beans exhibit relatively bright fruit acidity, with fruity sweet aromatics, and flavors of spices and chocolate. When medium-roasted, they present flavors of red berries, vanilla, cream, caramel, and chocolate. When dark roasted, they show prominent chocolate, nut, and spice flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee's roaster chose a medium roast level. Yemen Mocha beans have relatively low moisture content, and considering the inconsistent bean sizes, the drop temperature for low-moisture beans should not be too high. Additionally, early dehydration should be accelerated to retain moisture for first crack development of flavor and body. Preheat for 30 seconds, open the air damper to 3, until the beans turn light green or white, then open the air damper to 4, and after first crack, open to 5 (maximum).

FrontStreet Coffee's Roasting Recommendations

Heat the roaster to 170°C and load the beans, with air damper at 3. After 1 minute, adjust heat to 140°C, keeping the air damper unchanged. Roast to 5'00", temperature reaches 147.2°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, dehydration is complete. Adjust heat to 110°C, air damper to 4.

At 8'00 minutes, ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, toast aroma clearly transitions to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 8'23", first crack begins, reduce heat to 60°C, open air damper fully (adjust heat very carefully, not so low that cracking stops). Drop at 197.9°C.

FrontStreet Coffee's Cupping Report

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee recommends using a Kalita dripper to brew Yemen Mocha coffee. The Kalita trapezoidal dripper design presents a shape that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom when viewed from the side, with a circular shape at the top. This design helps concentrate water flow and allows coffee particles to distribute evenly, reducing stacking conditions. There are many ribs on the cup wall, distributed in straight lines with consistent spacing between ribs, aiming to increase degassing and water flow speed. Meanwhile, its flow rate is relatively slow, primarily using immersion extraction, which can present better body richness.

Grind: Granulated sugar size / medium-coarse grind (70-75% pass-through rate with #20 standard sieve)

Water temperature: 90°C

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Coffee amount: 15 grams

FrontStreet Coffee's segmented brewing technique: First, pour in a circular motion 30g to evenly moisten the coffee bed, bloom for 30s. Then slightly increase the water flow and pour directly in the center with a small water stream to 125g for the first segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring in the center with a small water stream to 225g, then stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. Total extraction time from the start of blooming is 2'00.

Brewing flavors: Medium complexity with subtle grape acidity appearing at the end of the mouthfeel changes, long spice aftertaste, sweet and smooth mouth-watering quality with a Middle Eastern milk tea feeling that lasts for a long time, with malt sweetness remaining in the cup bottom.

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