Yemen Mocca Khulani

High in the rugged ranges of Yemen's northwestern Sa'adah Governorate, 109 small farmers tend coffee on terraces carved into near-vertical rock. This is Khulani, a name that signals place and pedigree the way Kona does in Hawaii. It is among the oldest and most revered coffees in the country that gave the world the word mocha.

OriginYemen RegionSa'adah Governorate Elevation1,400-2,500m ProcessNatural VarietyHeirloom (Audaini, Dawaery, Tuffahi) The Source

Legacy Farmers of the Northern Ranges

Yemen sits at the historic root of coffee culture. Beans first crossed oceans through its ancient port of Mocha, and the high terraces above Sana'a have grown coffee for more than five centuries. The Khulani name comes from the mountains around Sa'adah, where families have farmed the same plots for generations, passing cultivation knowledge from one household to the next.

This lot is gathered by the Khulani Coffee Society for Agricultural Development, a group of 109 growers spread across the districts of Saqayn, Haydan, Ghamr, Razih, and beyond. The coffee is milled and exported by Pearl of Tehama, a family business that has worked in Yemeni coffee since 1970. Trees grow on arid, steep terraces at roughly 1,000 plants per hectare, with water drawn from bore holes dug by hand into the rock. Those extreme elevations and slow ripening conditions build the concentration that defines high-grown coffee. Read more about why altitude shapes a cup.

The Craft

Sun-Dried the Traditional Way

Khulani is processed naturally, the oldest method in Yemen and the one best suited to a landscape with little water. Cherries are hand-picked, sorted for ripeness, then dried whole in a single layer under full sun on raised beds and rooftops. As the fruit slowly dries around the seed, sugars migrate inward, lending the deep berry sweetness and winey complexity that set natural coffees apart from washed ones. Learn how these processing methods change the cup.

We roast this coffee to City+, a level that honors its natural sweetness without flattening the fruit. The aim is balance: enough development to round out the body and coax the chocolate notes forward, while preserving the rose and raspberry lift that make Khulani so distinctive. Small batches, roasted on solar power at our Virginia Beach roastery.

Raspberry Chocolate Rose Winey Sweetness BodyFull AcidityBright The Cup

Berry, Cocoa, and a Whisper of Rose

Khulani opens with a surprising sweetness, uncommon for Yemen, that leads with ripe raspberry and a floral note of rose. Beneath the fruit sits a foundation of dark chocolate that gives the cup weight and a comforting, almost dessert-like character. The texture is creamy and full, the kind that coats the palate and lingers.

As it cools, the winey complexity typical of fine natural coffees emerges, with the berry deepening and the cocoa turning richer. It is a cup that rewards slow drinking, layered and historic in equal measure.

Find Your Fix

This full-bodied natural shines through a pour-over like the Chemex or V60, where its fruit and florals get room to unfold. It also pulls a deep, jammy shot as espresso and makes a rich Cold Brew. Explore the rest of our coffee beans and find your fix.

Roasted in small batches at our Virginia Beach roastery.

Packaged in reusable glass mason jars, returned locally for reuse. Solar-roasted.

Virginia Beach, VA