Chert wrote:Yes, indeed and the real race is in two days.

Dave, you can have a ring side seat....

A seat it will be. They have established a minimum bid of $25/lb. I imagine sky high winning bids on these small lots. I knew I was out when I searched for quotes on shipping from Oman where the beans are warehoused. 30 kilos? $587 to my door. By sea? Need half a container. I even checked to see if I could piggyback on someone's shipment from Oman. No soap. I am out before the first round bell even rings.

Private auctions outside ACE's Cups of Excellence are setting auction prices above reasonable value. The Lamastus Family Auction in Sept (superb coffee from their Panamanian farms---many here have had them) has set opening bids between $60-$100). https://lamastusfamilyestates.auction/e ... d3828500cd. Really? Capitalism at its worst (grins).

These auctions are playing to roasters who are after bragging rights to light up their own marquees. In this pending Yemeni auction, I anticipate Asian buyers will run the table. We at least put chalk on our cue stick when the balls were racked. I kept the chalk to remind me what is occurring.

This small boy it out. But tonight at our home, some from of our coffee group are sitting down to 3 of the Yemeni coffees; enjoying them, each other's company, with pizza and beer to follow.

Please pass me the chalk, will you? And another slice of the pepperoni pizza.

. I've shared some cupping sessions with friends but too much going on since I've had Yemen samples. The midday work break with a friend over a Yemen V60 is a real treat.

And I'm sure those three coffees will be a great way to start the evening of pizza and beer and friendship. Cheers!

Farmer: Al bin Ali al Matari (Al, son of Ali of the Matari mountain range - assuming "bin" in Arabic is the "ben" of Hebrew)
Process: Anaerobic, 5 days
Elevation, if known: 1900 meters
Variety: Udaini (speculated the oldest variety in Yemen)
Date: 8/30/22
Roaster/depth into 1st crack in min: all pulled between 411-413*
Prep: Espro
Evaluators: Tom, Tim, Dave

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1. Fragrance/Aroma: peanut, florals

2. Brightness/acidity: citric, glued the cup together perfectly

3. Flavor/depth/nuances: raspberry all day long, rose, berry sweetness

4. Body/mouthfeel/balance: medium cup, smooth as silk, *extremely* balanced

5. Finish/aftertaste: velvet finish, berry

Subjective Evaluation/Comments - spectacular coffee. Knew it was a knockout with the first sip and the coffee just kept getting better and better. This coffee finished 5th of 25.



Grade: 90.5
[This coffee sold for $55.50 to a coffee roaster in Dubai]

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Grading system:
88 and above: Superb coffee
87: Outstanding coffee
86.5: Buy range, distribution worthy
86.0: If I needed the origin, I would buy it
85.0: Missing an element
84.0: Specialty coffee but not recommended
80-83: Coffee
79 and below: Thrown off the table

Farmer: Muhammad Ahsan Ali Musleh
Process: Anaerobic (process is discussed here: https://www.cafeimports.com/europe/blog ... -a-sudden/)
Elevation, if known: 1800 meters
Variety: Udaini
Date: 8/30/22
Roaster/depth into 1st crack in min, all roasted to 411-413*
Prep: Espro
Evaluators: Tim, Tom, Dave

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1. Fragrance/Aroma: Sweet watermelon, "round"

2. Brightness/acidity: citric

3. Flavor/depth/nuances: Orange, orange zest, soft, velvety, light honey sweetness.

4. Body/mouthfeel/balance: Extremely complex.

5. Finish/aftertaste: indescribable. A perfume on the upper palate, the kind prepared for a visiting dignitary.

Subjective Evaluation/Comments - Rarely am I stumped for words to describe a coffee. We had a very long discussion between "coffees we like" vs "grading and describing this coffee." This is superior coffee which I knew was better than coffees that I like.

I don't believe I have ever had a more complex cup and our words failed us in appropriately describing both the quality and characteristics of this coffee.

To summarize, I said, "I wish I could drink this coffee for a month so I could do a better job of capturing it in words."



