Dominican Republic Coffee

[NYC Mike]

I was hoping to get a little help from the coffee experts. My wife is from the Dominican Republic and we like to try and to find dominican products (rum, sugar, produce etc) as often as possible here in NY.

We can get Cafe Santo Domingo beans in NY or ground from my in-laws in DR (they taste like two very different coffees) and Cafe Mama Inez in the can and like and use both regularly. On this site there is a Cafe Bueno and Induban Gormet.

Has anyone tried these two or know of any other Dominican grown coffee?

We currently use a stovetop moka and grind beans in a krups.

-Mike

[phaelon56]

The Coffee Review (a widely respected authority on coffee charactistics and quality) has this to say about Dominican coffee

Coffee from the Dominican Republic is occasionally called Santo Domingo after the country's former name, perhaps because Santo Domingo looks romantic on a coffee bag and Dominican Republic does not. Coffee is grown on both slopes of the mountain range that runs on an east-west axis down the center of the island. The four main market names are Cibao, Bani, Ocoa, and Barahona. All tend to be well prepared wet-processed coffees. The last three names have the best reputation. Bani leans toward a soft, mellow cup much like Haiti; Barahona toward a somewhat more acidy and heavier-bodied cup, closer to the better Jamaica and Puerto Rico coffees in quality and characteristics.

Most places either use proprietary marketing names for the Dominican varieties they sell or just label it as Santo Domingo which tellls us little about its provenance other than it being of DR origin. Thus far there does not appear to be a "Gold Cup" or Cup of Excellence" type growers competition in the DR but hopefully that will come sooner than later. When growers are trained and incentivized to produce better coffees and given an opportunity to get them to market without having those superior beans mixed in with lesser quality beans through co-ops - everyone benefits.

The major importers / brokers, including the one that my employer buys from for our commercial roasting operation, do not generally stock Caribbbean coffees with the exception of having Jamaican Blue Mountain when it's in season.

Green Castle Coffee Roasters in central PA is the only place I'm personally familiar with that has some truly rare coffees you'll find in few other places in the US. This includes coffee from Nepal, China, Laos and yes... even some Dominican Barahona.

I visited their store when passing through that area. The array of coffees available is dizzying. My concern, possibly unwarranted, is how any roaster can stock that many coffee already roasted and be assured of selling them within a few days of roasting date.

I purchased a pound of roasted Laotian beans and was overly impressed. It's the first time I ever tasted that particular bean - but it did seem a bit flat to me and that's often a characteristic of beans that are a bit past their optimal usage window.

Just curious - have you tried Haitian coffee? I'm just in the process of learning about that culture and food as I have a new friend who is Haitian. She described to me the preparation process used in rural areas - which is very much as it's done in Ethiopia. The green beans are roasted in an open pan until very dark and then ground in a morotar and pestle before beeing steeped, filtered and served. Raw sugar is often added to the pan before the beans are completely roasted. They usually cook the beans until they're nearly scorched - just about black. I'm guessing that the sugar serves as a counterpoint to the bitterness produced by such a dark roast.

[NYC Mike]

Phaelon,

Thank you!

I agree with the coffee review on the taste profile when it is really good. It is similar to Blue Mountain but at a much cheaper price point .

What a great shopping site, I ordered a lb of their Barahona and am very excited to taste it.

I haven't tried Hatian coffee but that process you describe sounds really interesting. I will have to ask my in-laws about it.

-Mike

[phaelon56]

Due to political turmoil and economic challenges very little Haitian coffeee reaches the US (I suspect far less coffee is produced in Haiti than in the DR). But there is a supposedly "premium" variety that is sold at the airport in Port au Prince. My girlfriend's mom visits the US a couple times each year - I have already put in my request to have her bring me a bag next time she's coming up this way.

[NYC Mike]

It is awesome having someone over there who doesn't mind filling a suitcase for the trip over. My in-laws stack me up with cigars I can't get here , sweets, cheese, coffee, rum etc. They need the empty suitcase once they are here to fit their shopping in anyway, I works great for everyone.

Unfortunatly, the politics on the island are just awful. I imagine that both countries are capable of producing world class exports in a wide variety of catagories (coffee, rum, produce, sugar, cigars) if only they could get it together.

I'd love to hear how the hatian coffee tasting goes when it happens!

-Mike