Yemen Haraaz – Dragonfly Coffee Roasters

As Roast Magazine’s 2019 Micro Roaster of the Year, I knew I wanted to try some coffee from Dragonfly Coffee Roasters. I purchased their Espresso Crema Dolce (coming in a future review) and their Yemen Haraaz Red A+, which I review below.

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I am always drawn to dry-processed coffees, so when I saw this one from a less common origin like Yemen, I knew I had to try it. (I realized after purchasing that it is actually a very similar coffee—same origin, region and processing—that I tried a few months back from Vennture Brew Co.).

The initial fragrance is bold with some nice, deep notes of cherry and almonds. After brewing, the aroma becomes sweeter and emphasizes the fruit notes. The brightness of the coffee is on display at the beginning of each sip and lingers throughout. The two highlights for me were:

1. The body: It had a wonderfully thick mouthfeel and a very rich sweetness. Those characteristics are not as common in naturally processed coffees, which tend to be very light bodied with brighter sweet notes.
2. The complexity: Naturally processed coffees are often complex, but the complexity found in this coffee was unique. It included a variety of flavors that were not as easily identifiable to me and they interacted together in a way I wasn’t as familiar with.

I tried the coffee in the v60, Chemex, AeroPress and espresso. It did well in all of them, though I think the v60 (unsurprisingly) was my favorite brew method.

The Bottom Line

This was a great coffee and one that I really enjoyed exploring. It continually surprised me with each new brew and definitely didn’t disappoint. It wasn’t the best naturally processed coffee I’ve had, but it was one of the most unique. A worthwhile purchase if you enjoy dry processed coffees and to explore more exotic flavors in coffee.