Grade: 91 (this coffee finished 3rd)

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Grading system:
88 and above: Superb coffee

Farmer: Najed Nagy Ahmad Basel
Process: Sun dried natural
Elevation, if known: 2300 meters
Variety: Udaini
Date: 8/30/22
Roaster/depth into 1st crack in min, all pulled 411-413*
Prep: Espro
Evaluators: Tim, Tom, Dave


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1. Fragrance/Aroma: molasses in chewing tobacco (2 of us are familiar w/those), dark rose, hazelnut, bakers chocolate

2. Brightness/acidity: citric

3. Flavor/depth/nuances: bakers chocolates, black tea

4. Body/mouthfeel/balance: dry at the end

5. Finish/aftertaste: tannins

Subjective Evaluation/Comments. Universally evaluated as the "lowest" of the 3 coffees on the table. Well could be roasting error. One shot at a 150g roast. I will monitor how this coffee does relative to the other 24 during the auction.



Grade: 86.5 (this coffee finished 16th of 25 by the Boot cupping team).
[This coffee sold for $25/lb to a roaster in Holland]

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Grading system:
88 and above: Superb coffee
87: Outstanding coffee
86.5: Buy range, distribution worthy
86.0: If I needed the origin, I would buy it
85.0: Missing an element
84.0: Specialty coffee but not recommended
80-83: Coffee
79 and below: Thrown off the table

I am off from work on Friday and will pick away at the other 4 coffees on hand this weekend.

You've got a heavy burden!

Pretty much all I've had are "Buy" worthy but some were poored down by the roaster to the 86 point range. But most are so nice some really stellar, as you Dave & co describe so mouthwateringly. I do wish I did justice to each of them in my sample roasts.

My remaining 2 from NYCA and 3 from BoY I will hold onto for a while before roasting them. I've got some 10 cups leftover still of the roasted ones.

I'll do an entry:

Farmer: Raja Abdullah Nashwan & Safiya Abdullah Nashwan
Process: Anaerobic
Elevation, if known: 2200 meters
Variety: Udaini
Date: 9/1/22 - right now!
Roaster/depth into 1st crack in min:Huky Roasted August 19 City/City+
Prep: V60 20 g in 320 out James Hoffman method
Evaluators:Flint

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1. Fragrance/Aroma: sweet / coffee / chocolate / spice / fruit like banana on grounds in toss to V60 filter (Don't grounds and the air near grounds coffee have a different smell? I think so.) wet aroma: drier than grounds still sweet maybe touch of paper despite the rinse

2. Brightness/acidity: balanced acidity / sweet

3. Flavor/depth/nuances: sweetness dark berries pleasant spice / sandalwood?

4. Body/mouthfeel/balance: brightness with subtle tannic mouthfeel good light-medium roast no roasty tones

5. Finish/aftertaste:to me settles into berry subtle spice sandalwood?

Subjective Evaluation/Comments - really good; nice to share with you all - that means I get all 320 mL



Grade: (Auction assigned) 87.55 with "Banana Dark Chocolate blueberry. / if I could find 5 lbs at a price I could afford definitely buy
[This coffee sold for $32.50 to a Port of Mokha inc.]
(Does Port of Mokha market it on or sell roasted?)

Farmer: Mohammed al Nadam
Process: Natural sun dried
Elevation, if known:
Variety: Ja'ady
Date: Sep 1, '22
Roaster/depth: all 411-413*
Prep: Espro
Evaluators: Dave

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1. Fragrance/Aroma: F: molasses/dark chocolate covered strawberries.
A: Herbaceous, cocoa powder.

2. Brightness/acidity: Citric, grapefruit hints

3. Flavor/depth/nuances: black licorice with molasses sweetness. Black tea hint. Banana trying to sneak in. Vanilla.

4. Body/mouthfeel/balance: big cup, coating, syrupy. Coats tongue. Thins a bit as it cools and not as flavorful.

5. Finish/aftertaste: Heavy, tongue coating, pleasant, Australian black licorice

Any Addt'l Subjective Evaluation/Comments. While I love it, surprised it finished 6th. Thought cuppers would rate a heavy cup more lowly. What do I know.

Good stuff.



Grade: 87.9
This coffee sold for $26.80/lb to a Taiwanese roaster.

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Grading system:
88 and above: Superb coffee
87: Outstanding coffee
86.5: Buy range, distribution worthy
86.0: If I needed the origin, I would buy it
85.0: Missing an element
84.0: Specialty coffee but not recommended
80-83: Coffee
79 and below: Thrown off the table