The Sidama coffee region has long been recognized for its outstanding natural and washed coffees, spanning a vast area in central-southern Ethiopia. Located in the country’s South East Coffee Zone, it includes well-known coffee-growing areas such as Yirgacheffe, Kochere, West Arsi, Bensa, and Guji. Following a 2019 referendum, part of this region became an autonomous state. Today, the coffee-growing areas historically associated with Sidama are spread across three of Ethiopia’s eleven ethnically-based regional states: Sidama, Oromia, and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region (SNNPR).
Coffees cultivated and processed in Sidama exhibit a remarkable variety of flavor profiles, known for their vibrant fruitiness, floral notes, tea-like qualities, and overall complexity—characteristics highly prized by coffee enthusiasts worldwide. Given that Arabica coffee is believed to have originated in the dense forests of southern Ethiopia, the region’s natural environment provides ideal conditions for producing exceptional quality beans.
This lot was process at Gara Agena, a privately-owned washing station that’s located in Ethiopia’s Sidama zone. The washing station is one of 26 owned and managed by Testi Coffee, a family-owned company founded by Faysel Abdosh.
Established by Testi in 2020, this washing station is part of their ‘Premium’ facilities, chosen for their exceptional natural conditions. Perched at an impressive 2,250 meters above sea level, Gara Agena is positioned along the slopes of the Geta River, which encircles the site in a U-shape. The flowing water helps create a cool microclimate, which slows the drying process as the coffee rests on raised African beds, enhancing its flavor profile.
1. Floater Removal
First, 90% well-ripe and 10% overripe cherries were selected. The cherries are immersed in the water tank to remove the floaters. The cherries then undergo 12 hours of soaking in water.
2. Fermentation
After the soaking, the cherries were de-pulped and fermented for 36 hours.
3. Drying Method
The coffee parchments were dried on raised beds. Parchment is the natural protective layer surrounding the coffee bean. Each bed holds 120 kg of coffee parchments, spread evenly to a thickness of 5 cm. The raised beds are positioned in a breezy area with minimal direct sunlight, allowing for a slow, controlled drying process that lasts 21 days.
4. Improved Process
In this process, cherries were hand-picked and sorted to increase the quality, to remove less matured cherries, and then immersed under water to remove all low-intensity cherries (floaters), and before de-pulping soaking occurred for 12 hours.
