What Can Everyday Coffee Drinkers Learn from Best of Yemen?
A US$435-per-pound auction coffee makes a striking headline. But the more useful lesson from Best of Yemen 2026 is how differently coffees from one country can taste—and how to use that knowledge when choosing your next bag.
Organised by Qima Coffee and the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE), this Private Collection Auction showcases exceptional small lots. Its prices are green-coffee auction bids, not everyday roasted-coffee retail prices.
Start with the results, not the price tag
The first eight entries in the official selection results span Natural, Carbonic Honey, Deep Fermentation and three Alchemy labels. These are post-harvest processing descriptions, not roast levels. These examples illustrate the range; they are not the complete auction list.
Four processing styles worth understanding
Natural: the whole cherry dries
Natural processing dries the coffee inside its fruit before the dried outer layers are removed. It does not mean “no fermentation”. Fifth-placed Yusuf Rumaim pairs this method with notes including papaya and blood orange—a reminder that natural coffees need not taste only heavy or dried-fruity.
Carbonic Honey: fermentation meets fruit-coated drying
In Qima’s published Wadi Jannat example, cherries ferment in sealed, carbon-dioxide-filled tanks, then are depulped and dried with mucilage—the sticky fruit layer—still attached. “Honey” does not mean added honey. This explains the approach, not the exact recipe for fourth-placed Bait Yaseen Honey, whose listed notes include peach and blackberry.
Deep Fermentation: a label, not a complete recipe
Third-placed Maram Al-Yazji carries this label, with pineapple, strawberry-soda and black-tea notes. The results table does not specify fermentation duration, temperature or microbes. We should not infer those details—or assume every coffee with this label tastes alike.
Alchemy: Qima’s controlled-processing series
Qima describes Alchemy as combining pressure, temperature control, gas regulation and managed drying. This year’s leading entries include XV, XI and XCI. Those labels should not be read as quality rankings or fermentation times. Aljidan XV, the highest-scoring lot at 90.22, lists floral and fruit notes; that does not establish processing alone as the reason for its score.
What should you look for when buying coffee?
Choose flavours first, then use processing as a clue. Read tasting notes alongside origin, variety and roast style. If you enjoy fruit-led cups, ask your roaster for an approachable example within your budget rather than chasing an auction name.
Descriptions such as whisky or strawberry soda are sensory comparisons, not evidence that those ingredients were added. Likewise, more elaborate processing does not automatically mean a coffee will suit you better.
You do not need a winning lot to become a more curious coffee drinker. Compare two coffees, brew them consistently, and notice which one you actually enjoy.
Explore our coffees for filter brewing →
This collection link is for everyday exploration, not a claim that we stock the auction lots above.
The coffee that stayed with me
I was fortunate enough to taste all of this year’s Best of Yemen auction samples. One coffee that particularly stayed with me was the fourth-placed Bait Yaseen Honey. Its distinct ginger-flower note made it especially memorable—a flavour I kept thinking about after the tasting.
If your coffee had a ginger-like flavour of its own, would you enjoy it—or would it be a little too unexpected? I’d love to hear what you think.
Some moments are brewed, not made.
Sources: ACE: Best of Yemen 2026 selection and auction results; Qima: Alchemy; Qima: Wadi Jannat / Carbonic Honey; SCA: Water Security and Coffee; SCA: The Fermentation Effect. Checked 20 September 2026.