Cuban Coffee Queen is a Popular Key West Cuban Coffee Shop
Key West locals are experts in authentic Cuban coffee. The island of Cuba is only 90 miles away from Key West which is steeped in Cuban culture. With a prominent Cuban community on the island for generations, Cuban food is a staple for many, and drinking Cuban coffee, (café Cubano) is a favorite daily ritual for most locals. For coffee lovers, Key West Cuban Coffee shops are a tourist destination.
Café Cubano originated in Cuba when espresso machines were first imported from Italy. Cuba has an abundance of sugar cane fields, and coffee baristas were quick to reinvent Italian espresso by sweetening it with their own concoction of with demerara sugar as it is being brewed. Drinking Cuban coffee Cubano remains a prominent social and cultural activity.
A fabulous selection of Key West Cuban coffee bars serve up a long list of delectable favorite coffee concoctions including cortadito, colada, café con leche, and Cuban espresso. Cuban espresso is known as bucci in Key West. One Key West Cuban coffee bar, Sandys Café calls it Cuban Speed, as its sure to get anyone going. Café Bustello and Café Pilon are two favorite coffee brands that many of the Cuban coffee houses prefer.
Its easy to find a Cuban Coffee shop just off Duval Street. Cuban Coffee Queen, Five Brothers Grocery, Sandys Café, White Street Sandwich Shop, Anas Cuban Café and Blossoms are a few of the local favorites. Key West Cuban restaurants El Siboney and El Mason de Pepe, also pour some of the best café Cubano to follow up an authentic meal. Whether your Cuban coffee destination is off-Duval Street, on the Key West Seaport, on the beachside, in the heart of Old Town, or in New Town Key West, there is always a place close by to go for real Cuban coffee.
All the talk right now is about Cuba opening up, and Key West citizens are excited and ready to make Cuba their destination. People have a long history of moving back and forth between the islands. Old timers tell us baby-boomers about the good old days, when Cuba was like an extension of Key West. Havana was the place to go to shop during the week and for nightlife on the weekends. Ernest Hemingway fans know that Papa, fished the waters between the islands and had homes in both Key West and Cuba. And we know that he drank café Cubano in the morning before he started on the mojitos in the afternoon, on both islands.
Nowadays, when Key West friends join up with American and Cuban neighbors alike, drinking our Key West Cuban coffee at our favorite coffee place, we often ponder about when the doors of Cuba will open completely and imagine how we will get there. Will it be a 4 hour ferry ride across the Florida Straits, or a 45 minute plane ride? Shall we go and spend the night in Havana, or take a day trip and come home to Key West at night?
When Cuba finally opens up, the Key West International Airport will become a real international airport again. Gone will be the days when Key West is the final destination for commercial air-craft. Hopefully sooner than later, it will be possible to easily hop over to Cuba and back again. But even when Cuba does open up wide, Key West Cuban Coffee Shops as a tourist destination will remain as we love it today; the U.S. Caribbean island to get a Key West Cuban coffee brew thats tried-and-true, guaranteed to rev you up in Key West for a visit to Cuba!
As a tourist destination, Key West does have a Starbucks on Duval Street, which beckons many tourists, but real coffee aficionados dont want to miss the bliss of authentic Cuban coffee. Buying American coffee in Key West is kind of like going for going for American hamburgers in Italy. While in Rome, do as the Romans do. Experiencing authentic food, wine, and coffee wherever you travel will bring you closer to the local culture. Key West is a Cuban coffee destination, so while youre in Key West, do as Key Westers do, and indulge in a cup of fresh made-to-order Cuban coffee.
