| If you're looking for an exciting and soulful blend of | | | | perked on a stovetop, or prepared in an espresso |
| coffee, try a cup of Cuban coffee. Cuba produces | | | | maker. |
| some of the finest Arabica coffee beans in the world | | | | Some varieties of Cuban coffee are twice as potent |
| in the Sierra Maestra Mountains. | | | | as American coffee and very full-bodied; which |
| The origins of Cuba's coffee crop have been | | | | explains why it is served in smaller shots or cups. |
| followed through the centuries, and can be linked to | | | | Common coffee drinks of the Cubans are cafecito, |
| a gentleman named Jose Antonio Gelabert. In 1748, | | | | espumita, colada, cortadito, and Cafe' con Leche. |
| Gelabert introduced the coffee plant that has found | | | | Cafecito is a sweet, strong espresso served in a |
| an ideal home in the climate and rich soils of the | | | | small cup. By mixing a few drops of cafecito with a |
| Cuban forests. Now, Cuba does not grow the | | | | drew spoons of sugar, a foam called espumita is |
| majority of the world's coffee; however, they are | | | | made to place on top of the beverage making it |
| happy to claim they produce the finest of the world's | | | | sweeter and fancier. Colada is the preferred social |
| coffees. | | | | drink of Cuban coffee. Colada comes in a larger cup |
| Coffee is such an important part of the Cuban | | | | accompanied by several smaller espresso cups, and is |
| culture that its people view their daily coffee drinking | | | | meant to be shared by many. Cortadito is a milder |
| as rituals or social events. Because Cuban coffee is | | | | version of the cafecito, produced by adding milk in |
| stronger than many commercial coffees, it is often | | | | different proportions to the brew. Cafe' con Leche is |
| served in much smaller containers. Cubans prefer a | | | | like a latte, which is formed by pouring a single shot |
| 'jolt' of coffee over the traditional mug of the | | | | or jolt of cafecito into a cup of hot milk. |
| steamy brew. The Cuban after-dinner coffee is often | | | | |