Sino-American Coffee | Cuban Coffee producing areas introduce the special flavor of traditional Cuban coffee

Cuba has grown coffee for more than two centuries, including high-quality Arabica coffee varieties. Cuban coffee is usually strong espresso. Traditional Cuban coffee is dark roasted, finely ground coffee, using an espresso machine or mocha pot to make espresso.

Coffee growing area of Cuba

An important coffee-growing area is located in the Sierra Estra Mountains in eastern Cuba, where the climate is pleasant, the fertile reddish-brown soil is rich in humus and coffee can be grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, and it is true that Cuba has good growing conditions. The reputation of organic coffee.

Hand-pick Cuban coffee on a steep hillside

The towns of Sierra Maestra have a history of growing coffee and can be harvested by hand. Many coffee plants grow on steep slopes, and coffee beans are shipped out of the area from sacks on the shoulders of coffee growers and then transported by ule to dry areas.

The traditional method of preparing coffee for mountain people is to roast coffee beans and then crush them into wooden "Pilone". Then, soak the coffee in hot water and grind it with a cloth bag.

Another major coffee-growing area in Cuba is the Escambre Mountains in the heart of Cuba. In the west, Guaniguanico grows coffee, in the east, in the mountains of Nipe and Sagua-Baracoa.

The History of Cuban Coffee

In the mid-1700s, coffee cultivation was introduced to Cuba, and by 1790, large quantities of coffee were exported to Spain. Cuba's coffee industry grew even faster when French coffee farmers who fled the Haitian revolution began to grow coffee in Cuba.

In the 1820s, coffee sales exceeded Cuba's sugar sales, and by the early 1950s coffee exports reached 20000 metric tons. The 1956 Cuban revolution nationalized coffee farms and the coffee industry began to decline.

Cuban coffee production remained depressed in the 1960s and 1970s and then surged in the late 1970s and 1980s. Cuba's main benefactor is the Soviet Union, and with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, Cuba's coffee industry declined again.

Cuban coffee in the United States

"Cuban Coffee" is very popular in the United States, where there are many Cuban residents (about 1.4 million), especially in and around Miami. Cuban coffee in the United States is a huge industry, generating more than $100 million a year.

However, the coffee is clearly named after the method used to brew coffee rather than the way coffee beans are brewed (usually Brazilian or Colombian coffee beans, most certainly not Cuban coffee beans), as it will be illegal and will be severely punished.

The Future of Cuban Coffee

At the same time, Cuba's coffee industry is struggling because of a lack of infrastructure, experienced coffee farmers and other problems.

Adverse weather conditions have also brought trouble to Cuba's coffee industry. Ongoing research is aimed at developing new varieties of coffee plants that will flourish in Cuba's unique growing areas and produce quality coffee beans.

Cuba is committed to working with Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Britain, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Canada to export authentic Cuban coffee beans to the Japanese market.

The total value of Cuban coffee exports still accounts for only 1 per cent of the Cuban economy, still significantly lower than the 4 per cent before the Cuban revolution. The ban on the import of coffee came into effect in 1963 as a result of the embargo on all Cuban goods.

The coffee plant variety is Arabica and the harvest season is from July to February.

CAFECITO-CAFE CUBANO traditional Cuban drink

The drink "Cuban Coffee", also known as Cafecito,Cafe Cubano or Cuban espresso, is a kind of espresso that was first developed in Cuba after Italian espresso machines began to appear in Cuba.

Cafecito can be made using a traditional espresso machine or an Italian mocha pot (macchinetta).

Cafecito (Cafe Cubano; Cuban Coffee) beverage is made by condensing espresso with demerara sugar during coffee brewing. There are various changes to this method, including recipes made from Cuban espresso.

Traditionally, demerara sugar has been added to the container where espresso will be dripped to allow sugar to be mixed with espresso during brewing, which is said to produce a sweet and smooth quality.

The special flavor of Cuban coffee

The calories from the hydrolysis of sucrose in espresso produce the unique flavor of Cafecito, which is different from that produced when sugar is finally added.

Many people prefer to add a small amount of espresso and then stir it fully to make a light brown paste. Then add the rest of the espresso to form a "espumita" or light brown foam layer above the drink.