Sitting right in between Mexico’s two other major coffee-growing regions Chiapas and Veracruz, Oaxaca produces some of the most distinctive coffees in Mexico. Coffee production in Oaxaca has not been modernized to the same extent as in its neighbouring regions, with many producers preferring traditional cultivation methods and coffee varieties.

Bourbon takes its name from Bourbon Island (now La Réunion), where it was introduced by French missionaries who had taken a few coffee seeds from Yemen in the 1700s. Along with Typica, Bourbon accounts for the basis of most of the world's coffee production today which is made up of Bourbon and Typica descendant varieties. Bourbon is known for its high-quality potential, susceptibility to disease and relatively low yields.

Like Bourbon, Typica made its way out of Yemen by way of colonization. In this case, the Dutch transported seeds to their colonial holdings in South America in 1719, from there the variety made its way to Brazil and then to the West Indies. Eventually, the English brought Typica to the Caribbean, from there, they were sent to Central America, where they were widely dispersed.

Typica has very high quality potential at high altitudes in Central America. Unfortunately, it is highly susceptible to disease.