123: A Note On Cuban Espresso

I was reading an online rating of our Cuban Espresso Maduro and the rater, quite correctly, noted that the coffee side of things came off very burnt. I guess growing up in Tampa it never occurred to me that what I think of as part of Tampa's essence, other people think of as really shitty overly roasted espresso beans. Cuban espresso is different and I like it that way, but I understand that some won't. To me Cuban espresso is the Imperial Stout of coffee. Cuban espresso beans were made stronger and tougher so they could stretch farther. Heavily roasting the beans meant a very little could go a long way. An important trait for poor cigar factory workers struggling through The Despression.

In fact I have long suspected that the reason I have such a fondness for Porter and Stout stems from the rich burnt roasty notes in Cuban espresso. Obviously I wasn't drinking beer in my early teens (well not very much), but I was drinking coffee. And occasionally I'd get a Cafe con Leche, which is quite nice with some fresh Cuban bread to dunk in it. But then one day I was feeling boisterous and I ordered a straight shot of Cuban espresso. I haven't been the same since. My craving for roasty, burnt coffee tasting things turned into an obsession and I have spent much of my adult life tracking down every dark beer I can find. And as i said, I strongly suspect it was that first slug of straight Cuban espresso that fueled my passion.

I am sure that to some people Cuban-style espresso comes off more than a bit rough around the edges. But it is a regional variation that has stood the test of time. And there is a craft to creating it. In the Cuban Espresso Maduro project we used beans (the #3 blend with chicory) from Naviera Coffee Mills, an Ybor staple since 1921.  I feel like we did the beans justice and personally the marriage of Maduro and Cuban espresso is full of yum. But I also know everyone has different tastes and not everyone grew up exposed to the same things. One person's culinary nostalgia is another person's weird over-roasted coffee. Not everyone will like it. That is natural. But, in my opinion Cuban Espresso Maduro does a damn fine job capturing the essence of Cuban espresso in a beer.

For anyone who is interested in Tampa history with a focus on Cuban espresso I reccomend this St. Petersburg Times piece by Jeff Klinkenberg which focuses primarily on Naviera Coffe Mills, but also on the history of Ybor City and the role coffee played there. It's a great read.


Posted by Cigar City Brewing at 7/4/2009 4:21 AM
Categories: uncategorized
 

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