The Coffees of Yemen

Arabia: Yemen

Rounded Shape of Shibriqi Mokha
Shibriqi coffee cherry is smaller than Tufahi, and has a very rounded shape

Checking out the Coffee Cherry
We came across a guy resting after picking some coffee (not the guy in the image - that's me!) In Central America you see pickers with huge amounts of cherry, but with such low production in Yemen, with so little coffee in the trees, this was a miniscule bag in comparison.

Technically, Yemen is on the Asian continent (on the Arabian Peninsula) although it is really just a stone's throw from Africa, across the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. For coffee reasons, and since there is no other "Arabian" coffee, we put it in the family of tastes that are North African.

Now, what is Mokha? Al Mokha (Al-Mahka) is the port city that Yemeni coffee ships from! It has nothing to do with chocolate. Why is the coffee called Mokha? Because in the coffee trade it was too complicated to name all the little sub-regions where the coffee is actually grown, even though they do produce notably different coffees in terms of the cup. Many of the dry-process Ethiopian coffees will also call themselves Moka: Moka Harar etc. ...I believe to associate themselves with the taste profile they share with Yemens. How the heck do you spell Mokha? Well, it is spelled usually Mocca or Mocha or Moka ...but in fact the most correct spelling is the one you will never see: Al-Mahka, which is the truest to Arabic spelling. I am trying to use it, but you will see I lapse, or in fact want to indicate also the way I am seeing it spelled on the burlap bag. Lastly, let me say that Yemeni are one of the most distinct and prized coffees in the world, but this is what we call a "wild" or natural cup ...Earthy, complex, pungent ---to some it may be strange and bitter. Either way, do yourself a favor and try it sometime.( You can see by our selection I am a fan of this unusual coffee) ... And don't blame me if you become addicted!
Yemen has a coffee culture like no other place, and perhaps some of what we enjoy in this cup is due to their old style of trade. Exporters do not buy from farms, but through an extesive network of middlemen. Local buyers receive coffee in the pod, the entire dried cherry, and that is stored, usually in underground caverns! The coffee actually exported is usually the oldest of their stocks, not new crop coffee! But this is the way it has been, and is one reason that new Yemen arrivals often have moisture content readings in the 10.5% range, in my experience. Yemeni growers are not hurt by this system with so many middlemen, largely because the coffee land under cultivation is limited and the crop is in such high demand. Competition from the Saudis also keeps Yemeni coffee prices very high. We are offering Qishr now too (also spelled Quishir, Keshir, Geshir) - the dried coffee husks used to make traditional hot infused coffee tea, or Yemen Ginger Tea.

I have posted a rather large travelogue from my Yemen trip, November 2007, and links to other articles about Yemen coffee

Coffee Farms:	330,000	Harvest Times:	Main Crop: Octy.-Dec. , 2nd harvest (some areas) in April
Coffee Workers:	1,530,000	Processing; Grading:	Natural, locally dry-processed arabica; No regulatory agency, no grading
Shading:	Wild growth, yes: N/A, Coffee grown on terraces	Certified Organic:	None certified: all coffee grown organic by tradition, no chemical inputs.
Major Coffee Growing Regions:	Mattari (from Bani Matar), Hirazi/Harasi (from Haras), Haimi, Saihi, Ismaili, Sharasi, Dhamari (from Dhamar), Rimy (from Raimi or Rayma)	Rank in Production::	10th in Asia 46th in World
Botanical Cultivars:	10 unique local varietals of original Mokha seedstock, brought from Ethiopia	Introduced:	6th Century or earlier: Introduced from Harar region of Ethiopia where coffea arabica grows wild. Yemen was the first site of coffee cultivation outside Ethiopia

Al Hagarah On the way to Haras, Yemen, you pass this especially imposing town, Al Hagarah. By the way, there's always a variety of way to spell things in Yemen. I was given the names of Al Hagrah, Al Hajrah, and Al Hagarah for this town.	I can see coffee now ... As we approached Lower Gart I could see that many of the roofs had coffee drying. Indeed, this is the middle of the Yemeni Harvest (October-December) so it makes sense.

General Yemen Roasting Tips: These coffees are very high-grown and need to be roasted slightly longer than other arabica coffees. This is a dry-processed natural coffee, and the roast color will be uneven from bean to bean ...but we judge coffee by the "cup quality," not visual appearances: don't be an "eye-cupper". Some Yemeni coffees are very small in screen size, which might cause problems in the Alpenrost. Yemeni coffee really develops its flavors over the first 2 days after roasting, especially the body/mouthfeel. Ideally, try to wait 24-48 hours before brewing. Since this is a hand prepared coffee dried in the sun - watch out for rocks! There can be small stones in the coffee that you need to cull out before roasting and definitely before grinding as these can jam a grinder. (In wet processed coffees the stones fall out in the water channel but in dry processed coffees, small stones can escape detection and make it all the way through to the final bag.) Expect uneven roast colors from Yemeni coffees, just as with the dry-processed Ethiopian coffees. Yemeni coffees pass from 1st crack to 2nd crack rapidly, so be on your toes!

