A juicy fruity and elegantly floral coffee that captivates from the very first sip. That's how you could describe this experimentally processed lot from Yemen, prepared for you by the Ovni Coffee roastery. The processing consists of initial aerobic fermentation, followed by carbonic maceration, and the whole process is completed by several hours of semi-anaerobic fermentation. The resulting cup offers a distinctive aroma of black cherries, blueberries, and dark chocolate, along with a light, rosy finish. Simply put, it is a complex, juicy, and full-bodied coffee with a long and intense aftertaste.
The Al Ofairi tribe, based in the western part of Maghrab Ans in the province of Dhamar, maintains a centuries-old agricultural tradition in a mountainous landscape where coffee has been grown for thousands of years. This exceptional lot represents the Kent variety, which has a remarkable history. It was first identified in India in the 1920s, and genetic research has revealed that Kent originates directly from the Yemeni Typica-Bourbon population, which is the genetic basis for many world-renowned coffee varieties. Seeds smuggled in the 17th and 18th centuries from southern Yemeni ports such as Mokha and Aden laid the foundation for the Kent variety and countless other varieties around the world. This coffee celebrates Yemen's pivotal role as the cradle of Arabica coffee and its contribution to global coffee culture. The Al Ofairi community, home to approximately 8,000 people, remains deeply committed to preserving tribal traditions and agricultural knowledge, maintaining coffee as both a heritage and a source of livelihood in the steep valleys with fertile soil at an altitude of 1,900-2,100 meters.
The processing method, called Alchemy, is Qima Coffee's advanced post-harvest processing protocol, the result of more than 1,300 experiments. The Alchemy XI protocol begins with 12 hours of aerobic fermentation in a well-ventilated environment. The cherries are then transferred to stainless steel tanks, flushed with carbon dioxide, and undergo carbonic maceration for 48 to 72 hours. They are then moved to shaded, well-ventilated raised beds, where the deeper layers of cherries create a semi-anaerobic environment for 48 hours. Finally, they are spread out on traditional African raised beds, where they dry slowly for approximately 600 hours (about 25 days). Once they reach the desired moisture content, the beans are hulled and hand-sorted at Qima's facilities. This extended phase of maceration in carbon dioxide creates a layered, fruity complexity while preserving the integrity of Yemen's terroir and genetic heritage.
- Altitude: 1,900–2,100 metersabovesea level.