The new Yemeni dynasty
Yemen is the primary transit point for coffee around the world. In the 18th century, the coffee plant began its spread from there to countries bordering the equator. This has been documented and is considered a given in the history of coffee. So, what's the new discovery in 2020?
After extensive genetic research on coffee trees in Yemen, conducted by a team of specialists from Yemen and abroad, it was found that Yemeni coffee trees contain most of the genetic origins of coffee trees around the world (outside of Ethiopia), thus confirming the history of coffee as reported above.
But as is the nature of major discoveries in any field, chance and unplanned events play a pivotal role in shaping the future. Here is a golden example of this:
In the midst of research conducted by these scientists into the genetic structure of the Arabica species, which established that Yemen was the primary crossing point for the coffee plant, they uncovered the seed of another astonishing discovery: the presence of a gene pool unlike any other found anywhere else in the world! A gene pool found only in Yemen, under which numerous strains fall.
This discovery holds significant implications for the entire coffee world, representing one of the most significant developments in the last fifty years. It also offers a new perspective on mitigating the effects of climate change, which poses the greatest challenge to coffee cultivation in the future. It's worth noting that this discovery is still in its early stages and is undergoing verification and validation. The next stages of research are pivotal in determining its intended impact.
That's the scientific side, but what about the coffee itself? The cup? As part of the Elite Cup organization's activities, the brothers at Summit Coffee provided samples of very special crops they had worked on with Yemeni farmers, some from the newly discovered Yemeni group and some from other well-known groups and strains.
Surprisingly, the blind evaluation conducted by the tasting committee gave the newly discovered (Yemeni) genetic group the top spot without competition, all of this within samples considered among the finest in the world!
Photos from one of the farms where the new genetic group was grown... Yemeni
