Ethiopia — Testi Coffee Gara Agena Station JARC 74110 & 74158 (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍋 Fragrant Lemon • 🍈 Mangosteen • 🍵 Bergamot • 🍃 Longjing Tea

DETAILS

• Station: Gara Agena — Testi Coffee
• Region: Bura, Sidama, Ethiopia
• Varietal: JARC 74110 & 74158
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 2,100–2,300 MASL
• Harvest: December 2025–February 2026 — Arrived March–April 2026 by air

INTRO

From the Gara Agena station in Haisa Olocho Village, Bura — one of Testi Coffee's most celebrated high-altitude washing stations in Sidama, drawing on cherry from approximately 450 smallholder farmers in the surrounding area. A beautifully precise washed lot from two of the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre's most important selections, processed with exceptional speed and care to preserve every nuance of the fruit. In the cup: fragrant lemon, mangosteen, bergamot, and a delicate Longjing tea finish.

THE PRODUCER

Gara Agena is operated by Testi Coffee — one of Ethiopia's most quality-focused specialty exporters, known for establishing washing stations in areas of exceptional growing potential and paying a premium for well-harvested cherry. The Gara Agena station sits near the Geta River in Haisa Olocho Village at 2,100–2,300 MASL in the Bura area of Sidama — a high-altitude growing environment where volcanic soils, cool temperatures, and slow cherry development build the aromatic intensity and sweetness that define the best lots from this region.

Around 450 farmers deliver their cherry to Gara Agena for processing. The station pays a premium to encourage selective harvesting of only the ripest fruit, and the careful hand-sorting and grading at intake ensure that only the healthiest, most evenly ripened cherries proceed to drying — a quality control approach that is directly visible in the cup.

JARC 74110 and JARC 74158 are both selections developed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre — 74110 selected for its broad adaptability and quality potential, 74158 for its disease resistance and high yields. Together at 2,100–2,300 MASL in Bura, they produce a washed cup of exceptional aromatic refinement and citrus-floral complexity.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Gara Agena involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Ripe cherries selectively harvested and carefully hand-sorted and graded at the station ⚡ Rapid pulping — Cherries pulped and washed within 6–8 hours of harvest, preventing any further natural fermentation before processing begins 🧪 36–48 hour tank fermentation — Beans fermented in fermentation tanks for 36–48 hours to fully remove the pectin mucilage 💧 Clear water washing — Washed in water tanks until the water runs completely clear and transparent, confirming all mucilage has been removed 🌑 Shade-net raised-bed drying — Parchment coffee dried on African raised beds under shade nets for 5–7 days until moisture content reaches 11–12% 🏠 Warehouse storage — Transferred to the warehouse for storage once at the correct moisture level

The rapid 6–8 hour turnaround from harvest to pulping is the defining step — by processing cherries within hours of picking, Testi prevents any unintended fermentation from influencing the cup character before the controlled 36–48 hour tank fermentation begins, ensuring the clean, fragrant lemon and bergamot precision and Longjing tea delicacy that define this lot are preserved intact throughout.

THE CUP

A beautifully precise and aromatically refined washed lot from one of Sidama's most carefully managed high-altitude stations — fragrant lemon brightness, mangosteen sweetness, bergamot citrus refinement, and a long Longjing tea finish in a cup of exceptional clarity and elegance. Testi Coffee's Gara Agena at its most expressive.

Flavour Notes

🍋 Fragrant Lemon 🍈 Mangosteen 🍵 Bergamot 🍃 Longjing Tea