Sidama Gara Agena Natural is a natural Ethiopian coffee from the Gara Agena station in Hayissa Olocho village, Bura Woreda, Sidama — established in 2020 by Faysel Abdosh exclusively for natural processing. In its founding year, a lot from this station placed in the Top 10 of the Cup of Excellence. Variety 74158, a botanical descendant of the 1974 "mother tree" selections from Bishari forest, grown at 2,235–2,350 masl on red clay soil. Roasted for espresso at Lighttell 68, it delivers a cup of deep red fruit, floral bergamot, and a sweetness that lingers long after the last sip.
Roasting Date: 2026-09-08
Variety:
74158 (Bishari forest selection, JARC 1979) 
Origin: Ethiopia
Process: Natural
Cupping Score By Q-Grader: 88,5
Crop Year: 2026
Faysel Abdosh established the Gara Agena station in 2020 with a clear intention: to create a space dedicated exclusively to premium natural coffee. The location was not accidental — the station sits in Hayissa Olocho village in Bura Woreda, Karamo, Sidama, alongside the Geta River. To reach it, you drive beyond the city of Daye and enter an 8-kilometre ascent through the Karamo mountains — a rugged route that ends at a summit where the Gara Agena mountain overlooks the station. The cool breeze from the Geta River and the microclimate created by the mountain are inseparable from this coffee's character. In its very first year of operation, a lot from Gara Agena placed in the Top 10 of the Cup of Excellence. Faysel's commitment extends beyond coffee: he invests in the surrounding community — electricity for nearby villages, school facilities, and clean water access. Processing at Gara Agena follows a precision protocol rarely seen in natural coffee. It begins with strict cherry selection — 95% peak-ripe, 5% overripe — followed by a density sort in water tanks to remove all floaters and retain only the most concentrated fruit. A 4-hour immersive soak follows, initiating a controlled enzymatic reaction that develops honey-like sweetness and conditions the cherries for a stable, prolonged drying cycle. Cherries are spread on raised beds at low density — 25kg per bed — in high-ventilation areas under shade netting to prevent direct UV exposure and flash drying. The drying phase extends to 35 days, slow enough to allow complex chemical transformations and physical stability in the bean. At Handpickers, we selected Sidama Gara Agena because it combines two things that rarely coexist: exceptional-altitude terroir with a microclimate perfectly suited for natural processing, and a producer who applies precision typically reserved for washed lots. The 74158 variety — a descendant of 1974 Bishari forest mother tree selections — carries decades of Ethiopian coffee heritage. This coffee belongs to our Exotic category: for those who want to understand what Ethiopia looks like at its peak.
As an espresso at Lighttell 68, Gara Agena reveals a cup of intensity and depth rare in natural Ethiopian coffees. At 18.5g in at a 1:2 ratio in 26–29
Coffee for us is a daily “ritual”. We managed to create a place where we would share our passion with you.
Variety 74158 is grown at 2,235–2,350 masl in the Karamo area of Sidama, on red clay soil with 1,200–1,600mm of annual rainfall. A descendant of 1974
Density sorting removes floaters, followed by a 4-hour immersive soak that initiates a controlled enzymatic pre-fermentation — developing honey-like s
Raised beds at 25kg per bed in high-ventilation, shade-netted areas to prevent direct UV exposure and flash drying. A 35-day drying period — slow enou
Exported through Cofinet. Gara Agena is one of Ethiopia's most documented natural stations — Top 10 COE in its founding year, cupping score 88.5. Full
The roast profile at Lighttell 68 was designed to bring out the depth and complexity of this natural without obscuring the expressive profile of the 7
