Yemeni coffee

[shawarma_prince]

This stuff is super expensive. Is it worth it? Also is coffee native to Yemen or Ethiopia or both?

[rotuts]

Ive been buying green coffee from Sweet Maria's  for a long long time .

 

https://www.sweetmarias.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=+yemini+Mokha

 

they dint seem to have any now.  

 

Ethiopian is very very similar :

 

https://www.sweetmarias.com/green-coffee/africa-arabia/ethiopia.html

 

Im better w the war etc in Y they wont be getting any for a while, so those archived prices might not be for

 

what you might get elsewhere now.   one thing about Yemini coffee ;

 

its very very ' organic ' as the country is so poor , the fertilizer they might use , might be

 

" human "  or none at all .   the beans are paler than another Ive had , and much smaller 

 

doe this translate to flavor  /  I really cant say .  I doubt it.

 

they claim to fame for Yemini is Mocha .     Mocha + Java   ( green coffee from Java )

 

made a name for itself a long time ago , as the two different beans complemented each other

 

and gave a " com[plete coffee " when used together .   Im sure there were PR uses back then

 

and availablitily factored into the equation .     as there always will be.

 

there are many good books on coffee beans that discuss the evolution of the various beans around the world 

 

Ethiopian  ( the good stuff ) might have replaced Yemini , and Ive read in several places that Java

 

beans began a slow decline in quality after WWII , and of the " Islands " beans  ( indonesia )

 

https://www.sweetmarias.com/green-coffee/indonesia-asia.html

 

Sulawesi  these days is a better cultivar.    up to you  to decide

 

Tom's   ( of sweet maria's )   complex  reviews are consistently reliable , bean to bean.

 

you just have to add a " Fudge " factor to them to reflect your personal taste

 

remember , Coffee in-the-Cup    is a personal beverage , so its up to you to decided what you like

 

 

 

 

Edited April 28, 2020 by rotuts (log)

[chileheadmike]

I bought some of SM's Yemeni a while back. It was more expensive than their other selections.  It is really good coffee. Beans seem to be about the same size as the Ethiopian.

[rotuts]

I haven't gotten any Yemeni in quite a while 

 

maybe production has improved 

 

it does make a very good cup.

[rotuts]

a P.S.: re Ethiopia and Yemen :

 

Ive gotten coffee machines from ChrisCoffee in Albany NY. 

 

they sell high and higher end machines for business and personal use.

 

they also have a roasting business , 

 

they get bulk green beans , roast whole  and blends to certain root points and

 

expertly va pac the beans for sale , on line or pick up.

 

they also has a business selling ground coffee to businesses , vac pac'd etc.

 

ive been through this area of their business several times .

 

they have a Cyclone Separator  that spins the green beans around in a closed dry

 

cleaning system ,    heavy object fall to the bottom of the cyclone ,and higher dust and dirt are

 

cvccc'd off the top , more or less.

 

they have a several gallon glass jar that they collect some of the more interesting 

 

' heavy ' items , and keep them in that jar

 

the jar was 2/3'd full of  ' spent AK-47 bullets 

 

these mostly came from Ethiopian green beans , but from other places around the world 

 

dont remember if they did Yemeni coffee.

[paulraphael]

The earliest historical accounts say that coffee was first cultivated in Yemen. But the history is spotty, and Ethiopia is practically in the same place, so no one really knows. 

 

As far as coffee available today, all you can really do is make generalizations about a country or region. Nowadays we can get such amazing single-origin beans that have unique or even idiosyncratic characters that it's best to talk about the individual farm or co-op.

 

Many of my favorite coffees have been Ethiopian. I have less experience with Yemen, but imagine that the range of coffees isn't too different. If there are differences, then they'll probably be because of economic or political differences.

 

I've been especially crazy about natural process coffees from Ethiopia and Burundi. These tend to have big, dark, fruity flavors that are unlike any other coffees I've had. The washed versions are also great. My coffee roasting guy and I have both noticed that his Ethiopian coffees have been less fruity than in previous years. He's not sure why.