Yemen Sharqi Haraz Washed

A rare washed coffee from Yemen, the birthplace of cultivated coffee. Grown by smallholder families on the ancient terraces of Eastern Haraz and processed by the family-run exporter Pearl of Tehama, this lot breaks with Yemen's centuries-old natural tradition. The result is floral and deeply sweet, with rose, cherry cordial and baked bread. Featured in our October Rare Coffees Tour. Roasted to order in Hilo, Hawaii.

Origin: Eastern Haraz, Sana'a Governorate, Yemen
Producer: Smallholder members of the Sharqi Haraz Cooperative
Exporter: Pearl of Tehama
Altitude: High mountain terraces
Variety: Yemeni heirloom cultivars
Process: Washed, sun-dried on raised beds
Roast: Light

Flavor

Rose • Cherry Cordial • Baked Bread

Rose florals lead the aroma. The cup opens into rich cherry cordial, sweet dark cherry wrapped in chocolate, with a bright, juicy acidity. Warm baked bread notes add depth and roundness, and the finish is long and sweet. Even though it's washed, the cup is so fruit-forward it often drinks more like a natural, with the depth Yemeni coffees are known for.

Haraz — Six Centuries of Coffee

People in Haraz have grown and enjoyed coffee for about six hundred years, roughly two centuries before Europeans knew coffee existed. Yemen was cultivated coffee's homeland, and for nearly two hundred years it supplied almost all of the world's coffee.

The Haraz mountains in Sana'a Governorate are among Yemen's most revered growing areas. "Harazi" has long been a mark of quality, much as "Kona" is in Hawaiʻi. Families tend terraced plots on steep, arid slopes, passed down through generations. Trees are planted far apart, about 1,000 per hectare compared with 4,000–6,000 in Latin America, and shade trees are carefully placed to slow evaporation. Where there's no spring water for irrigation, farmers dig bore holes into the rock by hand to reach water for individual trees. Older trees often hang their branches over the terrace edges, which locals call "hanging gardens."

The coffee itself comes from Yemeni heirloom cultivars. Little research has been done to tell them apart, but recent genetic work suggests Yemen holds a distinct coffee population, sometimes called "Yemenia," found nowhere else.

Pearl of Tehama

This lot was curated by Pearl of Tehama, a family milling and export business founded in 1970 by Ali Hiba Muslot. Today it's owned by Fatoum Muslot, and her eldest son, Yasser Al-Khaderi, is general manager. The coffee comes from about 200 partner farmers in the Sharqi Haraz Cooperative.

Only a few hundred kilos of this washed lot were produced. It was vacuum-packed and air-shipped to the US, where our importer, Royal Coffee, selected it for its Crown Jewel program of exceptional microlots.

Washed — A Break From Tradition

Almost all Yemeni coffee is processed as a natural: hand-picked cherries dried whole in the sun on rooftops or raised beds. A washed Yemen is extraordinary.

At Pearl of Tehama's central processing site, ripe cherries were pulped, fermented and washed with clean water in very small batches. The parchment then dried in the sun on raised beds for 15–20 days and rested in climate-controlled storage before milling. Washing removes the fruit-drying flavors of a typical Yemen and shows the heirloom cultivars and Haraz terroir with unusual clarity.

Brewing Recommendation

We recommend a pour-over to bring out the florals and fruit. Use a slightly higher dose in a conical brewer like a V60 or Origami, or a moderate dose in a flat-bottom brewer like a Kalita Wave. Brew at 200–205°F with a medium-fine grind. Let the coffee cool as you drink; the rose and cherry cordial sweetness becomes more pronounced as the temperature drops.

Explore more rare lots in our Rare Coffee Collection, or get coffees like this delivered every month with the Rare Coffees Tour.