Yemen is back!!!! And as as good as last year! Yep, we are one of the few roasters in the world to secure some of this special lot of coffee for a third straight year. Yemen is arguably the birthplace of coffee – could be Ethiopia depending on who you talk to. Formal production of coffee in Yemen started around the year 1300, however, so that much is true and verifiable. Yemen is also the first place where coffee was traded commercially via the port city of Mokha (which has morphed into Moka or Mocca). “Moka” has NOTHING to do w/ Chocolate but coffee sold as “Mokha” was really one of the first coffee brands and a sought after commodity around the world in the 19th century. Even though the Yemeni people have been trading and growing coffee for hundreds of years, most of the coffee coming out of Yemen is not very good and loaded with defects because of poor processing, poor quality control, and poor planning when it comes to shipping coffee, leading to delays that affect coffee quality. That said, Yemeni coffee is still is well-regarded because of both its historic importance and because good coffee from Yemen is very very good and very unique. Traditionally, coffee in Yemen has been grown on very small, privately-held, terraced plots. The cherries are naturally-processed and dried on the flat rooftops of the farmers’ homes. While not certified organic, coffee in Yemen is grown organically – mostly because few if any of the farmers can afford to buy any inputs. Dried animal dung, instead of chemicals, is a common fertilizer. Our Haraaz Red Maragaha: Because there is so much bad Yemen coffee out there, we rarely buy any but because these exporters take such special care with this lot, we pay a lot of money for their coffee and look forward to its arrival every year. Why so special? One, coffee in Yemen is usually sold in the dried cherry form – after farmers have dried the coffee themselves. This method of selling coffee can lead to inconsistencies in the cup. Each farmer, for example, may have a slightly different drying methods and/or, given their location, they may have different amounts of sun exposure. Some farmers coffee may dry too quickly or not quickly enough. Several different farmers’ coffee, then, of varying drying rates and varying quality control, will then be blended together making a lot that might only be as good as the worst coffee in the blend. Mills can have loose oversight as well when it comes to sorting and bagging the coffee. For our lot, farmers were paid a very high rate to deliver perfectly ripe cherries to a specific location where the exporters dried the cherries, under strict and uniform quality control standards, on Kenyan beds that ensure more air circulation and perhaps a more even drying than on rooftops. After drying, the cherries were carefully milled, sorted, and put through another rigorous round of quality control and sorting. Basically, there is a level of quality control for this lot that is normally not seen in Yemen and the results certainly show up in the cup. As with a dry-processed coffee from Ethiopia, there are distinct dried berries in the cup – strawberries and blueberries – in addition to tropical fruit like guavas. But, Yemeni coffee has the added element of leather -- yes leather -- that is reminiscent of walking into a saddle making factory, sort of a rustic note. Sometimes, this can be over-powering but with our lot it is apparent, though not overwhelming. Here it adds an element of exotic flair ... as thought the cup is taking you down an open air market in Mohka filled with vendors selling exotic spices, goods, and foods. Not to be missed. shop.birdrockcoffee/coffees/yem_har.html
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 20:37:35 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015