Meet a Coffee Bean Species Every Day

Moka

Moka (MOKA) is considered a dwarf variant of Bourbon. It is short in stature, produces round cherries and seeds, and is genetically very close to Bourbon.

MOKA is named after the port of Moka in Yemen, where it was planted and brought to Reunion. It is now grown throughout Central America.

The port of Mocha monopolized the coffee export trade in the 15th century, which had a particularly strong impact on the coffee export trade in the Arabian Peninsula region.

Between the 15th century and the beginning of the 18th century, almost all of the coffee beans produced in Africa were exported through the port of Mocha to European countries. Coffee exported from the port of Mocha was called "Mocha coffee".

Strictly speaking, mocha (MOKA) coffee beans are coffee beans with a rich chocolate flavor. This gave rise to the idea of mixing chocolate with coffee, and led to the development of the chocolate espresso drink.

But in Europe, "mocha" may refer to either the drink or just the coffee made from mocha beans.