Ayla Bombe

woreda (administrative district) of Ethiopia’s Sidama Zone, Ayla is one of

Testi Specialty Coffee ‘s best-known washing stations, as it produces some of the most floral coffees we source from Ethiopia. A family-oriented man, founder

Faysel Abdosh named the site after his niece, whose name translates to ‘grace,’ or ‘moonlight’ in Turkish. Since opening the doors to Testi in 2009, Faysel has ensured his passion for Ethiopian coffee is woven into his commitment to his family’s heritage. As Testi’s operations have grown, he has taken his sons and nephew under his wing, and they now play key roles in supporting the company’s commercial operations.

Sitting at 1,950m above sea level, Ayla produces exceptional washed and natural processed lots using the nearby Bonora river as its main source of fresh water. The site receives coffee cherry from two villages (or kebeles), Shanta Wene and Bombe. These are processed separately as distinct lots, providing extra traceability. This particular coffee lot comes from the kebele of Bombe, which shares its name with the mountains that surround Ayla.

During harvest, freshly picked coffee cherry is delivered daily by some 900 independent outgrowers who grow coffee under prime conditions. Their farms typically sit at elevations between 1,950–2,150m above sea level, which combined with the region’s cool temperatures, is ideal for the slow ripening of coffee cherries, leading to denser beans and a sweeter, more complex cup profile.