Ethiopia Sidama Ayla Bombe

Coffee Review: 94 points

Blind Assessment:
Delicately bright, balanced, multi-layered. Apricot, Meyer lemon, rhododendron, cocoa nib, marjoram in aroma and cup. Juicy-sweet, citrusy acidity; crisp, lightly satiny mouthfeel. Long, resonant, flavor-saturated finish.

Notes:
Produced by smallholding farmers in the Bensa District of the Sidamo Zone, from selections of landrace varieties of Arabica native to Ethiopia, and processed by the traditional washed method (fruit skin and pulp removed before drying). Based in Livingston, Montana, RamsHead Coffee Roasters is a family-owned company that specializes in direct trade microlot coffees. For more information, visit www.ramsheadcoffee.com.

Bottom Line:
An appealing washed Ethiopia that’s quietly confident, wide-ranging and delicately precise — those who love cleanly communicated stone fruit and citrus notes will have a winner in this cup.

The Ayla washing station is just south of Shantawane village and receives coffee from 725 organic coffee growers. Ayla is built on open grass that has a river bending around it. The surrounding water keeps temperatures cooler and brings more airflow across the drying beds.
The washed processed coffees are depulped within 8 hours after picking and the mucilage-covered parchment is submerged in water for a 36 to 48 hour fermentation, depending on the conditions. After most of the mucilage is consumed, the coffee is fully washed in canals with running water until the water is completely transparent and all of the mucilage is completely removed from the parchment. 

After fermenting and washing, this premium coffee is laid out on raised beds under a shade net for 5 to 7 days until the moisture content is between 11 and 12%. The coffee is then moved inside a nearby warehouse for final homogenization and resting until it is ready to be transported to the dry mill.

The Ayla washing station is owned by Testi Trading and operated by the Yonis family and their team. We have had the pleasure of buying coffees from Faysel Yonis since 2015 and the coffee never disappoints! Testi Trading makes significant investments in the communities that they operate in through their Project Direct initiatives. So far they have completed construction of multiple primary schools and even the first ever high school in the town of Hamasho, a small town in Sidama.

Tasting Notes:
Fragrance of honeycomb and lemon blossom, aroma of vanilla and lime. Flavors of jasmine, sauvignon blanc, white tea, lemongrass. Aftertaste of dried dates, grapefruit. Complex acidity including citric, malic and tartaric perceived acids. Creamy and silky mouthfeel with a medium tea-like body.