Cuban Coffee

[Andy Lynes]

"It happened frequently that I would carry a café con leche two blocks, climb up a flight of stairs to my apartment and set the coffee on the table while I did the dishes and made some phone calls. Then I'd take the lid off. And it was still hot. Really hot. That’s how hot you want this coffee . . . "

Discover how Margaret Menge developed a craving for the the hot stuff

[Beto]

Fantastic article.

What interested me most about the coffee ritual was the softening of the line between work and home. The lunchroom was a hearth where the women gathered, not, as it would have been anywhere else in corporate America outside Miami-Dade county, just a place for workers to consume the contents of a paper bag or a $7 sandwich combo from the deli.

This reminds me of my friend who lives in Miami. He tells me that every Friday after office hours, someone will pull a bottle of rum out of the filing cabinet and they'll sit around for a couple of hours, drinking rum and cokes and shooting the breeze. Such a different attitude from where I used to work, where people barely talk to each other socially, much less spend time together outside of a work context.

[Richard Kilgore]

Wonderful piece of writing. Thanks.

[Carrot Top]

Incredible. It is almost ninety degrees outside HERE, and goodness knows it must be steaming in Miami in mid-July.

Yet you have made me want to get on a plane and take a trip to Miami, maybe even move there! Wonderful, your article.

Once again,thank goodness (always!) for our recent immigrants to the US and the bold bright flavors they bring.

[phaelon56]

Yes - a wonderful article. It strenghtens my already fervent desire to gain access to real Cuban coffee beans. I'm told that Cuba grows some of the best coffee throughout the entire Caribbean and Central American region. Not knocking Bustelo as I've enjoyed it so many times but there are much better coffees.

For those who read the article and have a hankering to try some but can't get to Miami.... there's always West Yew York NJ (yes - West New York is in New Jersey!). That area has the largest Cuban population in the US outside of Miami and Bergenline Ave still has plenty of Cuban diners and neighborhood restaurants where this delicious coffee is readily available (and cheap!). My former GF is Cuban - her father would often make us Cuban style coffee after dinner that made my heart sing - great stuff.

[Jason Perlow]

I'm glad that someone finally gave Cafe Cubano the respect it deserves -- and happy so see that she liked Versailles, which is my favorite restaurant in Miami.

[raisab]

OK, I have tears in my eyes as I am writing this. As a Cuban who grew up in Miami and go back very often, it made me miss the way of life. I used to drink Cafe con Leche from my baby bottle, no joking, but then again we kept our bottles until we were 4!!!!!!!

It is a different way of life, I miss my amigas, primas, y mi cafe!

[NickV]

Having grown up in Key West, I have to say that most of the Cuban coffee details held true. I've never seen any of the shops here muddle the sugar, but I guess thats just a regional difference. Sort of like the way a Cuban sandwich or Cuban mix will vary from place to place. In Key West, a small shot of Cuban coffee is called a buchi or buchito--a little sip. Is it the same in Miami?

[agbaber]

oh dear sweet lord. buchi is the devils crack.

I need to be kept away, or I'll drink like 5 of them and run around like a crazed, heroin addicted monkey for hours. And that is REALLY not a good thing.

[foodie52]

My first Cuban coffee was at Colombia Restaurant in Tampa..and this was only last year. I couldn't believe how delicious it was!

[Susan in FL]

Thank you... just what I was wondering about recently. I have printed out the article for our next trip to Miami.

[Mrs. P]

Thank you for this potent reminder of an enchanting ritual. We moved to DC from Miami last fall, and one of the things I most miss is the afternoon cuban coffee that people made in my office. It is just as you describe in the article - two or three people who meet and chat while trading off on the stirring task. The rest of us got to gossip, learn from them and, best of all, experience that thimble-sized taste of strong coffee, creamy sugar, and elbow grease.