001B - Al-lahaba Natural

Yemen is an an intriguing speciality coffee origin. The country is in essence, the original speciality coffee origin, as it was the sole coffee exporter up until the early 1700s.

Achieving near-legendary status amongst the coffee community, there has long been word of how exquisite coffee from Yemen can taste. However, the country has seen many troubled times and farmers lacked the infrastructure to focus on small, speciality lots in the hope of exporting them.

Faris, the founder of Qima, was born in Bolton, UK to family of Yemeni heritage. Faris knew that he could make a positive impact on his family’s home and thought oil would be the country’s saviour, but Yemen was soon torn apart by civil war and Faris’ oil deals collapsed.

He then turned to coffee, harnessing the origin’s centuries-old legacy and implementing modern speciality growing techniques in Yemen’s best producing areas.

The Qima project builds and operates infrastructure, support and processes that focus on achieving the highest cup quality — splitting out the nano and microlots to showcase the incredible flavours this origin is capable of. All this, while delivering a premium price to the coffee farmers.

We’re proud to showcase this nanolot as our first Limited Release Rare. A naturally-processed, native Udaini varietal, grown by Hussain Al Lahaba. This is a truly remarkable coffee with sweet and complex notes of rose, apricot, dried mango and cocoa.

The 001B - Al-lahaba Natural, sourced by Colonna Coffee, represents a distinct expression of the Udaini varietal cultivated by producer Hussain Al Lahaba in the Sanaa region of Yemen. As a natural-processed coffee, the cherries are dried with the fruit intact, a technique that often imparts a heavier body and intensified sweetness to the final cup. You can learn more about the nuances of this technique in our processing methods explainer.

In the cup, this lot presents a complex profile featuring notes of rose, apricot, dried mango, and cocoa. While individual experiences vary, these descriptors can be mapped against the flavor wheel to better understand how these specific fruit and floral characteristics interact. This coffee highlights the unique terroir of Sanaa, offering a sensory experience that balances delicate aromatics with the deep, resonant sweetness characteristic of high-quality Yemeni production.