Yemen coffee

25 Yemen coffees from 10 independent UK roasters, from £4.05.

Yemen is where coffee cultivation and trade effectively began, and its coffee remains unlike anywhere else. Grown on ancient terraced mountainsides from indigenous varieties, dried as natural (the original process, born of the arid climate) and often still hand-sorted, Yemeni coffee is wild, complex and heady: dried fruit, spice, dark chocolate, tobacco and a boozy, fermented depth. It is scarce, labour-intensive and expensive, and conflict has made export difficult, so a genuine Yemeni lot is a rare treat. Brew it gently and drink it black. For anyone who loves fruit-forward naturals and wants to taste coffee’s deepest historical roots, Yemen is a once-in-a-while bag worth saving up for.