An introduction to the History and present situation of Mocha Coffee

(1) the origin of mocha coffee

In Yemen, the origin of coffee is very wide, and these coffees have their own characteristics from quality to taste, but they are collectively called mocha coffee because they have historically been shipped and exported from the Yemeni port of Mocha to markets around the world. The port of Mocha is located on the coast of the Red Sea north of the Mande Strait, about 100 kilometers by land from Aden. In addition, coffee grown in countries such as Ethiopia in the northeast corner of Africa is of the same origin as Yemeni coffee, so it is also known as mocha coffee.

Yemen is the first country in the world to grow coffee on a large scale and has a long history. As early as the beginning of the 6th century, when coffee spread from the Horn of Africa to Yemen, Yemenis began to grow coffee as a cash crop.

The international trade in mocha coffee began in the early 16th century, when the Turkish royal family began to drink mocha coffee from Yemen. There are also records of mocha coffee in the archives of Portuguese merchant ships in the 17th century. After a long voyage, Portuguese sailors came to the port of Mocha on the coast of the Red Sea to resupply. The leaders of the local tribe entertained them with a black drink that the Portuguese had never seen before. the drink was unique and exhilarating and popular with sailors.

Coffee trading companies were first established by the Dutch in the early 17th century, and coffee began to be exported to Europe from the port of Mocha, which was very popular in Western European markets from Amsterdam to Paris. In the next two hundred years or so, Yemeni mocha coffee almost monopolized the entire European market. With the development of coffee trade, the port of Mocha has developed rapidly from an unknown fishing village to a new port city.

But since the 19th century, coffee seeds brought back by European sailors have been successfully propagated, and countries such as the Netherlands, France and Portugal have begun to grow coffee in their colonies, and gradually far exceed Yemen in quantity. The big European countries control and monopolize the coffee trade, resulting in a shrinking coffee export industry in the port of Mocha. Nevertheless, at the beginning of the 20th century, Yemeni coffee exports reached about 20,000 tons a year. Today, the original site of the port of Mocha has long been abandoned, and the export of Yemeni mocha coffee is mainly in the northern port of Hodeida.

(2) the characteristics of mocha coffee

Yemenis have had the habit of drinking coffee since ancient times, and the coffee culture here is very different from that of other parts of the world. In Yemen, there are many middlemen engaged in the acquisition and storage of coffee, the newly purchased coffee is in no hurry to sell every year, and coffee farmers also hoard coffee at home as a means of saving. the ones that really enter the market are often old beans that have been in stock for several years. Due to the dry climate and lack of rain in Yemen, the water content of these coffee beans is very low, which gives Yemeni coffee a very unique taste.

In the coastal plain of the Red Sea in western Yemen, the climate and soil and water conditions are not suitable for growing coffee, and coffee is mainly produced in the western mountains. Mocha coffee grows in the mountains at an altitude of 3000 meters, where the geographical environment is unique, the mountain is rugged, the air is thin, the light is strong, and the water comes from rainfall and mountain springs, which make mocha coffee special aroma and taste. The local farmers carved out fertile terraces on the hillside. To this day, coffee is still grown in the same way in these areas as it was three or four hundred years ago, relying entirely on artificial labor, never using any chemical fertilizers or pesticides, and relying on sunshine, Rain Water and unique soil to grow pure natural Yemeni coffee. In fact, coffee grown in Haiti, Ethiopia and the West Indies belongs to the same ancestry as Yemeni coffee, and many of them are known as mocha coffee. However, for a variety of reasons, their taste and aroma are very different from those of mocha coffee produced in Yemen.

Yemeni coffee is also picked and processed entirely by hand. The preliminary processing of coffee beans is made by drying and drying naturally in the sun. This method is the most primitive and simple, without any machinery or cleaning, so sometimes there are a small amount of sand and pebbles in Yemeni coffee beans. At present, only Brazil, Haiti and a few parts of India still use drying method to treat coffee beans. The coffee roasting process is also done entirely by hand, and the heat depends entirely on experience and feeling. Every process from planting, picking to roasting is done in the oldest way, and although the roasted beans are of different colors, it is this aroma mixed with rugged and wild flavors that makes the unique Yemeni mocha coffee. No wonder some people call Mocha "the diamond in the crown of Asian coffee".

Yemeni coffee has different names according to its specific origin, and there are 13 main kinds of coffee. Although the taste and flavor are slightly different, it is still collectively called mocha. Among them, the most famous varieties, such as Sanani, Mattari and Harazi, are mainly distributed in the mountains around the capital Sana'an and the high-altitude mountains between Sana'an and Hodeida province. Yemeni mocha coffee has small fruit, high density, high acidity and unique aroma. Compared with other famous coffee varieties, it has a strong sour taste, as well as a mixture of malt, nuts, wine, chocolate and other spices.

II. Current situation of coffee industry in Yemen

(1) the total output has continued to decline in recent years

Since 2001, Yemeni coffee production has declined year by year due to various reasons. The annual output has dropped from 11906 tons in 2001 to 11608 tons in 2003, 11590 tons in 2004, to about 11000 tons in 2008. In recent years, despite the rising prices in the international coffee market, the coffee industry in Yemen has not boomed, but has shrunk sharply. The reason for the decrease in coffee production is mainly due to two aspects.

First, water scarcity and soil degradation. The shortage of water resources has become a serious constraint to the economic and social development of Yemen. Coffee planting water mainly depends on Rain Water and mountain spring water, lack of irrigation facilities, water efficiency is not high, greatly affected by climate uncertainty. Soil degradation and soil erosion are serious, and the fertility and productivity of the land are weakening.

Second, farmers gave up growing coffee and planted Carter instead. The growth cycle of coffee is long, the cost is high, and the management is difficult, while Carter is easy to grow, the growing period is short, and the demand is strong, so many farmers have changed the original coffee land to planting Carter, while the planting area of coffee has decreased. Carter's planting area is increasing year by year. The shrinking planting area of coffee and the continuous decline in production, coupled with the shortage of water resources and diseases and insect pests in Yemen, have made the cultivation of coffee even worse.