Cherry Picked Coffee: Yemen Mocha Matari

Introducing the first coffee from our new ‘Cherry-Picked’ range. These unique, limited-edition coffees will be available in small quantities throughout the year. Yemen Mocha Matari is available in 250g packs from July 19, 2021 while stock lasts.

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About this coffee

While the coffee tree is native to East Africa, the first people to cultivate and drink coffee were just across the Red Sea in Yemen sometime in the 15th Century.

Today, small quantities of these unique heirloom varieties are still produced in Yemen using the traditional methods & are highly sought after for their unique chocolaty intensity & delicate winy acidity.

In fact, the modern word ‘mocha’ comes from the name of the local port Al-Mokha – referencing the distinctively chocolaty nature of the coffee grown in this part of the world.

This particular lot is grown in the mountainous Bani Mattar district west of the capital Sana’a. These traditional heirloom coffee varieties are grown in steep terraces & then sun-dried using the same traditional process used for hundreds of years.

Process: Natural
Varietal/s: Traditional Heirloom Varieties
Altitude: 1800-2500 masl
Producer: Al-Hamdani
Tasting Notes: Jasmine, Mandarin, Honey

Brewing Tips

Our baristas (shout out to Max & Georgia) shared the following brew recipes & tips for getting great results with this coffee:

Yemen Mocha Matari - Filter Brewing

Suggested Brew Recipe

• 20 grams Coffee (medium grind)
• 300 ml Water (~93°C)

Notes

Our baristas got really tasty mandarin, watermelon & floral flavours using this brew recipe brewing on a v60 pourover filter.

They recommended using a ratio of 1 part coffee to 15 parts water, and pouring the water in 4 stages, with a gap of 45 seconds between each pour.

This brew ratio is also a great starting point if you're brewing using an Aeropress, French Press (Plunger), Batch Brewer or Chemex.

Yemen Mocha Matari - Espresso Brewing

Suggested Brew Recipe

• 21 grams Ground Coffee
• 45 grams Liquid Espresso
• 28 seconds Extraction Time

Notes

To maintain the more delicate flavour notes, we've roasted this coffee lighter than our blends or 'espresso roast' single origin coffees. So for brewing this coffee as espresso, we recommend a longer extraction (i.e. more water) to help produce a nicely balanced espresso.

Of course, not every machine has 21g filter baskets - so try a ratio of 1 part ground coffee to 2.2 parts liquid espresso (eg for a 16g basket, extract 35g espresso)

Using this ratio will produce an espresso with a lighter body that's best for serving straight up, or as a long black.