Yemeni coffee - 4th October 2023

Yemeni coffee's very expensive. There isn't a lot of it. This makes it special. The coffee beans have a special flavour too.

In the past, Yemen sold its best coffee to international customers. But there's war in Yemen. It's difficult to send the coffee overseas. Farmers need to sell more coffee in Yemen. Now, there are lots of coffee shops in the country. Yemeni coffee's popular.

Ghaleb Yahya Alharazi works for a big cafe in the capital, Sana'a.

Ghaleb Yahya Alharazi: "Our goal is to embark on a journey back to the glory days of Yemeni coffee, rediscovering its authentic culture and heritage."

Religious leaders in Yemen made the first coffee 600 years ago. Now, it's a popular drink everywhere. The Yemeni coffee business is growing.

Cafe owner Hussein Ahmed's happy.

Hussein Ahmed: "Due to the travel difficulties, because if you could come to Yemen, it will cost you a lot of money and it is very hard to travel; Yemenis living abroad become more emotional, so they always buy Yemeni products, and I think it helps our business to become more popular among them."

There's a traditional technique to make Yemeni coffee. This is part of the flavour.

Adel al-Moaid loves Yemeni coffee. He says that Yemeni coffee is the best.

Adel al-Moaid: "I can instantly identify this coffee. I know that it originates from Haraz. I know it underwent fermentation, was dripped for serving, and that its intensity is 13. It's like it has an ID card, and clearly, such a thing did not exist before."

Many people from Yemen live in other countries. Yemeni coffee's a taste of home.

Now, they can buy the coffee online from Yemeni cafes. This is helping Yemeni coffee companies.