Cherry lifesaver, sweet, cinnamon, preserved lemon

From the central highlands of Sana’a Governorate at elevations between 1800 and 2200 meters, our new offering from Yemen is a Yemenia variety that has undergone a hybrid process at origin under exacting quality control.

Sana’a is home to fertile valleys and a unique climate which creates an exceptional growing environment for coffee.

“Alchemy” refers to the process this wonderful coffee went through at origin. While a dry-processed coffee by definition, the processing for this coffee is actually a blend of different processing styles. Qima Coffee, the company that sourced this lot and sponsors the Best of Yemen auction each year, has operated in Yemen since 2016 and has worked tirelessly to improve the quality of Yemeni coffee and farming infrastructure for small farms. After years of experimentation, Qima developed this Alchemy process which is extremely well-suited for Yemeni coffee in that it highlights the fruit without sacrificing the terroir expression and genetic clarity.

After the ripe the cherries were delivered to the Qima mill, the coffee was allowed to ferment in a well-ventilated area for 12 hours before being moved to stainless steel tanks and flushed with carbon dioxide for 48-72 hours. Then the coffee placed on raised beds under shade and slow dried for about 25 days. The extended and complex process pushed the fruit to the forefront of the cup without sacraficng the terroir that is so unique to Yemeni coffees.

Some of you may have had our last couple Yemen offerings which were anaerobic naturals and were both very fruit-bomb-y. This one certainly has a lot of up-front cherry/berry but opens to reveal more Yemeni character that makes coffee from this region unique.

In the cup: cherry lifesaver, cardamom, cinnamon, perserved lemon.

We only have a small amount of this special coffee so we have set roast dates and limited coffee availability for each date. If you order other coffees in addition to this one, your entire order will be roasted and shipped on the Yemen coffee roast-date.

For more information about coffee from Yemen, check out our blog post.

Tropical fruit and honey.

Fausto Romo has been a coffee producer for 25 years. His farm, La Carolina, was originally a dairy farm but Fausto converted the farm to special coffee production after his uncle introduced him to quality coffee. The farm is located in the department of Picincha, north of Quito, with an elevation of approximately 1400 meters and comprises about five hectares.

This lot is comprised of 100% Sidra varietal which is primarily what Fausto grows. After harvesting, the cherries are floated to remove defects and underripes. Next, the coffee is left to ferment for approximately 40 hours. It is then depulped and undergoes a second fermentation stage lasting about 12 hours, primarily to facilitate the removal of the mucilage. Finally, the coffee is washed and dried on raised beds for up to 18 days, depending on weather conditions.

In the cup: kiwi, passionfruit, white grape, with a honey-like finish.

A wonderful and unique washed coffee from Ethiopia: Vibrant citrus, honeydew melon, clove, cinnamon, brown sugar sweetness

From the famed Alo Coffee Company, this coffee is a rarity; only 600 kilos of this lot were imported into the USA and we managed to secure 30 kilos.

After harvesting at between 2420-2520 meters, the ripe cherries were allowed to ferment in sealed tanks (pictured above) for 72 hours. Then, the coffee was depulped, washed, and slow-dried under shade.

You may notice the tiny bean size of this selection. This is somewhat intentional as the bean size can be the result of sorting, but at ultra-high elevation the beans simply do not get very large; they are, however, very dense due to slow maturation. Additionally, the heirloom varietal, 74158, that Alo farmers use is on the smaller side. This particular varietal of Ethiopia Heirloom is revered for its sweetness, refined flavor, and balance but the shrub does require a high elevation to thrive, usually well above 1800 meters.

For a bit more information about Ethiopia coffee, check out our blog post, Ethiopia Bound.