This natural Ethiopia comes from Shantawene, in the highlands of Sidama, where coffee grows at 1,950–2,150 metres above sea level. The lot is made up of native Ethiopian heirloom varieties and brings together the floral character we love in Ethiopian coffees with a deeper, sweeter side.
In the cup, we find caramel and vanilla alongside fresh elderflower and dried rose, with a syrupy sweetness and a gentle, tangy acidity. Floral, sweet and delicate, but with enough body to keep it from feeling too light.
This is a natural process coffee. The freshly harvested cherries arrive at Ayla on the day they are picked and are first sorted for ripeness and quality, then rinsed before being spread whole on raised drying beds.
The cherries are turned regularly as they dry, a process that usually takes between 8 and 25 days depending on the weather. Because the seed remains inside the fruit throughout drying, the process tends to build sweetness, body and a more pronounced fruit character in the finished coffee.
Here, the result isn’t a heavy or overly fermented natural. The cup stays clean and floral, with syrupy sweetness, soft fruit and a gentle acidity.
Ayla is a washing station in the village of Shantawene, Sidama, operated by Testi Coffee, a family-owned Ethiopian company founded by Faysel A. Yonis.
Like much of Ethiopia, coffee here comes from many smallholder farmers rather than one large farm. Most grow coffee on very small plots alongside other crops and bring their freshly picked cherries to the washing station, where they are sorted and processed. Ayla works with farmers from Shantawene and nearby communities, including Bombe.
Sidama’s high elevation, cool climate, fertile soils and abundant rainfall allow the cherries to ripen slowly — conditions that have made the region one of Ethiopia’s best-known origins for high-quality coffee.
