Mocha Java – History in Your Coffee Cup

Mocha Java is a world famous blend which has been delighting coffee drinkers for centuries. It is believed that the first species of coffee Arabica was grown in southwest Arabia well over 1000 years ago. The coffee bush was indigenous to Ethiopia and Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula. Virtually all Yemen coffee comes from these ancient “heirloom” varieties of Arabica, which first appeared there centuries ago. All are grown at elevations above 5,000 feet.

Coffee from Yemen is very distinctive and beans are produced in several different growing districts. Each area’s coffee has different qualities and characteristics.

• Mattari is  full-bodied, fragrant with a very hard, oval bean that is grown at high altitude. It is known, too, as Adeni.
• Hirazi is thought by some to be Yemen’s finest coffee, and it comes from the area’s second highest mountain range.
• Full-bodied, heady, and powerful are descriptive terms for this coffee.
• Dhamari comes from the mountains surrounding the provincial capital of Dhamari. It is a  rounded bean, brews coffee with excellent flavor and is also known as Anisi.
• Ismaili is more famous for its great flavor and produces small, round, pea-like beans.

The name ‘Mocha’ has become permanently attached to all of these coffee beans, which could more accurately be described as Yemen or Arabian.

Much of the Yemen Mocha coffee is raised under primitive conditions, just as it has been for hundreds of years, without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. All Yemen coffee is dry-processed. The ripe coffee cherries are harvested by hand and dried in layers on the rooftops of ancient stone houses. They are husked by millstones, which, in some areas, are still turned by camels or donkeys.  Then they are winnowed, screened, and cleaned by hand.

Historians speculate that Mocha Java could be the very first coffee blend, made from a mix of beans from Yemen and Java, an Indonesian island. How it happened, no one is sure. Some say that it was an accident – a delicious one- it has turned out. It occurred in the ancient Yemen seaport of Al-Makha, when coffee beans from Yemen or a nearby area in North –East Africa were mistakenly combined with Javanese coffee. Recognized now as the oldest blend in the world, it became extremely popular with Arabs and everywhere ‘Turkish style’ coffee was drunk. Saudi-Arabians especially loved it and were willing to pay premium prices then, just as today.

The first coffee in Java was introduced by the Dutch in the late 1600’s and it was later exported to Europe. Here the beverage brewed from the Java beans became the drink of the wealthy. When the Europeans got a taste of the coffee made from the mixture of beans from Yemen and Java, it became the big favorite. Kegs of coffee beans made the voyage on sailing ships through the Red Sea to Europe. During the long journey, the beans mellowed and aged to make the fine coffee we know today as ‘Mocha Java’.

There is no chocolate in this blend and the name often is misleading for those who don’t know its true origins. One fan added a bit of cocoa to her brew and thinks the result is delightful. Here’s her comment: “I find it irresistible when adding one-half teaspoon of cocoa powder (unsweetened) to the medium sized cup (7.25 ounces). It adds another layer of taste that brings it up to a more sophisticated level”.

For more information about coffee and K-cups visit www.greatcoffee.com

Mocha Java – A Blend of the Ages

This coffee blend is the oldest in the world, made with beans that first appeared thousands of years ago in Yemen and Ethiopia. The native beans of the “coffee shrub of Arabia” or Arabica coffee was first cultivated by the Ethiopian highlanders. As the Arab world began expanding its trade horizons, the beans traveled to Northern Africa, where villagers started crops.

Around 1454, the Sheikh Jarnal-al-Din al-Dhabhani, mufti of Aden, was the first to adopt the use of coffee. Its popularity spread to Mecca and Medina and then to Cairo, Damascus, Baghdad, and Istanbul. From there, the coffee beans entered the Indian markets and the popularity of the beverage brewed from them grew.

The Dutch began growing coffee from beans in their forts in India and took the first young plants to Java in Indonesia. The plants flourished, usually grown in the highlands, and large coffee estates developed. Within a few years, the Dutch colonies in Java became the main suppliers of coffee to Europe. Their beans were often aged three years or more, which increased the flavor, producing a brew that was deep and full-bodied.

The coffee we know today as Mocha has been grown for centuries in the mountains and high hills of Yemen, in the southwestern tip of the Arabian peninsula. It has been called Moka, Mocca, and Moca and was once shipped from the ancient sea port of Mokka, sometimes called Al-Makha. Legend has it that in this seaport, Mocha beans were accidentally mixed with the larger coffee beans from Java. This unexpected blend was a big hit when introduced in Europe and became known as Mocha Java.

Today, the Mocha coffee is grown on the same trees that cling to the dry mountainsides, without pesticides or fertilizers, and are processed as they have been for centuries. In the fall, the coffee cherries are harvested by hand and then spread out in the sun to dry on the roofs of the ancient stone houses. During the winter, if it rains, water is collected in little reservoirs and used to keep the small coffee trees alive.

All Mocha coffee beans from Yemen are dried with the bean left inside the coffee cherry. After it has dried, it is removed by millstones that are often still turned round and round by donkeys or camels. You may notice that many beans have a rough, jagged appearance due to this process. The husks of the cherry are usually broken neatly in half by the millstones and are used to make a sweet drink called ‘qish’.

Today, many roasters use between 25% to 50% Mocha beans in their blends. The addition of Mocha to an espresso blend significantly increases its body and aroma. Coffee drinkers, often confused by, ‘Mocha’, in this blend’s name, expect a brew with chocolate overtones. You won’t find that but you will get a smooth, mellow cup of coffee, full of flavor and steeped in history.