Tasting Notes: Honey, Lemon, Tea

Variety: Bura'a Yemeni Landraces

Processing: Natural

Origin: Bura'a, Yemen

Producers: Bura'a Small-holders

Altitude: 900-2000m

As members of the club have seen firsthand, specialty coffee is grown throughout the world in various forms to unique and delicious results. But coffee probably wouldn't be as widely enjoyed today if it wasn't for the people of Yemen, who first popularized and commercially cultivated coffee in the 15th century. Many of the production methods in Yemen remain unchanged since then - including the rooftop drying beds where local Yemeni landraces of Coffea Arabica are natural-processed to incredible flavor and quality. The drought-prone climate of Yemen makes coffee farming difficult, and the ongoing armed conflict in Yemen has led to severe instability for civilians, but a group of farmers in the Bura'a area persevered to produce the incredible beans you're about to brew. Many thanks to them, the Muslot family, and Royal Coffee Importers for bringing this coffee to the US, and for helping us share the beauty and history of Yemeni coffee with the club.

The flavors we're picking up in Bura'a Rooftop are poised and delicate - a sweet honey note upfront compliments some lemon acidity while a tea-like earthiness contributes some structure to the brew. It's interesting to see a natural coffee that eschews the typical floral and berry notes for a more unique flavor profile - we knew we wouldn't find a coffee like this one again for quite some time, making it the natural choice for our next Tasting Series batch. We hope you enjoy the brew, and appreciate the thousands of years of coffee-making history it represents.