The Halo Beriti Washing Station was established in 2014 and serves roughly 750 smallholder farmers who deliver red ripe coffee cherries to the station each harvest cycle. This particular lot was part of a “special preparation” at the washing station where it was continually monitored and hand-sorted throughout the receiving and drying processes to ensure only the very best coffees made it into the final product. This special prep shows gloriously in the cup. It is so crisp and sparkling with tasting notes of jammy pear, meyer lemon, jasmine, raspberry, honey, and lavender. We think this coffee is a beautiful representation of the classic washed Ethiopia profile with a lovely little tangy berry kick. Traditional growing methods in Ethiopia are devoid of using any fertilizer, pesticides, or fungicides. This coffee is also shade-grown, with farmers inter-cropping their coffees trees with other foods to make the most use of their often very small farms. Inter-cropping improves soil health and is a more sustainable farming option for a number of reasons including being much more bird and environmentally friendly.