Day 12 | Yemen Sharqi Haraz

This high intervention anaerobic natural microlot from Yemen is a rare treat! It was grown on small legacy farms in the mountains of Eastern Haraz, a large nature reserve and agricultural area in Yemen's Sana'a Governorate. Coffee has been grown in Haraz for over six hundred years, centuries before Europeans even knew what coffee was. Today farmers embrace new innovative methods of coffee production while still keeping in touch with traditional practices.

Growing coffee trees in the harsh climate of Yemen's mountains requires tried and true techniques figured out by generations of farmers. Farms are terraced on arid steep slopes. Rain is scarce so bore holes are dug down into the rock to access individual water resources for each tree. Coffee trees are spaced generously for groundwater access and erosion control. Shade trees are planted to help block water evaporation.

Harazi is a term of terroir distinction that refers to high-quality heirloom varietals produced in the unique climate and soil of the area. One thing that makes Harazi distinct is its accessible water springs, allowing coffee farmers to irrigate. Coffee in Yemen is typically processed as a natural: hand-picked, sorted for consistency, and dried in a single layer in full sun on raised beds or rooftops. Due to the arid climate and slow maturation patterns, coffee is picked almost year-round.

This lot was carefully curated by Pearl of Tehama, a miller and exporter, from 200 of their partner farmers. Breaking from tradition, this coffee was processed centrally, in very small lots. Cherries otherwise destined for families’ rooftops or raised screens were instead delivered to the Pearl of Tehama's central processing site. They were carefully sorted to remove defects and the selected cherries were packed into sealed tanks to anaerobically ferment for between 48 and 72 hours. The sticky, wilted cherries were then moved directly to raised beds to dry in the sun for 15-20 days. The coffee was then stored in a climate-controlled facility to allow its moisture to settle.

Getting Yemeni coffee out of the country and to the US has never been easy. But the current geopolitical landscape makes it nearly impossible. The decades-long civil conflict rages on, its people and politics besieged by warring factions. This coffee is a rare diamond to be celebrated while recognizing that it comes from an area with deep societal wounds. There is much work to be done so that coffees like this- and more importantly, the people responsive for their existence- may survive the present and thrive in the future.