Yemen Coffee Beans

Several fine coffees are grown in Yemen near the Red Sea in the mountainous region on the Arabian peninsula’s southern tip.

The term Yemen coffee often refers to Yemen Mocha coffee, a full-bodied coffee with a rich, winey acidity (see Yemen Mocha).

Mocha Coffee and the Mocha Java Blend

Mocha coffee is marked as either Mattari (which has chocolate overtones and a heavier body) or Sanani (which is more balanced and with a fruity character).

Mocha Sanani coffee is known for its complexity and exotic pungency, while Mattari coffee, which is sometimes blended with Yemen Mocha coffee, is distinguished for its winey acidity.

Along with the Indonesian Java Arabica coffee, Mocha is used to make Mocha Java blend coffee that is a traditional favorite. (See World’s Best History of Coffee.) Mocha coffee is one of the first coffees ever cultivated and continues today to be a coffee bean prized by gourmet coffee lovers.

Other Yemen Coffees

Other respected coffees grown in Yemen include Sharki coffee and Ismaili coffee. Ismaili is a market name and also the name of the distinctive coffee plant varietal which produces a pea-like coffee bean and a distinctive and high-quality brewed cup of coffee.

Yemen Coffee and Espresso Brewing Tips

For tips on brewing the perfect cup of Yemen coffee see the Espresso Coffee Guide’s section on Coffee Brewing.

For the history of espresso and coffee see World’s Best History of Coffee, and for a complete list of coffee terminology with detailed definitions see the Espresso Coffee Guide’s Coffee Terms.