Farmer // 35-40 Families
Region // Bani Nahimi, Haraaz, Sana’a
Process // Alchemy*
Genetics // Yemenia**
Altitude // 2100-2200masl
Flavor Notes // Blueberry, Honey, Dried Fig, Floral
Roast Level // Light
ABOUT AL NAHIMI
Bani Nahimi is well-known for its coffee cultivation. Farming families have been growing coffee here for about 4-6 centuries. Perched over 2,000 MASL, over 300 people live in this village, comprising 35-40 coffee farming families. The largest holdings have around 5,000 trees, and the smallest have a minimum of 1,000 trees.
Haraaz is an ancient, mountainous region in the governorate of Sana’a, and is home to some of Yemen’s best, and oldest, coffee- growing communities. The area has fertile, lush valleys and highlands where many different types of crops are grown. Farmers plant their crops in terraces here, and apart from coffee, they also grow alfalfa for livestock, millets and lentils.
The region houses roughly 140,000 people, with at least 1,500 families financially dependent on coffee farming.
In terms of volume, Haraaz is Yemen’s largest coffee-producing region due to the presence of a large network of coffee nurseries across the region. The stratospheric altitudes, where the coffee is grown, add to the unique flavour profile of Haraazi coffee. Farmers also believe that Haraazi coffee is distinctive because of the region’s fertile soil. It is interesting to note that a large share of Haraazi coffee is specialty grade.
The Sana’a governorate occupies the biggest share of Yemeni specialty coffee production in quality and quantity. The main coffee- growing areas are Hayma Dakhiliya, Hayma Kharijiya, Bani Matar, Bani Ismail, and Haraaz. Some factors that make high-quality coffee growing possible here include a range of altitudes, soil fertility, microclimate and rainfall.
Sana’a is also home to Yemen’s capital city, which has one of the longest-continuous coffee cultures in the world. Much of the coffee consumed there is prepared using the traditional Ibrik method, brewing coffee in a copper or silver pot over hot charcoal.
ABOUT AXIS MUNDI…
"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." – Jung
Our new collection of the most exquisite coffees from around the world, AXIS MUNDI, celebrates the places where heaven meets earth in our lives. The inspiration for this series comes from the concepts of Axis Mundi rooted in many of the world's religions & cultures. Through these coffees, we turn our attention towards the broader view of the world, and the glory of humanity & divinity.
Brought to you by the partnership of Qima Coffee X Mad Priest Coffee
*What is Alchemy Processing?
The culmination of years of processing experience and more than 1,300 processing experiments, the Qima Alchemy Series represents the next generation of coffee processing innovation. We seek to add sensorial value to coffees through applying innovative processing methods to enhance and embolden the coffees' cup profile, whilst maintaining the intrinsic flavours and notes that represent the terroir and the genetic background of the coffee.
The Alchemy series relies on a combination of pressure (up to 10 bar/145 psi), temperature control, gas regulation and managed drying, to develop a truly unique set of coffees with unparalleled flavour expression and structure. All of our processing and fermentation protocols are underpinned by principles of chemical engineering, ensuring our innovations are both sensiorally unique and scientifically novel.
**Haven’t heard about Yemenia?
Qima Coffee, together with scientists from Alliance for Coffee Excellence, discovered a pure Arabica “Mother Population” a few years ago, called Yemenia. It represents a new ocean of genetics with untapped potential to transform the genetic landscape of Coffea Arabica. We were part of the first global auction where Yemenia was introduced to the world in 2020 and purchased one of the top lots. Everyone literally freaked out over it…in a good way, you know. Now, a few years later, we can’t quite afford the top lots of Yemenia, but we did everything in our power to bring you some of this heavenly goodness once again!
