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.

The famed and highly sought-after Gesha variety is originally from Ethiopia. It was transported to Latin America in the 1950s where it was noted for its tolerance to leaf rust. In 2005, the variety was "rediscovered" when it won that year's Best of Panama competition. Since then, it has gone on to break price records at auction year after year and has been planted by farmers across Latin America in hopes of securing high prices.

The variety itself is highly demanding, and it requires high elevations in order to really deliver the exceptional floral, jasmine and stone fruit cup characteristics it is so famous for. There are actually a number of genetically distinct varieties that carry the name Gesha, and most have been traced back to Landraces from the same geographic area in Ethiopia.

After de-pulping, the coffee was dried for four weeks with mucilage still intact. Initially, it was laid out on a mesh screen under full sun. Then, it was moved to raised beds under shade, where it dries for 25 days.