You’ve probably never had Cuban coffee, but now you can

You've probably never had Cuban coffee, but now you can
BY CARLOS FRÍAS
cfrias@miamiherald.com

If you live in Miami, you've probably had Cuban coffee — but have you
had coffee from Cuba?

Starting today, you can. Nespresso has begun selling a limited supply of
coffee sourced from Cuba for its OriginalLine of Nespresso home coffee
makers. The Nespresso capsules, dubbed Cafecito de Cuba, are filled with
Cuban Arabica beans harvested by small farms in the Granma and Santiago
de Cuba regions of Cuba, the company said. Nespresso purchased the
beans, then roasted and packaged them in Europe, according to a
Nespresso spokesperson.

"Cuba is known for producing some of the greatest Arabica coffee in the
world," a Nespresso representative wrote to the Miami Herald. "With
fertile soil and ideal climate conditions, the country offers an
excellent coffee growing environment."

That Cuba can now essentially sell coffee to the United States is thanks
to the evolving relations between the two countries. The U.S. State
Department added coffee to the list of goods America can now import from
Cuba. Nespresso importers based in Europe wasted no time in purchasing
and packaging the coffee, though it will be offered only in small
batches as farms in Cuba ramp up production, the company said.

The first batch of Cafecito de Cuba is expected to sell out quickly.
Another batch is expected to be released in late September, the company
said. Cafecito de Cuba is available at the Nespresso website.

Nespresso said it hopes to work with the small farms to ensure that they
are producing the coffee in "environmentally sustainable" ways that
"benefit the farmers themselves and their communities."

"Nespresso is thrilled to be the first to bring this rare coffee to the
U.S.," Nespresso told the Herald. "Ultimately, we want consumers in the
U.S. to experience this incredible coffee and to enjoy it now and for
years to come."

Source: Nespresso begins selling capsules of Arrabica coffee grown in
Cuba | In Cuba Today - http://www.incubatoday.com/news/article96193092.html