Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gedeb Halo Hartume Natural

The Halo Hartume washing station is an independent, family owned operation that raises the bar in one of the most competitive coffee markets in the world. This is their pride and joy: a grade one natural processed offering. Slightly complex and super juicy sweet, it's got notes of strawberry, peach, milk chocolate and raspberry.

Arrival Date: December 10th, 2021

Acidity & Brightness:  Slight crisp with juicy sweetness

Balance & Finish: Slightly complex and twisty with a lingering earthy finish

Body & Texture: Medium to full bodied, silky

Flavors: Strawberry, peach, milk chocolate and raspberry

Grade: Grade 1 grown at 2000-2200 masl

Processing: Natural processed, sun dried on raised beds

Grower: 396 producers organized around the Halo Hartume washing station

Region: Gedeb District, Gedeo (Yirgacheffe) Zone

Varietals: Kurume, a local heirloom cultivar, and regional Ethiopian cultivars 74110 & 74112

Roasting: Start at City (light) or just in to a rolling first crack and go a bit darker as desired. We find it best not to go any darker than Full City (Medium, after the end of first crack) and most folks will prefer a City + or at the tail end of first crack. Lighter roasts will have abundant juicy sweetness and a touch more acidity while medium roasts will accentuate chocolate and earthy tones.

Reminder! This coffee is raw and must be roasted before brewing

Review: "Halo Hartume is a community near the border between Gedeb and Kochere, two very coffee-famous districts in Ethiopia’s coveted Gedeo Zone. Gedeo, named after the Gedeo people indigenous to the area, is a narrow section of highland plateau dense with savvy farmers and fiercely competitive processors whose coffee is known the world over as “Yirgacheffe”, after the zone’s most famous district and central town. As a terroir, Yirgacheffe has for decades been considered a benchmark for beauty and complexity in arabica coffee, known for being beguilingly ornate and jasmine-like when fully washed, and seductively punchy and sweet when sundried--and hardly requires an introduction. This particular coffee from a family-run independent washing station in Halo Hartume, is no exception. It’s big and sweet, with layers of grapefruit and lavender-like florality. The Halo Hartume station was started by Mijane Woresa in 2013. For its first few years the station sold coffee the way most producers in the area did: through the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX), where government cuppers would grade and position the coffee for sale to exporters. In 2017 Mr. Woresa secured an export license for himself, and, after 30 years of work in coffee, brought his son Daniel aboard, who then started a relationship with Royal. Today, Daniel Mijane runs the majority of day-to-day operations at the family’s two private stations (the other is in Worka Sakaro, in the southeastern corner of Gedeb), as well as the exporting itself." - Royal Coffee

We recently finished off a small supply of Halo Hartume's washed Grade 1 and we were so happy with it, we decided to try their natural offering as well! I'm a little disappointed we didn't have both in at the same time (the washed is already sold out for the season) but we do have the washed offering from his other washing station in Gedeb: Worka Sakaro. Either way, I'm incredibly happy we were able to continue to support a relatively small producer that has worked incredibly hard to make it in such a competitive market. As you can imagine, for an independent producer to stand out in the sea of amazing Yirgacheffe producers, they've got to hold themselves to a higher standard. Grade 1 coffee is the embodiment of that standard.

The natural processed Ethiopian coffees we've had so far are what I think of as "divisive" naturals. They're big, in your face and flavor (usually berry) bombs. Folks either rabidly love these coffees (like me) or they can't stand them (like my wife). This coffee falls under a category of naturals I refer to as "accessible". Sure, they're still plenty flavorful and sweet but there's just a little less complexity and the flavors are just a bit more balanced. These are great coffees to introduce friends and family to everything Ethiopian natural coffee can be, without overwhelming them. In other words, it's one of the few both the missus and I can enjoy together! We noted a strawberry forward cup with compliments of peach, milk chocolate and a touch of raspberry.