40PROD. RANK · No.40Yemen

Asia · ORIGIN No.40

Yemenイエメン

The world's oldest coffee exporter, with a history of spreading worldwide from the port of Mocha.

arabicanatural

Log a tasting

§ 01

KEY FIGURES

Key figures

Production rank

World No.40

Asia

Annual production

0.1M bags

60kg / bag

Recommended roast

Medium

medium

Certifications

—

No certification info

§ 02

OVERVIEW

Overview

The world's oldest coffee exporter, with a history of spreading worldwide from the port of Mocha. Instability has slashed production, making it highly rare.

§ 03

HISTORY · TERROIR · CULTURE

History & culture

Yemen is the world’s oldest commercial coffee origin — the land where the coffee trade itself began. Yemen was the first to cultivate and commercialize the coffee that arrived from Ethiopia in the 15th century, and the Red Sea port of Mocha (al-Makha) gave "mocha coffee" its name as it shipped worldwide. Dry mountain terrain at 1,500–2,300m, traditional natural processing and native varieties yield that singular profile of dried fruit, spice and dark chocolate — still treated as a class of its own in today’s specialty market.

The port of Mocha and the origin of the world coffee trade

In the 15th century the Yemeni Red Sea port of Mocha (al-Makha) was the only coffee-exporting port on earth. Coffee from Ethiopia was grown in the dry highlands of Arabia and shipped from Mocha to the Middle East, Turkey and Europe — a trade held as a monopoly for centuries. That "mocha" spread worldwide as a synonym for coffee is the residue of that monopoly. The naming convention survives — Mocha Mattari, Mocha Sanani — "Mocha + district," carrying the historical weight of Yemeni coffee.

Mattari, Sanani, Haraz — character by mountain district

Yemen’s coffee is concentrated in the mountains west of Sanaa at 1,500–2,300m. The flagship areas are Bani Matar west of Sanaa (Mocha Mattari), the broader Sanaa district (Mocha Sanani), the Haraz mountains (Mocha Haraz), and Jabal Raymah. On terraced mountain plots, in an extremely dry, low-rain climate, coffee is rain-fed without irrigation. The beans are sun-dried in the traditional natural process, building a complex full body where dried fruit, red wine, spice and cacao fold over one another.

War, and rarity, in recent years

Since 2014, civil war and economic crisis have made production and export intermittently difficult. Yet international support for sustaining quality continues amid the turmoil — Mokhtar Alkhanshali’s Port of Mokha project, and Yemen-focused Q-grader education by the Coffee Quality Institute — and if anything, Yemeni coffee’s standing in the modern specialty market has risen. In Japan it appears only once every few years; Mi Cafeto, Maruyama Coffee and others carry it as a living specimen of coffee history.

§ 04

FLAVOR PROFILE

Flavor profile

Production world shareNo. 40

Max altitude max altitude2,600 m

Growing regions growing regions3 regions

Computed from all of Yemen’s regions. Max altitude references the SCA-recommended 1,500–2,200m.

§ 05

FOOD PAIRING

Food pairing

Cheesecake

acidity lifts the sweetness

Dark chocolate

fruit acidity meets bitter cocoa

Yogurt

freshness stands out

Blue cheese

complex flavors layer

Dried fruit

concentrated sweetness pairs well

Brownie

deepens the chocolate

§ 06

GROWING REGIONS · 3

Growing regions

Mocha Mattariモカ・マタリ01

WineChocolateSpiceBlueberryMocha

A world-class rarity. It preserves traditional cultivation and processing handed down since ancient times.

See Mocha Mattari details →

Dried fruitSpiceDark chocolate

A mountain region west of Sana'a. A traditional high-quality area ranked alongside Mattari.

See Bani Matar details →

BlackberrySpiceWineCacao

A rare, highest-altitude region. Complex fermentation character and a powerful body.

See Haraz details →

§ 07

BREW GUIDE

Recommended brewing

Paper drip

90℃ · Medium

Temp

90℃

Ratio

1:15

Time

3 min

Grind

Medium

Draws out the wine-like flavor delicately. The trick is not letting the water get too hot.

Turkish coffee

100℃ · Extra-fine (powder)

Temp

100℃

Ratio

1:10

Time

3 min

Grind

Extra-fine (powder)

Yemen’s traditional brew. Add spices for an even more authentic taste.

§ 08

Reading about Yemen

Culture6 min read

The Basics of Pairing Coffee and Food

Combining with chocolate, cheese, fruit and wagashi

Beans6 min read

Natural vs Washed: How Processing Changes the Taste

The same bean, a different drink. How the handling of the fruit sets the flavor's direction

How-to5 min read

Making Blends at Home: 3 Basic Recipes and How to Build Them

Blending you can do at home, making single origins "play in concert"

Beans6 min read

The Bourbon Variety — the Origin of Specialty

From the small island of Réunion to the world, the gene for sweetness

§ 09

WHERE TO BUY

Find Yemen coffee

Amazonapprox. ¥1,200+PR Rakutenapprox. ¥1,400+PR Yahoo! Shoppingapprox. ¥1,200+PR Blue Bottle Officialapprox. ¥1,800+PR PostCoffeeapprox. ¥1,800+TYPICAapprox. ¥2,500+

Check stock and prices on each retailer. Links marked “PR” are affiliate links; a purchase may earn this site revenue.

§ 10

ROASTERS

Roasters carrying this origin

See all →

Maruyama CoffeeNagano, Tokyo & Kanagawa

Founded in 1991. A pioneer of Japanese specialty coffee whose founder has served as a Cup of Excellence international judge. An active direct-trade buyer handling top-quality lots from Ethiopia, Colombia, Guatemala and beyond.

Carries Maruyama CoffeeMore →

Glitch Coffee & RoastersTokyo (Jimbocho & Akasaka)

A Tokyo roaster known for ultra-light specialty roasts, actively selecting strongly characterful lots — Ethiopian Gesha, natural process and more — and proposing a culture of enjoying coffee like wine.

Carries Glitch Coffee & RoastersMore →

§ 11

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Subscriptions delivering this origin

Subscription

PostCoffeeSpecialty

Quiz → matching

A taste-profile quiz pins down your preferences, then 3 coffees from 30+ partner roasters arrive monthly. A Japan No.1 subscription that suits beginners and experts alike.

¥1,980–¥3,480 / moSee details

TYPICAPro

Green-bean, farm-direct marketplace

A specialty green-bean platform buying directly from producers. Aimed at roasters and enthusiasts, with high transparency down to origin, farm and process.

From ¥1,500 (one-off)See details

Doi Coffee (subscription)Specialty

Long-established in-house steadiness

A famed Osaka shop founded over 55 years ago. A "coffee appraiser" hand-picks the green beans, centered on medium-dark roasts for nel drip. Reliable, consistent quality.

¥3,000–¥6,000 / moSee details

§ 12

SIMILAR ORIGINS

§ 13

KINDRED REGIONS