Where does the Yemeni mocha coffee come from? what's the connection between the mocha coffee and the Indonesian Java coffee?

Dealing with Yemen's coffee history can be a daunting task, as it's a multi-century old story whose truth seems to vary depending on where you look for information. Still, it's a very interesting story and worth telling. The ancient history of the Yemeni coffee bean, the coffee history of Yemen as it relates to recent difficulties within Yemen, and a man who helped Yemen keep the coffee dream alive.

Yemeni coffee history, the history of coffee in Yemen, encounters ancient arguments about the exact origin of the coffee plant. The exact record of coffee's origin is difficult to determine, but we know that its time range is any time within the first century, and its background boils down to two possibilities: Ethiopia and Yemen.

It is a well-known fact that there is trade between the two countries. Coffee plants arrived in Yemen from Ethiopia, and the arid soil adapted them to plants suitable for life in the new country. Sometime after coffee plants were discovered or moved to Yemen, Sufi monasteries began growing and brewing coffee beans. These monks were the first to do so.

Where does mocha come from?

Yemen also trades regularly with Indonesia. They traded coffee beans from the port of mocha in Yemen, and somewhere along the way, a blend of Indonesian Java coffee and Yemeni mocha beans was created and became a hot commodity around the world.

The words "Java" and "Mocha" may be heard a lot in today's coffee world. Java comes from coffee grown on the Indonesian island of Java and was not originally a substitute for the word coffee, while mocha comes from coffee grown in the city of Mocha, Yemen.

Yemen's coffee history is closely integrated with its folk history. The civil war, which began in 2015 and consists of a complex set of issues, continues and is tearing apart the country's infrastructure.

Part of this infrastructure is Yemen's coffee industry. Coffee has been withdrawn from the market and farmers have great difficulty producing and selling coffee beans because much of their land has been destroyed by the war.

Coffee in Yemen

Market disruptions have stopped since Yemen's unrest began. Coffee is not an easily available product, especially internationally in Yemen. However, in 2015, Yemeni coffee received a lot of attention and interest at an event of the American Fine Coffee Association.

Coffee production in Yemen

Yemeni coffee is made by solarization. Today, most Yemeni coffee is made this way.

If you look at a picture of a coffee terrace in Yemen, you can see how tall the plants are and how dry the beans are. Since it is closer to the sun at higher altitudes, Yemeni coffee is ideal for Japanese processing methods.

After harvest, coffee cherries are usually placed on farmers 'roofs, where the coffee beans dry and absorb all the cherry juice, imparting many fruity and even sweet flavors.

Flavor profile

As with any coffee-producing country with multiple growing regions, the flavor of Yemeni coffee can range from very fruity to very chocolaty to anything in between. Some Yemeni coffees have a low acidity and bright flavor, while others have hints of chocolate and nutty flavors. Some may even smell alcohol on them.

One of the most famous and well-known Yemeni coffees is their mocha coffee. You might think of drinking your favorite latte at your favorite coffee shop on the street, with its rich, sweet chocolate brilliance.

Interestingly, this drink is not the origin of "mocha", but from Yemen mocha coffee chocolate-flavored name.

Mocha coffee beans grown in Yemen are the original chocolate-flavored beans. These coffees tend to be rich, complex and rich in taste, with a hint of spice and, of course, chocolate. It's more like a delicious homemade chocolate cake.