Yemeni Coffee: The evergreens of coffee industry

Yemeni Coffee: The story of its authenticity

There is no better way to start writing about Yemeni coffee than by mentioning it as the best-known coffee in the world. As the popular belief goes, coffee as a beverage was credited to the Ethiopian region where the Ottoman Empire used it in the 6th century. Although, it was Yemen where these coffee plantations were cultivated and filtered into beans and the beverage that is known to us today. 

What makes Yemeni coffee so special?

The process of Yemeni coffee production has been evergreen for over 400 years now. The climate in this region is observed to be at a higher scale of temperature and drought-like conditions are predominantly what describe the nature of land for coffee production.

Adnan Awnallah of Mocha Mill, Yemen mentions that "Although, coffee needs humid environments, the burrow period (the lack of rain in Yemen), which coincides with the fruiting period for most coffee growing areas, from June to July of each year, is considered one of the most important periods that make distinguished coffee in every sense of the word."

• From the cultivation of plants to the ripening and drying of the cherries, everything is performed labor intensively with utmost care and without any artificial chemicals or machinery. 

• When separating the beans from the dry husks, what is observed is a super dry and irregularly shaped seed which is the very identifying feature of Yemeni coffee beans. The coffee beans are found to be ground by camels in a high-altitude drought-prone region in small batches and powdered by compact gasoline engines. 

This rather slow-paced and delicate process of the small sample of crop production attributes to its rich and special flavor profile. This makes Yemeni coffee the very first and finest coffee in the world.

Challenges with producing the world’s finest and premium quality coffee

As the conditions of the terrain where the Yemeni coffee fruits are produced are rather harsh, the overall yield for the crops is very small with respect to the other found varieties of coffee in the western hemisphere. With a very low contribution of technological processing, the final production stage is a rather long journey with fewer beans produced dilatorily. 

With a very steady and careful process of production, the distinctive taste and highly prized flavor profile boost the demand for Yemeni coffee around the world. 

This very correlation between a low supply and a high demand makes this coffee immoderately extravagant. Contrary to this law of supply and demand, similar varieties of coffee that lack the Yemeni authenticity are sold in the market by other countries too. This makes the competition slightly monopolistic. This is why the Yemeni coffee needs to prove its authenticity which adds to the expense of documentation too. Furthermore, the coffee exportation from Yemen is partly challenging due to the production in mountainous areas alongside restrictions on trade, poorly managed trade routes and border procedures which makes them very rare.

The essence of Yemeni coffee beans
While the geography alongside the natural method of production poses some setbacks to the sales of the beans, the drying process represents the distinctive flavor profile when you take your first sip from your cup of aromatic coffee. Yemeni coffee is popularly known for its highly spiced, wine-like essence with subtle chocolatey notes- like dates, cinnamon and chocolate blending together when poured in a cup. Yemeni coffee’s royalty comes from its perfect balance of spicy tinges mixed with the richness of the chocolate.

"The distinction and uniqueness in the cultivation, trade and manufacture of coffee has given Yemeni coffee a special and unique taste, especially with the diversity of climates, lands and brands that have preserved the rich diversity of tastes and flavors until now. If the world has been able to surpass in land and production, but it will be unable to provide a large number of environments and variations that characterize Yemeni coffee. And it makes Yemen unique in its treasure, the unique coffee destination." says Adnan Awnallah of Mocha Mill, Yemen.

Ecotact is paving way to ensure that the rich and evergreen Yemeni Coffee remains intact, and its freshness and quality is preserved, as it is enjoyed by coffee lovers all across the world.