Ethiopia - Mengeche Derso - Halo Beriti - Single Producer - Natural

When Café Imports' Ethiopian coffees arrived, one sample jumped out on the cupping table: big, bright and fruity, with excellent structure. It turned out to be from Mengeche Derso, whose coffee had been excellent in last year's Christmas Blend. The chance to offer one of his lots as a single origin was hard to pass up. Mengeche farms 15 hectares in the highlands of Gedeo Zone, around Yirgacheffe, and works the land with four of his children. His coffee comes through Halo Beriti, a station we've bought from before and one with a reputation for careful work and excellent coffee. Usually, coffees from the area's growers are brought together under the station's name. This lot is part of Café Imports' Single Farmer Project, which keeps Mengeche's coffee separate and traceable to him. We get to know whose work is behind the cup, while he gets the recognition that can be lost when coffees are combined. Halo Beriti handles both washed and natural coffees, and the work behind this natural lot starts with sorting the cherries for ripeness and quality. They are rinsed, then spread whole on raised beds or tables and turned regularly as they dry. For Mengeche's Single Farmer Project coffee, keeping his cherries separate through that work means the finished lot remains traceable to him rather than being combined with other farmers' coffees. In the cup, it is intense and generously fruity, with bright acidity and plenty of sweetness. Expect peach, hibiscus and raspberry character in a coffee that is built for a little attention.