Coffee, a simple Cuban pleasure

For me Cuba is a country of simple pleasures. And no pleasure more eloquently reflects Cuba than coffee in my opinion. So much so that I’ve decided to make it my first blog post here at The Cuban Food Blog.

Just as the Cuban culture is rich and complex and infused with a strong down-to-earthness, so too is it’s coffee and it forms an important part daily Cuban life. This island has been shaped by colonisation and conquest and so too has the food it produces. Now an intrinsic part of the Cuban culture, coffee is a relative newcomer to the island.

Cuba’s coffee origins are said to be traceable to a single plant brought to Cuba by Don Jose Antonio Gelabert in 1748. Though it wasn’t until 1789 when the French Colonists fleeing from the Haitian slave revolt settled in Santiago and the Sierra Maestra mountains, that coffee cultivation really started in earnest. By 1827 there were 2,067 plantations. The perfect combination of climate and soil in the Sierra Maestra combined to produce rich Arabica coffee that packs a flavourful punch.

The coffee plantations (cafeteles) have endured, though only just. During the Ten Years War (1868-1878) for independence from Spain they were all but abandoned to the mercy of the jungle. But in the late 1920’s coffee production was revived. Since then Cuba has continued to produce low volume, high quality Arabica coffee.

In more recent times coffee production has been affected by a lack of expertise (Cuban exodus in the 1950’s post revolution) and little or no investment – not to mention successive destructive hurricanes. The demand for coffee in Cuba cannot be met by domestic production alone and the country has had to buy coffee on the open market to supplement its own production.

In May 2011 in a cost saving effort, it was announced that the coffee available at highly subsidised prices on the ration book (libretta) would once again be mixed with roasted peas, (chícharos). This was first done in the 1990’s during the Special Period. This measure ensures that coffee will continue to be available at 4 pesos for 4oz. However, the actual coffee now used in this mix is Robusta and not Arabica as was used in the 90’s which means that to me (and pretty much every Cuban I ask) the taste ain’t all that great. It’s got a really bitter sting. Not to mention the fact that this blended coffee (café mezclado) has a dangerous propensity to cause coffee pots to explode.  However, the pure Arabica coffee blends with brand names such as Cubita and Serrano are still available to buy in Cuba in CUC (if you have the means). Personally Serrano pushes all my buttons when it comes to rich coffee flavour.

I wasn’t a coffee drinker before I came to Cuba. Having been raised in Ireland I had been surrounded by copious tea consumption, in my case Barry’s tea! But the smell of coffee in the morning, coupled with the fact that when staying with Cuban friends, it’s very often all they have for breakfast, has meant that I have slowly acquired a habit. I’m not hardcore like my friend Jose Miguel who drinks upwards of 10 cups a day. But I can’t start my day without one now. And with the Cuban propensity to drop by my house, as they know I always have real coffee as opposed to pea coffee, I’m in danger of my house turning into a coffee shop. I’ve taken a leaf out of my neighbours’ book and have taken to brewing coffee and keeping it in a thermos so that I am always prepared whenever guests pop over. Once a scout always a scout! That said Cubans will drink coffee whether it’s hot or cold. Though they’re strangely suspicious of my iced espressos, recipe below, until they try them. With the irresistible combination of coffee and condensed milk they are fast becoming popular in my circle of friends, especially as the temperatures creep up into the 30’s.

Recipe for Tanja’s Cuban iced coffee

To make one large iced coffee:

1. Into a large jar put 4-6 cubes of ice
2. Add ½ cup cold coffee (instant coffee just isn’t the same)
3. To this add two tablespoons of condensed milk. (if you’re serving Cubans this coffee add at least 4! The vast majority are dulceros – people who have a a sweet tooth)
4. Screw lid on firmly
5. Shake well
6. Pour contents into a chilled glass
7. Serve immediately

In the photo is Dolores enjoying my iced coffee. We sat on the porch chatting one afternoon while the fumigators did their job.  When safe to re-enter the house I made Dolores her first iced coffee, of which she approved and asked for the recipe. Now sixty eight Dolores is a reserved but incredibly strong Cuban woman. She is immensely proud of having raised eight children and two grandchildren alone. She relates with pride that every single one of them are working, though two live in Europe and she misses them terribly.  However, the remittances they send from abroad is what she lives on.  She’s looking forward to ‘fin de año‘ when her son, a waiter in Switzerland will come home for a visit. 

Coffee joints, Vedado

Here are of two of my favourite coffee joints in Vedado, Havana.  Forget the over priced coffee in hotels and CUC (Cuban Convertible Peso) joints – head to a local café for real culture and coffee for one peso (moneda nacional).

I cultivated my coffee habit quite a bit in my months studying Spanish at the University.  More often dancing than studying late into the night, trying to stay awake next day in class was an effort. But good strong Cuban coffee was the solution and this café on the corner of Jovellar and J was a lifesaver. It’s one of the original (and best) of the privately owned cafes that have sprung up around the university since the opening up of self-employment in Cuba.  Though still highly restricted and confined mainly to the food sector, the government now estimates that 400,000 Cubans are self-employed (cuenta propia).

Coffee at the aptly named Cafe Espresso on 23 and K in Vedado is taken by its customers, strong, black and sweet. For true coffee addicts (including yours truly) it’s open 24 hours. Many bus drivers stop their fully loaded vehicles here to quickly get a coffee hit. Knowing this behaviour, I sometimes hop on the bus when the driver hops off – beats the push and shove of the bus queue a few meters up the road.

Here’s a video of the incredible and typical Cuban service at this state-owned cafe from TheCubanFoodBlog on YouTube

Musical coffee

Though recorded in New York, this seminal Cuban track ‘Café’ by Eddie Palmieri transports me to a hot and humid Sunday afternoon in a rural village in the Sierra Maestra mountains.  Stick on a brew and transport yourself now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeeBgg1bcHw