Adorsi washing station

More than 800 smallholder family farmers surrounding the Aricha village deliver freshly picked coffee cherries to the nearby Adorsi washing station in the Yirgacheffe district located in the Gedeo zone. Yirgacheffe is often recognized for the extremely high-quality coffees being grown in the rich and fertile district, and this washed coffee is no exception. With elevations exceeding 2100 meters above sea level, the coffee grown in Aricha provides a bright and complex cup with a myriad of floral notes, fresh matcha, caramel, subtle spice and a juicy mango flavor that coats the tongue. 

The Adorsi washing station is owned and operated by the Yonis family. We have had the pleasure of buying coffees from Faysel Yonis since 2015 and the coffee never disappoints!

Washed process

Freshly picked cherries are delivered to the Adorsi washing station and are floated in water to separate lower qualities before depulping. Traditional disc pulpers are used and the coffee is allowed to rest submerged in water inside fermentation tanks for 36 to 48 hours depending on the weather conditions. During the long fermentation process, the mucilage is broken down and ultimately removed through a final washing of the coffee in the canals. After being fully washed, the coffee is dried on raised beds for 10-12 days.

Natural process

Fruit is soaked in water for 12 hours to remove floaters and rehydrate the seeds before processing. After the floaters are removed, cherries are dried on raised beds with a thickness of 5cm. The raised beds at the Adorsi station are position to receive high airflow and lower sunlight to provide a more even, slower drying process overall taking about 28 days to dry completely.

Black honey process

The premium black honey processed coffee from Adorsi begins with 24 hours of soaking the coffee fruit in water. This separates “floaters” and hydrates the fruit which softens the outer skin making it easier to remove without removing the mucilage that is desired for the black honey process. 

The pulped coffee is then laid out to dry on raised beds under parabolic shade. The location of the Adorsi Washing Station alongside a river gives cool airflow over the coffee as it dries. This improved honey process dries slowly for about 35 days in these conditions.

Project Direct

Faysel and his team at 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.