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At the end of June, we packed our bags and headed to Switzerland for this year’s World of Coffee International Trade Show — the coffee world’s equivalent of the Olympics meets Disney World. This is the event where producers, exporters, importers, gear makers, roasters, world champion baristas, and coffee fanatics from around the globe come together for one shared passion: coffee.

It was my second year attending, Ole Kristian’s fourth, and Panda’s very first. We were beyond humbled (and a little starstruck) to be invited to brew with the legendary Origami Japan at their booth. We brought along our May Club Coffee — a sweet, vibrant Burundi honey process — which drew smiles and curious sips from passersby.

The days were a whirlwind: meeting new producers, drooling over the latest espresso and brew tech, and tasting some of the most expensive (and mind-blowing) coffees on the planet. One highlight? Cupping with Rachel Peterson of Hacienda La Esmeralda, home to the highest-scoring coffees ever recorded. Even better — we recorded our first live episode right there with her and the head buyer for Africa from our friends at Café Imports.

It was intense, it was inspiring, and honestly, there was almost too much to see, taste, and do. But we gave it everything we had — and left buzzing in more ways than one.

Hello MRC members,

From South America now back to Africa for your coffee cup in August.. Summer in the coffee world is always exciting since a lot of coffee is being shipped from Africa. I choose this coffee because it has everything in the cup. Smooth, juicy, sweet, clean, and fruity but with a beautiful balance. Great for filter and exceptional on espresso.

Coffees in Ethiopia are typically grown on very small plots of land by farmers who also grow other crops. The majority of smallholders will deliver their coffee in cherry to a nearby washing station or central processing unit, where their coffee will be sorted, weighed, and paid for or given a receipt. Coffee is then processed, usually washed or natural, by the washing station and dried on raised beds.

Origin:Ethiopia

Washing Station: Ayla Bombe

Region: Bombe, Sidama

Altitude (MASL):2200

Process: Natural

Varieties: Heirloom

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Testi Ayla Washing Station was founded in 2010 and became part of the Testi group in 2016. It now serves about 375 smallholder farmers in the village of Bombe in Sidama, near the Bombe Mountain. Producers here own an average of 2.5 hectares and grow varieties such as Mikicho and Setami, which are local coffees.

The washing stations serve as many as several hundred to sometimes a thousand or more producers, who deliver cherry throughout the harvest season: The blending of these cherries into day lots makes it virtually impossible under normal circumstances to know precisely whose coffee winds up in which bags on what day, making traceability to the producer difficult. We do, however, make every available effort to source coffee from the same washing stations every year, through our export partners and their connections with mills and washing stations.

Typically farmers in this region don't have access to and therefore do not utilize fertilizers or pesticides in the production of coffee