Ethiopia — Ayla Washing Station (Bombe) 74110 & 74158 (Natural)

Tastes Like — 🍈 Pink Guava • 🫐 Blueberry • 🥭 Mango • 🍑 Apricot

DETAILS

• Washing Station: Ayla (Testi Coffee)
• Region: Bombe, Bensa, Sidama, Ethiopia
• Varietal: 74110 & 74158
• Process: Natural
• Altitude: up to 2,000 masl

INTRO From Ayla washing station in Ethiopia's Sidama region, run by Testi Coffee — this lot comes specifically from the village of Bombe, processed separately from neighbouring Shantawene to maintain traceability. Vivid pink guava and mango lead, layered with blueberry depth and apricot sweetness. In the cup: pink guava, blueberry, mango, and apricot.

THE PRODUCER Ayla sits at 1,950 masl in the Bensa woreda, with the Bonera River running nearby to supply fresh water for processing. Around 800 smallholder farmers, most working plots under two hectares, deliver freshly picked cherry from farms reaching up to 2,000 masl, grown under the shade of native Birbira, Wanza, and Acacia trees alongside food crops. Ayla was established in 2018 by Faysel Abdosh, founder of Testi Specialty Coffee, and named after his niece — Testi's first station in Sidama after developing several in Guji. Beyond coffee, Testi has supported the surrounding communities through school construction, clean water access, and electricity grid connections.

This lot is composed of varieties 74110 and 74158 — the "74" referring to 1974, when these selections were catalogued by the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre, with the remaining numbers identifying each specific selection.

THE PROCESS Farmers selectively hand-pick ripe, red cherries — mostly family labour, given the small farm sizes — and deliver them to Ayla station, where they're visually inspected and any damaged or underripe cherries removed. As a Natural, the cherries are washed clean then dried whole on raised beds, hand-sorted and raked regularly for even drying, typically taking 15-20 days depending on weather.

The whole-cherry drying on raised beds is the defining step — it's what builds the vivid pink guava, blueberry, and mango sweetness that define this cup, layered onto the 74110/74158 varieties' natural character.

THE CUP Vivid and fruit-forward — pink guava and mango sweetness up front, blueberry depth through the middle, and an apricot finish. A traceable, community-built expression of Bombe's natural processing.

Flavour Notes 🍈 Pink Guava 🫐 Blueberry 🥭 Mango 🍑 Apricot