Our new collection, Al Ruwad XI Alchemy processed Yemenia coffee, engineered by QIMA, offers the most complex and rare gem from the motherland of coffee; Yemen. This Alchemy processed Yemenia lot is a part of Qima’s Competition and 90+ Series, a category of the best coffee Yemen has to offer. It was grown at an altitude of around 2,350 MASL in the Hayma Kharijiya region of the Sana’a governorate. This coffee was sourced through Al Ruwad, Yemen’s largest and most established specialty coffee cooperative, with whom Qima has partnered since 2016. 7 years on, this partnership has strengthened the basis of the shared goal of bringing equitably sourced coffee to consumers.
Even under these circumstances, we decided to list this coffee in our Experimental collection instead of an Excellence Collection. The reason is that there is a huge amount of work on this new Alchemy process for this unique Yemenia variety. 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 unique as a sensory basis and scientifically novel.
Al Ruwad Cooperative, which serves 285 families (an equivalent of 2000 people), is a rare example of a specialty coffee cooperative
in Yemen that espouses equitability and transparency in its operations. They are based in the Bait Alal village of Hayma Kharijiya.
Hayma Kharijiya is a coffee-growing region located in the west of the Sana’a governorate and includes many villages. It is bordered by Bani Matar to the east, Al-Hayma Al Dakhiliyah to the north, Manakhah to the west and Dhamar to the south. The region is well suited to Yemeni specialty coffee production; one can spot this name associated with many premium Yemeni coffees.
Hayma Kharijiya is known for its mild weather, fresh air and a chain of mountains that have a navy blue appearance. One can stand anywhere on the mountain for a panoramic view of the many important regions close by.
Hayma Kharijiya has many valleys such as Wadi Ali, Wadi Sarf, and Wadi Bini Ahmed to name a few. Mufhaq and Al-Manar forts are some important archaeological landmarks in the region.
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.
