The story of Yemeni mocha coffee full of game _ Why did the former coffee country become a marginal producer?

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As early as the end of the 17th century to the early 18th century, the first coffee beans drunk by Europeans actually came from the Yemeni mocha, so the term "mocha" became synonymous with coffee, which can be associated with coffee. However, today, three centuries later, Yemeni coffee is not as rich as it used to be, with an annual output of only about 10,000 metric tons, which is simply insignificant compared with other countries. However, the Yemeni mocha "game" boutique coffee beans are still missed by many people. Yemeni mocha is fascinating with complex flavors such as red wine, wild game, dried fruit, berries and chocolate.

Yemeni mocha coffee beans didn't fall.

With regard to the continuous decline in the production of mocha coffee beans in Yemen, experts pointed out that there are several reasons, including drought and water shortage, rising planting costs, serious diseases and insect pests, cheaper coffee beans in other countries, and a better profit than coffee. It all shows that it is not easy to grow coffee beans in Yemen.

This is mainly due to the changeable topography and climate of Yemen, which leads to the scattered distribution of coffee among cliffs, vertical valleys, depressions, fields, terraces, plateaus and even mountains, the soil is not easy to retain moisture, and the mountain air is dry, and Rain Water is not much. It's not a good place to grow coffee at all.

However, Yemen inherits the wisdom of its ancestors by planting coffee trees on steep slopes or depressions in valleys and using terraced fields to retain precious water. Let coffee trees grow in a severe environment, but also make coffee flavor more diverse, giving birth to a unique "game", creating Yemeni mocha "game" full of boutique coffee beans.

Although the Yemeni coffee variety comes from Ethiopia, after evolution, it has actually become a unique breed in Yemen. It is needless to say that only the old farmers in Yemen can distinguish it according to the planting environment and region. The outside world is difficult to understand. The main reason is that the bean appearance and flavor are actually similar to Ethiopia's Hara and the sun's Yegashafi, but the Yemeni flavor is more elusive and complex. It's a little more mysterious.

Yemeni coffee-producing areas are mainly concentrated in the northern highlands, with elevations between 1000 and 2400 meters above sea level, with a great drop and a lot of topography. Several of the more well-known producing areas are as follows:

Matali (also known as Matali, Mattari): located at 2000-2400 meters above sea level, it is the highest producing area in Yemen and the most famous coffee bean. When shallow baking, the flavor has obvious fruit fermentation and red wine aroma, obvious sweetness, with berry or citrus sour aromas. But deep baking is a different flavor, with a clear chocolate sweetness.

Sanani: Shanali is a general term that refers to coffee in the surrounding areas of the capital Sana'a. The flavor of this area has a thick fruity aroma, often with more ripe fruit and game than Matali, but at present it is extremely rare and the quality is uneven, which requires special attention.

Ismaeili: at 1800-2200 meters above sea level, it is located in the middle of Yemen, and this name is also the name of the variety. Bean shape is more round than Matali, and slightly more complex, even with the smell of cardamom, tobacco and sunwood, less production and high price.

Yemeni coffee tree

Conclusion

In addition to the three production areas introduced above, in fact, there are many small production areas in Yemen, so I will not introduce them here one by one. Generally speaking, Yemen is mainly solarization treatment, with complex flavors, such as red wine, wild game, fermented fruit, berries and other aromas, which are very popular. And deep-roasted Yemeni coffee often tastes as bitter and sweet as chocolate, leading to today's fancy coffee with chocolate sauce also known as "mocha".

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