Yemen Anaerobic Natural Sharqi Haraaz

Red Wine, Butterscotch, Speculoos, Yuzu

Yemen is the birthplace of the coffee trade, a country packed with Jenga-tower cliffs and indigenous coffee trees. The lore surrounding Yemeni coffee is so thick it’s compelled Pulitzer Prize authors to write books about it—hey, Dave Eggers. With all the hype, you might think this brew would have trouble matching expectations. You'd be wrong about that.

This coffee drinks like a fine Burgundy—layered and complex—the type of profile that curls your spine into Rodin-like contemplation (probably best not to drink it around other people). It was grown in eastern Haraaz at a dizzying elevation of 2,200 meters. That means slow maturation and dense sugar development. That also means justification for your unbearable coffee snobbery—at least until the bag runs out.

Most coffees from Yemen are processed naturally. Not this one. It underwent three days of anaerobic fermentation before being sun-dried, and the whole method was carried out by one of the longest-standing coffee groups in Yemen: Pearl of Tehama.

Pearl of Tehama has been operating since the 1970s and has been run by the same family for half a century. The organization reliably produces some of the best coffee in the country, but even among its extraordinary offerings, this lot stands apart. It’s micro within micro, rare within rare, a true grand cru separation. As you might imagine, the cup is pretty effin' stellar.

This may not be a boozy coffee, but it creates a distinctly wine-like impression. Something about the way it hits the palate—the acidity, the complexity—recalls a French Burgundy. The flavors unfold in layers across the temperature range.

Butterscotch looms large: sweet and rich, with a faint salted edge. A dash of speculoos follows, piling on the sugars. In classic Yemeni fashion, an exotic note of violet candy blooms as the cup cools. And finally, an airy touch of yuzu lends a je ne sais quoi to a cup that already resists tidy flavor explanations.