Intro to East Asian Coffee Beans

Asia offers a diverse variety of coffee beans. Some notable varieties come from India and Yemen. India is one of the top ten largest exporters of coffee in the world, carrying almost 5% of the market. While Yemen is one of the world’s smallest exporters, exporting less than .1% of the world’s coffee. Coffees from these regions generate interest to the modern coffee drinker for completely different reasons. Indian coffee is processed in a completely unique wet aging process. Whereas, Yemeni coffee is considered to be the world’s oldest coffee, and by some accounts the best. Read on to discover for yourself the distinct enchantment of each type of coffee.

Yemen Coffee Beans

Many people believe Yemen to be the birthplace of coffee itself. In fact, the term mocha finds its roots from the port of Al Mokah in Yemen where coffee was exported for hundreds of years. But, for many decades Yemeni coffee suffered. It was inconsistent, unreliable, and simply unavailable. Due to political unrest, and an unstable economy, Yemeni coffee was exceptionally scarce. But, in very recent times, there’s been a resurgence in the Yemeni coffee industry. While the country itself is still unstable, the coffee industry has begun to flourish anew. Due to the continuing unrest in Yemen, Yemeni coffee is still in low supply. But, due to the incredible quality and desirable flavor profile, it’s in high demand, making it one of the most expensive and elusive coffees on the market.

Yemeni coffee is grown on the same terraced mountainsides where it has been cultivated for centuries. The growing conditions and the traditional minimal processing of the beans add to the distinct taste that many coffee drinkers particularly cherish. Yemeni coffee has notes of chocolate and red fruit. It has a velvety body, and is very complex. For an excellent example of Yemeni coffee, consider our Mocca Matari beans. Because these beans are so hard to come by, get them while you can and relish every last drop.

Indian Coffee Beans

Sometimes a deluge can lead to a delight. In the Southern portion of India, where most of their coffee is grown, the monsoon season lasts from late May until late September. Not to be held back by this inconvenience, most Indian coffee beans are “aged” for roughly a year including during the monsoon season. Unlike normal beans that are set out in the sun to dry, Indian beans are left out in the rain to soak. This means that during this rainiest of seasons, “monsooned” beans are awash with water before they are finally dried out and shipped off. This unusual process creates very unique beans. The monsooning process washes out the color of the beans leaving them a lighter golden color. It also mellows the beans and adds a distinctly nutty taste. While not all Indian beans are of the monsooned variety, most are. India has recently been recognized as a great coffee bean producer. And, many believe that shade grown Indian coffee beans rank among the best shade grown coffees in the world.