Job Discussion Forums

MO39 · Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 2:29 pm Post subject:

I remember the bad old days (keeping in mind that I'm one of the more senior posters on this board) in both the U.S. and Mexico, when real coffee was hard to find unless you made it yourself. In Mexico, you could get a good cup of coffee at Sanborn's, but the only region of the country where I recall having great coffee was in Vera Cruz at the Parroquia Caf�. The norm was Nescafe; if you ordered "caf� con leche" (which I like here, by the way) you got a tall glass of hot milk and a jar of Nescaf� with a tall spoon.

I really laughed when Starbuck's began to build coffee shops all over the country (later the world) and acted as though they had discovered the secret of great coffee. In reality, the owner had discovered the real stuff in Italy and Spain, where it is impossible to find anything but a good cup of coffee. I digress... While I tend to avoid Starbuck's anywhere in the world I may find myself, I am thrilled that the coffee renaissance started by this caffeine-stoked conglomerate has spread to Mexico! In my Mexico City neighborhood, apart from 3 or 4 Starbuck's, there are several little locally-owned caf�s, which serve decent varieties of coffee - interestingly, most are owned by Arabs.

deeb · Joined: 27 Jan 2008 Posts: 36 Location: Guadalajara

If you are in DF, Guadalajara or possibly somewhere else, you can find La Selva Cafe, which sells organic, fair trade coffee from Chiapas. You can buy the beans there. It's the best we've found in Guadalajara.

hlamb · Joined: 09 Dec 2003 Posts: 431 Location: Canada

MO39 · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 1:29 am Post subject:

For those of you who want a great cup of coffee and support a totally Mexican business, try looking for a Punta del Cielo caf�. The owner is a young Mexican coffee lover, who was startled to discover some years ago that while Mexico is the fifth largest coffee grower in the world, Mexicans consume a very small amount of coffee per capita. He sells only Mexican coffee (both beans and the brewed stuff) from the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Veracruz and gives a percentage of his sales to a charity called Fundaci�n Dar, which helps very poor families in coffee-growing communities with education, health care and other matters. It's a rapidly growing chain, 45 new branches opening in the last 4 years. I'm not sure, though, which cities, other than the D.F., have Punta del Cielo caf�s.

TheLongWayHome · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 1016 Location: San Luis Piojosi

jillford64 · Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 397 Location: Sin City

Do not know if they exist elsewhere, but Cafe Europa with several locations in Morelia is popular. Their small location on Plaza San Francisco sells whole beans.

MELEE · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:54 pm Post subject:

I've never been to a Punta de Cielo cafe--I didn't know the exsisted! Thanks for the tip.
But the Giante chain carries their coffee and it's excellente!

MO39 · Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:09 pm Post subject:

Melee, I guess you mean Gigante? I'll look for some the next time I go shopping there. And thanks for your tip!

TheLongWayHome · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 1016 Location: San Luis Piojosi

thecrit840 · Joined: 01 Feb 2008 Posts: 33

The coffee I had in the state and city of Veracruz is the best I've ever had. I tried "Veracruz" coffee sold in supermarkets in Queretaro and it was not the same. Maybe you can plan a field trip to VC to stock up.
Cool

A lot of specialty stores and cafes now sell whole beans, but the quality varies and prices have seems very high where I've gone. I bought some excellent Chiapas coffee in an organic cafe that was excellent, but very expensive.

Italian Coffee Co. is okay, but I've been to many smaller towns where you can't find that type of option at all.

I've gotten Dunkin Donuts in Guadalara and 7Eleven coffee near Monterrey. In smaller places where you can only get Nescafe, you're lucky to even find it to stave of your caffeine deprivation headache. Sad

MO39 · Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 6:03 pm Post subject: Re: Veracruz coffee

notamiss · Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 5:11 am Post subject:

OK, here we go. I'd been meaning to do this ever since the coffee query and discussion started. Here's a picture of part of the coffee shelf in the MegaComercial supermarket, showing just some of the different kinds and brands of vaccuum-packed ground coffee available. I couldn't even get my favourite brands into the photo. Also visible are some Melitta filters.

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

From your photo...

I used to drink Blason...not too bad until I found my Brazilian brand at Costco at a good price. I also see Legal in the picture. Interesting choice of name, as that coffee should be arrested for calling itself coffee.

dixie · Joined: 23 Apr 2006 Posts: 644 Location: D.F

I just discovered that there are 85 Starbuck locations in D.F alone.

MELEE · Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 4:51 pm Post subject:

LEGAL is for making CAFE DE OLLA!!!!
Not "cafe americano"

Guy, I can't believe you buy Brazilian Coffee in Mexico. How very unpatriotic of you!
Twisted Evil

And very ungreen, that coffee had to travel (though the use of fossil fuels)a long ways to get to you. The states of Veracruz, Chiapas and Oaxaca, make excellent coffee.