Lot #9 - Yemen Coffee Auction
INTERNATIONAL JURY CUPPING SCORE
88.9
Cheery liqueur, kiwi fruit & bubblegum.
Farmer Group: Mutawasat Community
Region : Mutawasat / Haraaz / Sanaa
Country: Yemen
Processing: Natural
Elevation: 1,700 - 2,200m
Varieties: Yemenia
Sourced Through: Upstream Imports & Qima Coffee
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This lot gathers the production of 55 farmers from one of the most remote regions in Yemen. Coffee is their only source of income and they have spent their whole life on the farm. They started at a young age helping their parents on the farm and with time they inherited land and gained enough knowledge and skills to take responsibility for the farm.
What Is Yemenia?
A pure arabica mother population, unique to Yemen, that represents a new ocean of varieties with untapped potential to transform the genetic landscape of Coffea arabica in the world.
Whilst some coffee aficionados are aware of Yemen's rich coffee history, being the birthplace of the coffee drink, few are aware of Yemen's critical role in shaping arabica's genetics across the world.
In fact, over 98% of the world's known cultivated varieties of Coffea arabica, can be traced back to Yemen. The arabica species, which was found wild in the forests of Ethiopia, travelled to Yemen at least 600 years ago, where it was grown as a cultivated crop, likely for the first time in the crop’s history. As it went from the lush forests of Ethiopia to the arid mountains of Yemen, the genetics of the Yemeni trees would change over time to adapt to the new environment through domestication and natural selection. Coffee cultivation continued in Yemen for the next 300 years, during which the genetics of the Yemeni coffee trees gradually changed through domestication and a process known as genetic drift, such that they became distinctly different from their Ethiopian ancestors. These unique trees would go on to become the 'mother' trees of almost all of the cultivated varieties known today.
As part of Qima Coffee's R&D programme with Dr Christophe Montagnon, Qima undertook an ambitious project to investigate and map out Yemen's genetic landscape. After years of work, they conducted the largest genetic survey in Yemen's history, covering an area of over 25,000km2.
The results unveiled one of the most significant findings in coffee history.
About Qima Coffee
Established in 2016, initially sourcing from 30 farmers in one small community, today Qima works with over 2,600 farmers across 53 communities throughout Yemen’s coffee lands.
Operating directly at farm-level and working exclusively with fresh cherries, Qima Coffee is Yemen’s only fully integrated specialty coffee operator and the country’s largest specialty exporter.
They are re-introducing the world to one of the rarest and finest specialty coffees. In doing so, they aim to restore Yemen to its former glory as a globally renowned source of exquisite coffee.
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Customer Reviews
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Region: Gingo Bedesa
Wet mill : TD Sayisa dry mill
Elevation: 2,268 masl
Varieties: Heirloom
Processing: Anaerobic, Natural
Sourced Through: Utopia Coffee
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to export-ready using anaerobic processing techniques.
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Farm: Finca El Silencio
Producer: Sara Gutierrez
Country: Colombia
Region: Buenavista, Quindio
Elevation: 1,400~1,600 masl
Variety: Caturra (with Hops)
Processing: Honey with Beer Hops
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Farm: Brumas del Zurqui Micromill
Grower: Juan Ramon Alvarado Rodriguez and family
Region: Heredia, Central Valley
Country: Costa Rica
Processing: Natural
Elevation: 1,400 - 1,800masl
Varieties: Orange Bourbon
Sourced Through: Cafe Imports Australia
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Beneficio Brumas Del Zurqui is a micromill located in the Central Valley region of Costa Rica in the sub-region of Heredia. Neighboring farms deliver cherries to this micromill. Varieties include Villa Sarchi, SL-28, Bourbon, Gesha, Typica, Caturra, and Orange Bourbon.
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“I hope to God that I will die a farmer and I hope my son does too” – Juan Ramon Alvarado Rodriguez
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Microlot
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Region: Ermera
We are excited to present you the coffees from the suco (village) of Lauana. Coffee here grows in the forests; shaded, untouched, and organic by default.
Cherry is first floated in water, to separate the fruit by density. The higher the density, the higher the quality of the coffee. This leaves the low density, less mature cherries to float to the surface, which are easily removed from the water.
The Raimutin station staff then meticulously hand-sort the freshly picked and sorted cherry, removing all damaged or underripe fruit. The cherry is then transported to raised beds, where they are dried in high sun for three weeks. The staff turn the lots regularly to ensure even airflow and sun contact. When the cherries have reached their perfect drying level, the seeds are removed from the cherry and prepared for export.
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Farm: La Divisa
Producer: Oscar Restrepo
Country: Colombia
Region: Risaralda
Elevation: 1,780 masl
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Picking:
The hand-picking is done between 6 am and 12 pm to take advantage of the sunlight.
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Drying Process:
The picking finishes at 12 pm and if the day is sunny and warm, it is put into water tanks for 2-3 hours in order to remove floaters.
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