QUESTION: The last time I was in a coffee shop I came across beans from Yemen for the first time. Intrigued, I decided to buy a pack. However, my attention was drawn to the fact that being a coffee drinker for years, this was the first time I had come across coffee from Yemen. What is special about Yemen coffee? Why can it be seen so rarely on the shelves of coffee shops?
DARREN OLIVER AT CLEARLY COFFEE REPLIES: Beans from Yemen (and Yemen coffee in general) are indeed something amazing and special. I remember when I had the first opportunity to taste them myself. I was stunned by the taste, which I felt for the first time in my life. The coffee was chocolaty, earthy, and even a bit “spicy,” but at the same time it didn’t have a heavy character, it was refreshing, light, and delicious, with floral and berry notes being very palpable. So, why is it so special?
To fully understand the unusual characteristics of coffee from Yemen, we must go back in history. Although today the country is not one of the most famous coffee exporters, there was a time when the area of today’s Yemen was home to the coffee capital of the world, the port of Mokka (from which one of the most popular coffee drinks takes its name). Although the history of coffee begins in Ethiopia, it is Yemen and the monks who cultivated the coffee culture there that many believe are responsible for the development of coffee history. Quite simply, for many years, due to its unique climate, Yemen was the only producer of coffee.
In turn, Mokka was the largest coffee port in the world, and coffee beans were the country’s most important export product. Yemen had a monopoly on coffee production until the 18th century, so it’s no surprise that coffee was a key part of the country’s economy. Everything changed, however, when the smuggling of coffee plant beans began – when other countries began producing coffee on a large scale, Yemen quickly lost its position – but the unique nature of the country’s beans is something that cannot be stolen.
Why Is Yemeni Coffee Different?
When drinking coffee from Yemen, it’s hard not to feel an obvious difference in taste. Coffee from Yemen is often described as earthy, with notes of berries, wood, tobacco, and… chocolate (it is because of the distinctiveness of this particular note that the word “Mocca” is often used to describe the combination of coffee and chocolate, although initially it simply meant the type of coffee from Yemen)! That’s what made it famous in the first place. The flavor of the beans comes from the breeding and processing of the beans themselves. Specific, special, and unique climatic conditions make the taste one of a kind. In addition, processing also comes into play – the ripest coffee cherries are harvested by hand so that only the most mature ones are selected. The coffee cherries are dried and the pulp is removed from them – the beans thus take on irregular shapes, very characteristic of coffees from this country.
Why Is Coffee From Yemen So Expensive?
There’s no denying that real coffee from Yemen is slightly more expensive than the standard beans you’ll see on the shelves of typical coffee roasters. Why? The answer is very simple: true Yemeni coffee is simply very rare – the production process is tedious and long, it requires experience, and the final amount of product obtained is small. In short: supply is lower than demand, so the price must be higher!
A Very Special Recipe
Having beans from Yemen, we can brew a true Yemeni coffee brew, the kind that is brewed in the country. How does it differ from standard brews brewed using espresso machines? First of all, coffee is combined with various additives. Finely ground beans are mixed with sugar and ginger and then boiled three times in a pot. This allows the full flavor to be extracted from each ingredient. Of course, this recipe can be modified and experimented with at will – cardamom and cinnamon are often added to add some spice to the whole thing. This is a fairly basic recipe – feel free to find your own interesting flavor combinations!
Conclusion
You already know what Mocca, the famous coffee from Yemen, is. We hope that understanding its history, what makes it special, as well as learning about the authentic way of brewing it will allow you to fully appreciate the next Yemeni beans that find their way into your hands. Enjoy!