Popularization of coffee knowledge | The origin of mocha coffee

Mocha, this magical coffee with a sweet chocolate flavor, has a long history beyond your imagination.

Today's mocha coffee, with chocolate syrup or cocoa powder, is like a knockoff Louis Vuitton bag to coffee experts.

The price of real Mocha coffee is 3-4 times that of ordinary boutique coffee, and there is only one place that produces Mocha coffee, which is Mokha, a small coastal city in Yemen that is ravaged by war.

Street view of Mocha, 1764

Mokha has recently made headlines around the world due to a conflict between the local government and the Hussein militia from Iran.

But historically, the real reason why this city is world-famous is that it monopolized the global coffee trade for nearly 200 years. It is also this city that gave birth to the dream-making Mocha coffee.

"All Yemeni coffee is exported from the port of Mokha and shipped overseas, which is why Mocha coffee got its name," said Anda Greeney from Harvard University, who has devoted his life to studying Mocha coffee and is also the founder of Al-Mokha.

Mocha is located in Yemen

The birthplace of coffee is Ethiopia, but it was medieval Yemen that helped coffee go global and become a must-have drink for everyone every day.

According to the historical records of the World Coffee Research Organization (WCR), coffee as a beverage first appeared in human history in the Yemeni city of Zabid.

In the 15th century, in order to meet the consumption needs of local people, Yemenis began to grow coffee themselves. In 1450, Yemeni Sufis began to drink coffee before prayer every night to keep their minds clear. It was in Yemen that people first invented coffee planting technology in the mountains.

This magical black drink immediately became popular throughout the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea region, and merchants from all over the world rushed to buy it.

It is said that Yemeni coffee, grown using traditional techniques and without adding any chemicals, has a very rich flavor, a mellow taste, and a charming red wine acidity.

Greeney said that the unique taste of Yemeni coffee comes from its special drying process, which is the oldest, most direct and most organic sun-drying method.

Yemen has a dry climate

After the coffee cherries are picked, they are placed in the sun to dry. Once the outer surface becomes hard, the cherries begin to shrink and turn dark brown or black. After that, people will manually peel off the hard shells and take out the coffee beans.

It is believed that it is this drying process that gives coffee its sweet, rich, fruity aroma.

Mocha coffee has a complex flavor with rich earthy notes and a unique taste profile.

“The coffee bean varieties grown in Yemen are very rich and worth our in-depth study. Some of these varieties only grow in the region, and their unique taste creates the wonderful flavor of Yemeni coffee that cannot be replicated.”

Arabica coffee is native to Ethiopia, but the Bourbon coffee genes come from Mokha, according to WCR. Bourbon coffee is known for its deep flavor and buttery chocolate mouthfeel, with a sweet, fruity flavor.

Although coffee is produced in Yemen, people have not yet found conclusive evidence to prove the origin of the word "Mocha". The only explanation is that Mocha coffee has a strong chocolate aroma, which gave it the name "Mocha".

After much research, Greeney said the word "mocha" may have originated from a chocolate-flavored dessert from the early 20th century.

In 1892, Betty Crocker's "Mocha Cake" used cream made from coffee produced in Mokha, and its name was changed from the original "Mokha" to "Mocha".

Later, in 1920, a recipe for "Iced Mocha Coffee" appeared in the Washington Post newspaper, using milk, coffee, cocoa, sugar and vanilla as raw materials. At the beginning of the last century, the world's oldest coffee industry magazine, Tea and Coffee Trade Journal, first proposed that Mocha coffee was produced in Yemen, and attached a recipe for Mocha coffee, which mentioned the method of adding chocolate, and it has been used ever since.

Today, with the continuous decline of Yemen's coffee production and the rise of other emerging coffee-producing countries, Yemen's monopoly on the coffee trade has long ended, but people still love mocha coffee made with chocolate, and they also talk about the legend about the origin of mocha coffee.

author

Rua's Alameda

English original address

saudigazette.com.sa/article/514399/World/Mena/Yemen