FILTER | ETHIOPIA AYLA BOMBE

ETHIOPIA | AYLA BOMBE

TASTE NOTES: Bergamot . Strawberry . Watermelon

ORIGIN: Ethiopia 

FARM: Various Smallholders

LOCATION: Bensa, Sidamo

VARIETY: 74110, 74158 JARC varieties

PROCESSING: Fully Washed

PRODUCER: Ayla Washing station

ALTITUDE: 1,700–1,900 m.a.s.l.

Ayla washing station sits in Shantawene, in Ethiopia's Sidamo region, where smallholder farms climb to 1,950–2,000 metres above sea level. Established in 2018 by Faysel Abdosh and named after his niece, Ayla is the first station his company, Testi Specialty Coffee, has opened in Sidamo, after several successful stations in Guji. Around 800 farmers deliver cherry here, each cultivating small plots of about half a hectare, where coffee is grown using traditional, largely manual methods passed down through generations.

Beyond buying cherry, Testi Specialty Coffee has invested directly in the wellbeing of the surrounding community. In Sidamo, the company has helped build schools for local children, supported a water project to bring clean water within reach, and helped connect area homes to the electricity grid, extending the impact of the station well beyond the harvest season.

Farmers selectively handpick ripe, red cherry, much of it by family labor given the small size of the farms, and deliver it to the station, where each lot is visually inspected and any damaged or underripe cherry is removed. The cherry is pulped and fermented for 36 to 48 hours, then washed clean and laid out on raised beds to dry. Parchment is raked frequently throughout the drying process to ensure it dries evenly, a level of attention that helps the coffee reach Grade 1, Ethiopia's highest classification, free of cup faults and taints.

In the cup, expect a bright and aromatic coffee, with fragrant notes of bergamot layered over juicy strawberry and a crisp, refreshing finish of watermelon.