Coffee is an essential drink for many of the Puerto Rican population but the real question is: are you really drinking Puerto Rican coffee? I made a poll on my twitter page asking the people that follow what coffee do they consume in their home:

Let’s take a look on Yaucono. Logo-de-Yaucono.png

Did you know that their coffee is not 100% arabica coffee? Arabica coffee is the seed/bean we use to make our cup of coffee. If it’s not 100% arabica coffee from Puerto Rico, this means that not all the coffee beans are entirely produced in Puerto Rico. The majority of the beans are grown here but they are mixed with other coffee beans from different places, meaning it’s not 100% authentic Puerto Rican coffee. Also, since this brand is cheap than the local brands, people are more inclined to buy this one. Personally, I do not like how it tastes at all.

Coffee is an acquire taste and not all coffee taste the same. Let’s take Hacienda San Pedro for a moment:

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There’s a coffee shop in Santurce and an actual “hacienda” in Jayuya, Puerto Rico where local farmers harvest the arabica coffee (JUST LIKE WE’RE SUPPOSED TO, YOU KNOW!) Even though it is a tad pricey, it is worth every penny. Puerto Rico is very well known for their coffee and this one indeed is my favorite coffee of all because:

  1. It has a chocolate/nutty flavour
  2. It is 100% Puerto Rican coffee

PLOT TWIST: There was a crisis revolving the coffee. No, there was no coffee shortage however, the prices for the coffee skyrocketed. The coffee growers Association of Puerto Rico accused the Department of Consumer Affairs (DACO) of destroying the national coffee industry by signing the order of prices number 1 because they consider that the provision has the effect of giving preference to Mexican coffee on the Puerto Rican cause that the imported is cheaper than that produced in the island.

SPIT OUT THAT YAUCONO OUT OF YOUR MOUTH, YOU’RE DRINKING MEXICAN COFFEE! Let me rephrase that, it’s not bad to drink coffee from other places because Colombian and Ethiopian coffee are tremendously good but it is ideal to support your coffee growers who work hard to get you the best coffee in the world. What the Department of Consumer Affairs is putting low prices to the imported coffee so people are convinced not to drink local hand-picked coffee from here because it’s expensive.tumblr_nq0vdxglwb1upqkq0o1_500

The manager from the coffee company Café Mami states “it’s atrocious that the government contributes and actually relies on Mexican coffee to make a competition to us”. Yup, that’s capitalism for you. The government is allied with the Puerto Rican Coffee Roasters and these do not produce 100% Puerto Rican coffee. This company holds:

  • Yaucono
  • Café Crema
  • Café Rioja
  • Adjuntas
  • Expressos
  • Yauco Selectos

Gosh, Anton, what coffee do you suggest we drink? I got your back on that one. My best advice: GO TO LOCAL COFFEE SHOPS. Whether it is in Santurce or in Viejo San Juan or in Condado, there’s always a shop that serves authentic and yummy coffee. If you’re at a store and you cannot identify which coffee is actually from here? Don’t fret, my friend, I have a list for you:

The purpose of this post is that we should create awareness of the authenticity of our products and appreciate the hard work these farmers put in to get you that perfect coffee you’ve been wanting to try out. We have to save our economy and support what’s ours. I hope this information has been useful to you guys (and gals). We will meet again after I buy coffee because this girl needs Puerto Rican goods in my stomach and in my heart. Until next time!

-A

References:

  1. (2015). NC*** Critican nueva orden del DACO sobre precios del cafe. El Nuevo Dia de Puerto Rico.
  2. DÍAZ, M. B. (2016). Alto Grande Premium Coffee Satisfies the Most Demanding Palates. Caribbean Business, 2(32), 36.
  3. Ryan, F. (2009). New look for Yaucono. Caribbean Business, 37(14), 4.
  4. The Coffee Plant, Illy, http://www.illy.com/wps/wcm/connect/en/coffee/coffee-plant
  5. Controversia por el precio del café puede llegar al tribunal federal, NotiCel™, http://www.noticel.com/noticia/179199/controversia-por-el-precio-del-cafe-puede-llegar-al-tribunal-federal.html
  6. En crisis la industria del café en Puerto Rico, Primera Hora http://www.primerahora.com/noticias/puerto-rico/nota/encrisislaindustriadelcafeenpuertorico-921709/
  7. Golpea al caficultor la nueva orden del café, El Nuevo Día, http://www.elnuevodia.com/negocios/consumo/nota/golpeaalcaficultorlanuevaordendelcafe-2076243/
  8. PR Coffee Roasters con señalamiento federal laboral,  – NotiCel™ http://www.noticel.com/noticia/179841/pr-coffee-roasters-con-senalamiento-federal-laboral.htm
  9. Identifican los 100% de aquí, IndicePR http://www.indicepr.com/suroeste/noticias/2015/09/24/49548/identifican-los-100-de-aqui/
  10. The Best Puerto Rico Coffee Shop in the Internet, The Best Puerto Rico Coffee Shop in the Internet, http://www.puertoricocoffeeshop.com