Island Coffee - Analysis of Puerto Rico's Coffee Cultivation Status Is Puerto Rican Coffee Really Good?

Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

Introduction to Island Coffee Origins

In the coffee world, when it comes to island-grown coffees, I believe everyone is quite familiar with Jamaica Blue Mountain and Hawaiian Kona—both are renowned specialty coffees. However, when discussing coffee from island origins, there's another that's worth mentioning and tasting: Puerto Rico. If you try to find its location on Earth, it might be a bit difficult to locate, so let's explore it together.

Geography and Climate of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is located in the eastern part of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, including Puerto Rico Island as well as smaller islands such as Vieques and Culebra. It is an island with exceptionally beautiful scenery. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean, to the south the Caribbean Sea, to the east it faces the US and British Virgin Islands across the water, and to the west, separated by the Mona Strait, it borders the Dominican Republic.

Puerto Rico has a land area of 13,790 square kilometers, with mountains and hills covering three-quarters of the island's total area. The Central Mountain Range runs east to west, with terrain extending from the center to the surroundings, from high to low, with coastal plains. The highest peak, Punta Piedra, reaches an elevation of 1,338 meters. It has a tropical rainforest climate with abundant rainfall. The average temperature in January is 24°C, while in July it's 27°C. It is susceptible to hurricanes, with an average annual temperature of 28°C. These climate conditions are highly suitable for the quality growth of coffee trees.

Coffee History in Puerto Rico

In Spanish, Puerto Rico means "rich port." Puerto Rico's coffee history can be traced back to 1736 AD, when early Spanish immigrants brought coffee seedlings. During the 18th century, coffee received little attention as sugarcane was the main economic crop.

In the early 19th century, due to European political factors, the French began immigrating to Puerto Rico from the Mediterranean island of Corsica. Due to pressure from the Spanish, many French people settled in Yauco in the southwestern part of Puerto Rico. Yauco's geographical environment consisted mainly of hilly terrain, so the French decided to plant coffee. After half a century of hard cultivation, their quality gained market recognition, establishing the future position of Yauco Selecto coffee in the market.

During the 1860s, coffee produced in Puerto Rico's Yauco region gained a reputation as premium coffee, spreading throughout European countries. At that time, emperors and empresses of various nations regarded it as the finest among coffees. Many kings, queens, and even the European Pope would only accept Yauco coffee when selecting their coffee. It was even designated as the imperial coffee for the Vatican's consumption.

Yauco Selecto: The Premium Puerto Rican Coffee

Puerto Rico's coffee beans are carefully cultivated, pure in flavor, aromatic, and heavy in weight. Among them, the highest quality coffee is Yauco Selecto—"Selecto" meaning "selected." Yauco Selecto coffee is grown only on three farms in the southwestern part of the island: San Pedro, Caracolillo, and La Juanita. Its flavor is intensely aromatic with a long-lasting aftertaste, making it truly premium coffee.

The hilly terrain in southwestern Puerto Rico has a mild climate, giving plants a longer maturation period (from October to February of the following year), and the soil is quality clay. The people here have always used an eco-friendly, intensive cultivation method, harvesting only fully ripe coffee beans, which are then placed in rotating drum devices for washing for 48 hours.

Yauco Selecto coffee beans are always stored with their parchment until orders are placed for shipping, when it is removed to ensure optimal freshness. During transactions, relevant personnel from the U.S. government, such as FDA and USEA officials, are present to supervise whether producers are complying with federal regulations. Additionally, professional evaluators randomly select one bag from every 50 bags as samples, using international measuring devices to assess coffee bean quality. All these measures ensure the quality of authentic Yauco Selecto coffee transactions.

Market Development and Production

Jaime Fortuno, president of Escogido Yauco Agency, silently oversees all this work annually, even the smallest details. Fortuno is an investment banker who graduated from Harvard Business School. He originally decided to seize every opportunity to create a market for Puerto Rico's top-tier coffee. He projects a maximum annual production of 3,000 bags, each weighing 45 kilograms, which is less than 1% of the island's total coffee production.

This is precisely the difference between Puerto Rico and Puerto Rico's Yauco Selecto. Yauco Selecto is estate coffee, a brand jointly launched by Puerto Rico's three major estates: San Pedro, Caracolillo, and La Juanita.

Flavor Profile and Unique Characteristics

In fact, every coffee is endowed with unique flavors due to its origin, just as different musical styles always give you different feelings. Puerto Rico's Yauco coffee possesses the characteristics that specialty coffee should have—its acidity is very stable, beans are full-bodied, flavors are complete, and it's intensely aromatic.

The reason Yauco Selecto coffee beans are superior to those from other producing regions on the island is that they are grown in high-altitude mountainous areas, resulting in slow growth and rich fruit flavors. Moreover, they use ancient coffee tree varieties, which, while yielding less, offer unique flavors that some newer varieties cannot compare with. Due to abundant local rainfall, fertile soil, and high-altitude microclimate zones, Yauco coffee possesses all the qualities that premium coffee should have. Of course, Yauco coffee cannot be separated from the diligent labor of coffee workers, who manage the entire process from planting coffee seedlings to post-harvest processing.

Every coffee has its unique taste. When you taste Yauco coffee, you'll notice the distinctive acidity of Central American coffee—this is the most characteristic flavor of Caribbean island coffee. Therefore, some describe Yauco coffee as the most captivating to the palate.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans, while also providing online shop services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473