Cuba Coffee Beans 2015?
With the recent easing of the embargo on Cuba, 2015 seems to be a year in which we may get our first taste of Cuban coffee. Cuban coffee is famous in Miami Beach and beyond for their espresso style coffee, however the term is only attributed to the way the coffee is brewed (using lots of sugar) and not the beans used.
Recently a Scottish coffee company, The Bean Shop, was forced by Paypal to stop selling their Cuban coffee beans online, due to the US embargo. This came after Paypal notified the shop that they would have to terminate their account if they did not stop selling the Cuban coffee. The coffee is still sold, however it is no longer available online.
Cuba currently exports through an exclusive exporter Cubaexport to France & Japan with a smaller amount going to Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand.
In 2015 we can potentially add the US to the list and even if the US does not become a major importer of Cuban coffee, you can be sure that 2015 will have specialty coffee roasters importing limited quantities. We for one will try to get our hands on some and will follow up with another post, letting you know how it smells and tastes.
Until then....we will drink our Kenyan Karani Peaberry, Cuban Coffee for what remains of 2014.