Cuba Turquino Lavado – Roasted Coffee

Taste & Crema

Cuba Turquino Lavado is a coffee with a vibrant flavor and a pleasant cigar aroma. Although very strong in flavor, it's a sweet coffee that does not carry any traces of acidity. You will notice notes of chocolate, honey, tobacco, and spices when tasting it. It is great for brewing in a moka pot or an espresso machine.

Origins

You may have known that Cuba's economy is primarily built on sugar and tobacco exports. Now you will also know that the list includes coffee. Besides, coffee is very popular in the Caribbean islands – Cubans drink it several times a day. Café Cubano or cafecito is prepared for breakfast, served for lunch and for dinner. No visit or business meeting is complete without coffee. This unique way of preparing it may inspire you, so we will mention it briefly.

Coffee in Cuba is usually prepared in a moka pot. They add a teaspoon of cane sugar into the cup, which they sprinkle in with a little freshly brewed coffee. They whisk the mixture vigorously until a thick foam is formed. They only pour the rest of the coffee from the moka pot. The result is a dark, very distinctive hot beverage with a beautiful crema. When you add steamed milk, the result is an acortadito.

It is also worth mentioning that the decades-long US embargo on trade with Cuba has caused coffee production there to plummet. However, everything seems to be on track now. Small-scale Cuban farmers are taking good care of their plantations, as evidenced by this excellent arabica, Cuba Turquino Lavado.

The first coffee plants appeared in Cuba in 1748, but it was not until the French fled to the island to escape the Haitian Revolution that the coffee industry started. It led to the establishment of several plantations in the 1890s, mostly in high mountain areas. By the middle of the 19th century, the economic importance of coffee was equal to that of sugar. Not only did exports, but also domestic consumption of coffee increase sharply.

Cuba Turquino Lavado comes from the southeastern part of the island, specifically the Gran Parque Nacional Sierra Maestra, which covers the Sierra Maestra mountain range. The coffee plants grow in fertile soil, so there is no need to fertilize them with industrially produced fertilizers. The coffee cherries are hand-picked by workers and processed by washing. That brings out the chocolate and honey notes in the coffee bean.

Coffee packaging preview

Our quality aluminum packaging lacks any bold graphics, as we’d rather focus on the taste of our coffee. It always comes fresh thanks to degassing valve, which releases the gases that occur after roasting. Thanks to the hermetic seal, this container helps the contents further keep their freshness and protect them against humidity, light or foreign odors.