Community: Yogondoy

Origin: Oaxaca, Mexico

Process-type: Washed

Varietal: Gesha

Cup: Cherry Blossom, Rose, Mandarin Orange, Honey, Papaya, Cardamom

This Gesha lot comes from six farmers who live in the town of San Vincente Yogondoy in Mexico's Sierra Sur region of Oaxaca. The area is lush and densely forested. Coffee grows on steep, Pacific facing slopes under a thick canopy and benefits from cool ocean breezes.

Coffee farms from the town of Yogondoy are about a two to three hour journey on foot or mule. Farmers live in town and commute to their farms, except during harvest. During harvest, farmers and their families will stay in temporary housing on their farms.

The indigenous Zapotec traditions and language of the Yogondoy community are entrenched in daily life. Yogondoy means "river of bees" in Zapotec, and, in fact, many farmers keep beehives for honey and pollination alongside their coffee plants. It is also common practice for farmers in the area to keep very good spacing around their coffee plants and plant native trees in between rows. These practices provide shade and promote a healthy ecosystem. For example, the leaf litter from the native Cuil tree enriches the soil with a natural fertilizer.

Gesha is a beautiful, elegant, and most championed and cherish coffee cultivar. Once selected for its promise in resistance to coffee diseases, it was later (re)discovered by Hacienda la Esmeralda in Panama as a varietal with impressive and unexpected qualities. Gesha has direct Ethiopian lineage and under the right circumstances display juicy, floral, aromatic, and delicate qualities. This Gesha lot from this very special and unique place makes for a beautiful expression of this cultivar that we are thrilled to be able to offer.

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