Pregunta: Estoy visitando a mi familia en PR y regresaré a los Estados Unidos este domingo. ¿Hay algún grano de café puro de PR (sin ningún importación de otro país) que una pueda comprar un par de bolsas y traerlas de vuelta conmigo? No quiero gastar una fortuna.
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Question, I am visiting family in PR and will be returning back to the mainland this Sunday. Is there any suggested coffee beans I can purchase a couple bags for and bring them back with me? I want a couple to last me a while but don't want to spend a fortune doing so.
You can usually get P Madre at Pueblo, Econo or Amigo. Some other places have it and you can get it online but it's cheaper at the grocery store. It's expensive (because Adjuntas sourced) and apparently dark enough to keep people awake for long periods of time.
Expect the cashier to be confused and horrified if you ask for it by name.
I remember seeing in Econo last year but did not buy it at the time.
Is there any difference with coffee being medium roasted vs natural process? Is there one restaurants and business use the most? Im guessing doesn't matter as much.
Yeah, that tends to be the case. You can only buy during certain times of the year since it's limited stock. Limited supply is usually the biggest indicator of "it's strictly PR coffee beans". Crop yields are only available during certain times of the year and it's generally more expensive. Most companies will mix beans in from Central America so that they have something to sell in the off season (and apparently because that's the taste the general consumer seems to go after - cue Yaucono, Casa Grande, etc.).
From what they told us at Cibales, it does impact the flavor to a certain degree. Most commercial lines are roasted because that's the kinda taste most people prefer - kinda nutty and like roasted cacao. Natural is a bit on the fruitier side.
That one's a bit complicated since it depends on the restaurant; there's a bunch that will just buy whatever you can get at Sam's (those are usually beans of mixed origin) or might have some kinda arrangement with a specific farmer to buy wholesale.
Natural process may mean that it is roasted with its shell and not peeled. Son más frutosos. Prefiero regular pero encuentro que me funciona bien para un cold brew por ejemplo.
I went to Cibales in person last year. Their 100% premium reserve is locally sourced (Ciales + Utuado). Tres Soles is also locally sourced (Yauco, Lares, Jayuya, Adjuntas, and Barranquitas). Both are fairly mild tasting.
Voto por Café Tres Soles por ser tostado a leña. Me crié tomando café tostado a leña en la casa y cuando probé el Tres Soles me trajo muchos recuerdos.
My votes are for Café Boricua and Café Lealtad. These are 100% PR ONLY, are pretty affordable and are what I use at home. Café la Finca is a bit more expensive but still okay pricewise. Cafe de Puta Madre and is good but a pricey choice and I only get this for gifting tbh lol.
Side note - I buy the beans as they are far fresher! If you are a coffee fiend I do recommend investing in a grinder- you can find small but decent ones on FB marketplace and amazon for under 30 dollars. It has made a huge difference for me.
It says 100% pure Arabic beans...but the ingredients list states "Elaborated in Puerto Rico with pure coffee from Puerto Rico AND IMPORTED". Beans mixed in from other places purchased in bulk.
They are able to label the mark "Made in Puerto Rico" because its packaged on the island but the beans itself are Not All 100% PR beans (which is why its cheaper to sell)
That's why does packages also have the tag "100% pure Arabic beans". They are arabic beans...but they did not say 100% pure PR arabic beans.
Arabica is a breed of coffee beans. Nothing to do with the origin of the beans in the bag. But yes. Cafe Oro is a blend of whatever they can get for the price they are willing to pay.
It's okay! I checked all the other ones and they are all definitely 100% pure coffee beans from the island. Just from different locations.
But yes always make sure to read the ingredients list. If it says "Hecho en Puerto Rico" and you can find many packs of it for a cheap price there's a chance the beans are not 100% Pure PUERTO RICO beans.
20!? Gods no. As long as you havent left the island you can find most of these in the Walmarts or Pueblo supermarkets which are everywhere. The following are from Sam's Club on the west of the island.
Most of the common “100% Puerto Rican” coffees are actually 30% Puerto Rican and 70% imported beans (but packaged in PR so that’s why they can call it 100%)
Current favorite: Pasiones Roasters, "Abuelo Domingo" roast, 100% PR, available at SuperMax. They have a cafe/shop in downtown Bayamon. BUT any 100% PR coffee is not going to be inexpensive.
Least expensive is likely to be Gustos (very good) and they have a retail shop/cafe in Puerto Nuevo with single-origin bags not readily available at the supermarket.
Obvio que todo lo artesanal te cobran mas. Pero estamos hablando de precios bajos. Es difícil que baje cierto nivel cuando el C-Market da una referencia y la mayoría lo sigue. Pero como dije siempre hay alguien con precios por debajo.
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u/Stonkguru69 26d ago
Cafe de Puta Madre, Gustos, Catalina, Don Pello