09/06/2026
New Yellow Label: Ethiopia Sidama Washed
Producer: Smallholder farmers
Washing Station: Ayla
Region: Bensa, Shantawene, Sidama
Elevation: 1950
Variety: Mixed
Process: Washed
Sidama washed from Bensa? Say no more. That is the general sense we have here at Backyard Beans about these coffees. Sidama is one of the most renowned coffee producing regions in the world – and things only get better as you narrow it down to Bensa, and then further down to the Shantawene kebele. This is where the Ayla washing station is and this coffee is a standout winner. Elegant and sweet, we taste floral notes of bergamot, vanilla, and black tea, filled out with juicy notes of meyer lemon and peach.
The quality in this coffee begins with cherry selection. Cherries are dunked in water to sort out the floaters. Then it is depulped and fermented for 100 hours. Ayla is implementing a new fermentation method for this coffee – a longer fermentation time and the water being changed out every 24 hours. Fermentation proceeds slowly at 65-69 Fahrenheit. The coffee is then washed and spread out on raised beds to dry under parabolic shade nets for 15 days.
Fertilization is rare in the area because the soil is naturally fertile. Coffee in this area is native to the forests and helps to protect the ecosystem. Competing crops are khat and eucalyptus which are environmentally damaging due to their high water consumption, which depletes the water table. We are happy to be highlighting Sidama coffee and doing a small part to help sustain coffee production and environmental sustainability in this area.
