BEKELE KACHARA

BEKELE KACHARA - Ethiopian Natural 74158

Suitable for: Espresso & Filter Brewing
Best As: Espresso (Black), & Filter (Black)

Flavour Description: Intense Florality, Earl Grey, Pineapple Juice, Blueberry

Producer: Bekele Kachara
Washing Station: Murago
Region: Sidama
Variety: 74158 (JARC)
Process: Natural

Q-Score: 89.25
Sourced via: Mecota Trading & Omwani Coffee

Recommended Rest: For the best tasting brew out of this specialty coffee from Murago, we'd suggest resting this for 14–57 days off roast — we wrote a coffee blog on this here.

About this coffee

This is a naturally processed Ethiopian specialty coffee from Bekele Kachara. Bekele inherited his first farm in the village of Hache, Sidamo from his parents, before expanding his operation to a second farm in Murago. Here he cultivates the 74158 and 74110 varietals beneath the shade of intercropped fruit trees.

Bekele’s Hache farm focuses on the production of natural coffees, which are spread out to dry for 16 days on raised beds. Meanwhile the Murago site also has the capacity for anaerobics and uses an extended drying time of 20–25 days.

This particular lot consists of 100% 74158.

What is variety 74158?

74158 is commonly referred to as a JARC cultivar (JARC standing for Jimma Agricultural Research Centre). 74158 is the catalogue number. All varieties denoted as 74xxx indicate that they were original landraces discovered in 1974 in local forests. Certain varieties were generationally selected for pronounced cup quality, disease resistance, and yield. Once selected for, the seed pools were propagated and sold.

What is a natural coffee?

“Natural” refers to drying whole coffee cherries on raised beds before removing the seeds (beans). On Bekele’s farms this typically means ~16 days at Hache, with Murago also capable of extended drying (20–25 days). This style often emphasizes fruit-forward notes like blueberry and tropical fruit with expressive florality.

How should I brew this coffee?

Dial in with accuracy

Because this coffee is expressive and fruit-forward, accurate dose and yield help you hit the sweet spot. We strongly recommend using a reliable scale — see our guide, The Best Coffee Scales, and our bench favourite, the Felicita Parallel.

Filter brew?

For V60 or other pour-over methods, follow our Best Pourover Recipes to lock in consistent extractions.

From our sourcing partners

A word from Moata Raya, founder of Mecota Coffee

“Hello, I am Moata Raya. My wife Rosa and I founded Mecota PLC in 2023 with a vision to craft the finest Ethiopian coffee. I have spent my career focused on improving coffee quality and sustainability in Ethiopia. I have worked as a coffee quality trainer, managed farm and wet mill operations, and collaborated with Technoserve to map local coffee profiles and enhance quality control for washed coffees.

These experiences have allowed me to promote a culture of excellence and sustainability among the farmers we work with at Mecota. It is our dedication to unique processing techniques and sustainable development for coffee growing communities that makes Mecota coffees truly exceptional.”

— Moata Raya, Mecota Coffee (quoted by Omwani Coffee, 2024)

FAQs

What is the 74158 variety?

It’s a JARC-selected Ethiopian cultivar (catalogue series “74xxx” discovered in 1974). These lines were selected for cup quality, disease resistance and yield, then propagated for distribution.

What does “Natural” process mean here?

Whole cherries are dried on raised beds (around 16 days at Hache; Murago can extend to ~20–25 days) before hulling, often producing fruit-driven flavours like blueberry, tropical fruit and tea-like florals.

How long should I rest the coffee post-roast?

We suggest 14–57 days off roast for optimal flavour development. More on resting coffee here.

Is this better for espresso or filter?

It’s suitable for both. Expect expressive fruit in filter; for espresso, aim for precise dose/yield. It can't be stated enough how important a high quality scale is for brewing espresso - so if you're looking for good drip tray scales, see our scales guide.

Explore related Ethiopian & natural coffees

• Rumudamo — anaerobic natural take on Ethiopian 74112 with notes like White Florals, Mango Rubicon, Papaya, Tinned Peach.
• Matilde — Costa Rican natural (yeast inoculated) VIC-04 with orange-wine, papaya and white-peach character.
• Browse our single-origin coffees

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