Ethiopia — Alo Coffee Bombe Ethiopian Landrace (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍉 Watermelon • 🌸 White Florals • 🍓 Raspberry

DETAILS

• Producer: Alo Coffee (Tamiru Tadesse & Messi)
• Station: Bombe — Central Washing Station
• Region: Bombe, Sidama, Ethiopia
• Varietal: Ethiopian Landrace
• Process: Washed (48hr Underwater Fermentation)
• Altitude: 2,300 MASL
• Harvest: January 2026
• Size: 250g

INTRO

Coffees from Bombe are grown at extreme elevations nestled in the valleys of the Sidama mountains — a unique location that consistently produces some of the highest-scoring coffees of the year. This washed lot from Alo Coffee is a Grade 1 density separation, fermented underwater for 48 hours and dried on raised beds for 10–14 days. In the cup: watermelon, white florals, and raspberry.

THE PRODUCER

Alo Coffee was founded by Tamiru Tadesse and his wife Messi after Tamiru witnessed first-hand the systemic undervaluation of local coffee farmers throughout his years working in the industry. Inspired by Ethiopia's inaugural Cup of Excellence in 2020, the couple launched their own exporting company and network of stations — and in 2021, their debut lot from their home village of Alo claimed the national championship. Bombe is one of the stations within Alo Coffee's portfolio, situated at 2,300 MASL in the Sidama mountain valleys, where extreme elevation, volcanic soils, and passive-organic cultivation create the conditions for exceptional cup quality.

Coffees from Bombe are produced following traditional cultivation methods, with the vast majority grown in small gardens of 0.1 to 0.2 hectares — nearly everyone in the region grows coffee, and it remains the primary source of income for producers here. Ethiopia's extraordinary biodiversity — with DNA testing confirming over 60 distinct varieties — means that most Ethiopian coffees are blends of many co-existing heirloom cultivars, referred to collectively as Ethiopian Landrace. At 2,300 MASL in Bombe, this diversity finds its fullest and most aromatic expression.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Bombe involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Cherries picked at peak ripeness and delivered to the central washing station 💧 Flotation — Floated to further remove defects 🔧 De-pulping — Outer skin removed before fermentation 🔍 Grade 1 density separation — Beans separated by density, with only the finest Grade 1 beans proceeding 💧 48-hour underwater fermentation — Beans fermented fully submerged in water for 48 hours ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Dried on raised beds for 10–14 days

The Grade 1 density separation and 48-hour underwater fermentation are the defining steps — separating by density ensures only the most consistent, highest-quality beans proceed, while the extended submerged fermentation builds the clean watermelon freshness, white floral delicacy, and raspberry brightness that define this lot, with the careful raised-bed drying preserving every nuance of Bombe's extraordinary high-altitude terroir.

THE CUP

A pristine and beautifully expressive washed Ethiopian from one of Sidama's most extreme and consistently excellent growing communities — watermelon freshness, white floral delicacy, and a raspberry brightness in a cup of exceptional clarity and altitude-driven character. Alo Coffee's Bombe at its most luminous.

Flavour Notes

🍉 Watermelon 🌸 White Florals 🍓 Raspberry