Our Yemeni Offerings: Please refer to our Reference Page for definitions of terms and cupping numbers used below

Yemen Mokha Sana'ani

Country:

Yemen

Grade:

n/a

Region:

Sana'ani

Mark:

Sana'ani Mokha

Processing:

Natural Dry Processed

Crop:

Mid-March 2008 Arrival

Appearance:

1.4 d/300gr, 15-16 Screen

Varietal:

Heirloom Yemen Seedstock

Dry Fragrance (1-5)

3.8

Notes: Sana'ani refers to any coffee grown in the high altitudes around the Yemeni capital of Sana'a (also Sana). A Sana'ani coffee is probably a different mix every time you buy it, since the Yemen system involves families selling to local collectors, selling to Sana collectors, then selling to exporters. It's simply the tradition there. We visited in November to explore new ways to buy distonct regional coffees, and those lots start to arrive in March-April. This is NOT one of those lots, this is a pooled Sana'ani, but it also happens to be an excellent lot with a fantastic cup! This cup has bright fruitiness at the light roasts (City) , a winey depth to the acidity, a touch of spice in the cup, and sweet tobacco hints. I love the way this coffee passes through your senses while drinking it: it begins with a burst of spice, cinnamon and clove; as the curtain lifts on the first wave of flavor a light, delicate peach-apricot fruitiness is revealed, and in the end a bit of cinnamon spiciness. The coffee has a good winey edge and dried peach-apricot fruit character but it will depend on your roast treatment of the coffee: At City+ in an air roaster, you get the maximum bright, fruited, light body cup. Slow down the roast and put it in a drum and the body is more accented (remember to rest the roast 48 hours for increased body) and a bit is taken off the top end. It has great sweet fragrance as dry grounds and wet aromatics, a rustic sweetness that I have not seen in a Yemen in a long time. In the long aftertaste, as the heat dissipates, an herbal sweetness emerges, with a clear nutmeg and mulling spice accent. I especially enjoyed light Vienna roast here also, where a dark caramelized sugar sweetness was still present, the fruit had turned broodingly winey.

Wet Aroma (1-5)

3.8

Brightness - Acidity (1-10)

8.3

Flavor - Depth (1-10)

9.1

Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)

3.7

Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)

Cupper's Correction (1-5)

Intensity/Prime Attribute: Bold Intensity/Exotic spices, dried fruit, rustic sweetness.

add 50

Roast: City+ to FC+ Roast or darker. You need to rest Yemens 2 days to allow the body to develop. Then again, cup aromas are best with a short 12-24 hour rest. Be aware of small bean size, and that Yemen produces a large amount of chaff.!

Score (Max. 100)

88.7

Compare to: Intense, complex and wild cup.

Maria

Yemen Qishr (Tea) - SOLD OUT - More coming in August

Country:

Yemen

Grade:

n/a

Region:

Mixed

Mark:

Mohamed Sowaid

Processing:

Natural Dry Processed Skins

Crop:

April 2008 Arrival

Appearance:

Varietal:

Heirloom Yemen Moka Seedstock Coffee Shells

Dry Fragrance (1-5)

Notes: Qishr is an infused tea beverage that you make using the dried coffee husks of the coffee fruit, a by-product of of the natural dry-process method. Oddly, Yemen is one of the few places that produces top quality Qishr. But this is fitting since this is the true Qishr too, from the first place to grow coffee commercially, Yemen. And this is the first time Sweet Maria's has ever offered a tea! But since it is made from the fruit of the coffee tree, we feel justified in making an exception. Qishr goes by many names, often phonetic interpretations of the true arabic name: Keshir, Kishir, Gesh, Quishir. If you like herbal tea, and have some forgiveness of rustic flavors, you will enjoy Qishr! I brew it straight, with no added ingredients such as sugar, spice, etc. and it is outstanding. You will detect flavors such as rose hips, fresh ginger and other spices. You can also make Yemen Ginger Tea with Qishr, where you actually add ginger, sugar and other ingredients ... but I suggest you try it with no additives at least once. I think you will find it complex and satisfying without adding other flavors. How to brew it? The husks themseves do not need to be ground - you can brew it as it comes to you from us. Use the same proportions as coffee brewing, one SCAA coffee scoop of Qishr to 5 oz very hot water. I make it just as you "cup" coffee, put one scoop in a cup, pour over with waterjust off a boil. It benefits greatly from stirring during infusion. Steep 4-6+ minutes. The husks will (mostly) sink, and you can simply drink right from the cup. It actually improves as it steeps longer. Of course you can use tea-brewing devices, but a tea ball won't be large enough, generally. You can use a woven tea basket. But you can make Qishr best in a French Press if you are preparing more than one cup. To make the flavored Yemen Ginger Tea with Qishr you boil it with the hot water and other additives. In Ethiopia I am told they roast the Qishr first, but I am not familiar with this technique.

Yemeni Qishr (dried coffee skins)
yemen_qishr_cups

Qishr as it was served to me in Yemen on my last trip.

Wet Aroma (1-5)

Brightness - Acidity (1-10)

Flavor - Depth (1-10)

Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)

Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)

Cupper's Correction (1-5)

Intensity/Prime Attribute: Tea beverage with unique spices, ginger, tamarind, fruit

add 50

Roast: Don't roast it, if you want to do this Yemeni style. I am told in Ethiopia it is roasted before steeping.

Score (Max. 100)

Compare to: Similar to herbal infusion teas, especially dried rose hips.

Not that we sell Qishr in a 1/2 Lb bag. Because of the light weight, this fills one of our bags we use for 2 Lbs. of coffee. 1/2 Lb. is a great quantity to try this out, resulting in around 15-30 5 oz cups, depending on your steep method. We have a limited amount, hence the restriction of 1/2 Lb per order.

Maria