Bani Matar lies immediately west of Sana'a, a district of deep valleys and terraced flanks at some of the highest cultivable altitudes in Yemen. Its coffee travelled to the port of Mokha for centuries under the district's name, and 'Mattari' has been a recognised quality designation in the trade for so long that it now functions almost as a brand.
Conditions
- 1'800 to 2'400 m, dry and cold at night.
- Low, unreliable rainfall — the plants are stressed, and the beans are dense.
- Drying almost entirely on rooftops and stone terraces, in full sun.
- Predominantly Udaini trees, interplanted with Tuffahi and Dawairi.
Character
Bani Matar produces the heaviest Yemeni coffee: dark chocolate, raisin and date, low acidity, a syrupy body and a long finish with a hint of tannin. It is the profile most people are describing when they use the word 'mocha' to mean a chocolatey coffee — a usage that began here, not in a café.
A note on drying
Rooftop drying is the tradition and it is what gives Bani Matar its concentration, but it also introduces variability: a rooftop is not a raised bed, and a batch can pick up a ferment or a phenolic note if the weather turns. This is why we cup before we buy and why we ask for the drying batch, not just the district. See natural processing.