What is the best Cuban coffee brand?

Cubita is considered Cuba's premium brand, using 100% Arabica beans from the Sierra Maestra mountains. Serrano and Turquino Montanés are also excellent choices with protected origin designations.

What's the difference between cafecito, colada, and cortadito?

A cafecito is a single espresso shot with sugar foam (espumita). A colada is the same recipe in a large serving meant for sharing. A cortadito adds hot evaporated milk to the cafecito.

Where can I buy authentic Cuban coffee outside Cuba?

Online retailers like CubaDirecto, CaymanSauce, and Cuba Coffee UK ship internationally. In Miami, virtually any Latin supermarket carries Cuban brands.

Why is Cuban coffee so sweet?

Cuba was historically the world's largest sugar producer. The espumita technique — whipping sugar with the first drops of espresso — is what defines Cuban coffee and sets it apart from any other style.

Cuban Coffee: Complete Guide to Brands, Types & Preparation

The cup that moves Cuba

In Cuba, coffee isn’t just a drink — it’s a ritual, a social currency, and the fuel that powers eleven million people every morning. From the mountains of the Sierra Maestra to the ventanitas of Miami, Cuban coffee is one of the island’s most iconic products.

The story begins in 1748, when José Antonio Gelabert brought the first coffee plant from Santo Domingo. By the 19th century, Cuba was one of the world’s largest coffee exporters, with plantations covering the mountains of Oriente, Escambray, and the Sierra del Rosario in Pinar del Río.

Today, while production has decreased significantly, Cuban coffee maintains an international reputation for its intense flavor, robust body, and unmistakable aroma.

The major Cuban coffee brands

Cubita — “The coffee of Cuba”

Cubita is the flagship brand. Its 100% Arabica beans come from Cuba’s eastern mountains and are roasted in the Cuban tradition: dark, intense, with notes of chocolate and tobacco. It’s the coffee you’ll find in Havana’s hotels and Cuba’s most exported brand.

Serrano

Café Serrano comes from the heights of the Sierra Maestra, grown between 800 and 1,200 meters of altitude. It’s arguably the most balanced Cuban coffee: strong but not aggressive, with medium acidity and a clean finish. Available as whole bean and ground.

Turquino Montanés

Named after Pico Turquino (1,974 meters, Cuba’s highest point), this coffee grows in the island’s most elevated plantations. 100% Arabica, dark roasted, with a flavor profile that combines intensity with subtlety. The connoisseur’s choice.

Other notable brands

Guantanamera — Eastern region coffee, accessible and robust
Morena — Popular blend within Cuba
La Indiana — Emerging brand with select beans
Cohiba Atmosphere — Premium line associated with the cigar brand
Montecristo Delegend — Another luxury tobacco-coffee collaboration

Types of Cuban coffee: the essential vocabulary

Cafecito (Café Cubano)

The classic. An espresso shot prepared with the espumita technique: the first drops of coffee are mixed with demerara sugar and whipped vigorously until they form a thick, golden cream. Then the rest of the espresso is poured on top. The result is intense, sweet, and addictive.

Colada

The social version of the cafecito. It’s exactly the same preparation but in a large quantity (about 4-6 shots), served in a styrofoam cup with small plastic cups for sharing. In Miami, ordering a colada at the ventanita is a sacred daily ritual.

Cortadito

Cafecito with a splash of hot evaporated milk. It’s not a Spanish cortado — the evaporated milk gives it a creamier, sweeter texture. The afternoon favorite.

Café con leche

Strong coffee mixed with hot milk in generous proportions. It’s the quintessential Cuban breakfast, especially paired with buttered toast.

How to make cafecito cubano at home

You’ll need:

Moka pot (the classic Italian stovetop maker, called “greca” in Cuba)
Finely ground Cuban coffee (Cubita, Serrano, or Turquino)
Demerara or turbinado sugar
A small cup and a spoon

The method:

Fill the moka pot with water up to the valve and add coffee to the filter
Put 2-3 teaspoons of sugar in a cup
When the first drops of coffee come out, pour them over the sugar
Whip vigorously with the spoon to create the espumita (it should turn golden and thick)
Let the rest of the coffee finish brewing
Pour the coffee over the espumita
Serve in small cups and share

The secret is in the espumita. If it’s too pale, you need more energy when whipping. If it’s too dark, you used too much coffee in the initial step.

Cuban coffee in the diaspora

In Miami, Cuban coffee is an institution. The ventanitas on Calle Ocho, Versailles Restaurant, and every corner of Hialeah dispense coladas all day long. It’s no exaggeration to say that the cafecito is the social glue of the Cuban-American community.

In Union City, New Jersey, Tampa, and every city with a Cuban presence, the tradition lives on. Brands like Bustelo and Pilon — while not technically Cuban — were born from the Cuban coffee tradition and dominate the US Latin market.

Where to buy authentic Cuban coffee

CubaDirecto — Wide selection of Cuban brands with international shipping
CaymanSauce — Cubita, Serrano, Turquino and more
Cuba Coffee UK — Cuban coffee specialists in Europe
Latin supermarkets in Miami, New York, and New Jersey

Cuban coffee isn’t drunk — it’s shared. Every colada is an invitation to conversation, every cafecito an act of cultural resistance. From the Sierra Maestra mountains to your kitchen, the tradition lives on.

Have you tried any of these brands? Tell us your favorite.

Related:

Cuban Coffee: Complete Guide to Brands, Types & Preparation

The cup that moves Cuba