Ultralight Flight

Ecuador — Abel Salinas Finca Arashi Typica Mejorado (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍑 White Peach • 🌼 Chamomile • 💜 Violet

DETAILS

• Producer: Abel Salinas
• Farm: Finca Arashi
• Region: Loja, Ecuador
• Varietal: Typica Mejorado
• Process: Washed
• Size: 125g or 250g

INTRO

A mainstay in H&S's annual lineup — Abel Salinas at Finca Arashi, and a washed Typica Mejorado that this season has taken a notably different and more subtle direction. Soft stonefruits, an abundance of florals, and an unmistakable chamomile presence that runs from aroma to finish — an interesting departure from previous harvests, and one that rewards patience and an extended rest. In the cup: white peach, chamomile, and violet.

THE PRODUCER

Abel Salinas is a Cup of Excellence winner and first-generation coffee grower from Saraguro in the Loja region of southern Ecuador. His farm, Finca Arashi, sits at high altitude in Ecuador's southern Andean highlands where cool temperatures, mineral soils, and slow cherry development create ideal conditions for the kind of delicate, expressive cup that Abel consistently delivers. He cultivates predominantly Typica Mejorado alongside Sidra and H1 Hybrid — and his washed Mejorado lot has become one of the most eagerly anticipated annual releases for roasters who value subtlety, transparency, and floral precision.

Mejorado has become the gem of Ecuadorian specialty coffee — a cross-pollination of Bourbon and Ethiopian Landrace, now identified as distinct from Typica despite the similarity in name. Valued for its refined, aromatic complexity and bright acidity, it finds exceptional expression in Loja's cool, mineral-rich growing environment.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Finca Arashi involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Typica Mejorado cherries selectively harvested at peak ripeness 🔧 Depulping — Outer skin removed before fermentation 🧪 Dry fermentation — Beans fermented dry for 24 hours 💧 Washing — Thoroughly washed immediately after fermentation to remove all residue ☀️ Drying — Dried for approximately 15 days to optimal moisture content

The 24-hour dry fermentation followed by immediate washing is the defining step — a clean, restrained approach that develops just enough structure and complexity to complement the Mejorado's inherent brightness, preserving the soft stonefruit character and delicate floral precision that define this season's notably subtle and chamomile-forward harvest.

THE CUP

A beautifully delicate and highly floral washed Typica Mejorado from one of Ecuador's most consistently excellent small farms — soft white peach sweetness, a pervasive chamomile presence from aroma to finish, and a delicate violet florality in a highly tea-like cup of exceptional subtlety and elegance. Recommended rest: 50+ days for full development.

Flavour Notes

🍑 White Peach 🌼 Chamomile 💜 Violet

Burundi — Mikuba Smallholders Red Bourbon "Mikuba 8" (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍇 Red Grape • 🍇 Raspberry • 🌺 Hibiscus

DETAILS

• Producer: Multiple smallholder farmers
• Station: Mikuba
• Region: Kayanza, Burundi
• Varietal: Red Bourbon
• Process: Washed
• Sourcing: Long Miles Coffee Project via Osito

INTRO
A late-season pickup from Long Miles Coffee Project, last worked with in 2018 — Mikuba is the juicier and jammier of two very dynamic lots that came in from LMCP this time around. Expressive and fruit-forward, with nice sweetness and clarity. In the cup: red grape, raspberry, and hibiscus.

THE PRODUCER
This lot comes from the Mikuba washing station in Kayanza, Burundi, sourced through Long Miles Coffee Project and exporting partner Osito, representing cherry from multiple smallholder farmers in the surrounding area.

THE PROCESS
This lot is Washed, a method that removes the fruit before fermentation and drying — allowing Red Bourbon's naturally jammy, fruit-forward character to come through, building the red grape and raspberry sweetness that define this cup.

THE CUP
Jammy and juicy — red grape and raspberry sweetness lead, with a tartaric red and blue fruit acidity throughout, finishing on a clean, tea-like hibiscus note.

Flavour Notes
🍇 Red Grape 🍇 Raspberry 🌺 Hibiscus

Ethiopia — Bekele Belaycho Bombe/Kokose 74158 "Bekele Belacho #0004" (White Honey)

Tastes Like — 🌿 Eucalyptus • 🍬 Brown Sugar • 🍵 Green Tea

DETAILS

• Producer: Bekele Belaycho
• Farm: Bombe (main) & Kokose (5-hectare, dedicated drying station)
• Region: Bensa, Finchawa, Sidama, Ethiopia
• Varietal: 74158
• Process: White Honey
• Elevation: 1,900–2,100 masl (farm average ~2,200 masl)
• Crop Year: 2025
• Sourcing: Indirect Trade
• Price Paid: $997.40 USD/60kg bag

INTRO
From the high-altitude Bensa district of Sidama — a vibrantly clean profile of floral aromatics from pristine mountain terroir, reflecting sustainable smallholder dedication. Eucalyptus leads, with brown sugar sweetness and a green tea structure. In the cup: eucalyptus, brown sugar, and green tea.

THE PRODUCER
Bekele Belaycho is an independent coffee producer and organiser operating in the Bensa area of Ethiopia. He owns a main farm in Bombe and a smaller, roughly 5-hectare farm in Kokose, equipped with its own dedicated drying station. Beyond his own plots, he sources coffee from neighbouring smallholders with similar growing conditions, forming a "central farm – satellite producers" model. Annual output reaches approximately 1.5 containers of green coffee, grown at an average elevation of around 2,200 metres.

THE PROCESS
This lot is processed as a White Honey — a lighter honey method that removes most of the mucilage before drying, preserving clarity while adding a touch of body and sweetness.

The White Honey processing is the defining step here — it's what builds the eucalyptus and green tea clarity behind this cup, while the light mucilage retention adds the brown sugar sweetness underneath.

THE CUP
Vibrantly clean and floral — eucalyptus leads, with brown sugar sweetness through the middle and a green tea structure on the finish. A pristine, high-altitude expression of Bensa's mountain terroir.

Flavour Notes
🌿 Eucalyptus 🍬 Brown Sugar 🍵 Green Tea