Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005
Issue link: http://baristamagazine.epubxp.com/i/659497
F L O R I D A IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THE ONLY halfway-decent excuse for Florida's being largely overlooked in the specialty-coffee world is the weather: There are parts of the state that really do get downright swampy, and more or less stay that way for a relatively substantial part of the year—not exactly ideal drinking conditions for a hot pourover or a heavy espresso. That said, the state does have a pretty solid coffee-drinking base in general, though it might not be what leaps to mind to describe or define "specialty." A strong Caribbean influence inspires equally strong Cuban-style brews, mostly heavily sweetened and sipped even as steam rises off the cups; and a large imported population from other U.S. regions—particularly the cold ones, where coffee is practically the only means through which residents achieve their daily recommended eight cups of water a day—supports a healthy frozen-coffee-drink and chain-café industry from the Keys to the Panhandle. On a recent road trip through the Sunshine State, I went in search of what's bubbling up in specialty coffee: What are the geeks like me roasting, brewing, and drinking down there? How hot is cold brew? What are the best coffee shops like, and who goes to them? And would eight days in the sun be enough to achieve a tan roughly the color of a weak café au lait, or would I instead wind up as red as one of the controversial Starbucks "holiday" cups? There was only one way to find out: In a rental car, with the windows rolled down, singing along with—who else?—Gloria Estefan, because my first stop was la ciudad Miami. MIAMI, CORAL GABLES, FT. LAUDERDALE Palm trees, brightly colored houses, muscle beaches, the heat, and The Heat (with a season record of 40–29 at press time): Those are some of Miami's famous features. Its coffee? Until recently, not so much. While there certainly is tons of it to be had, a lot of it is café Cubano or cafecito: dark-roasted coffee drawn as espresso mixed with heaps of sugar, either in the cup or, regrettably, in with the grounds themselves. This page, at top: At Café Curuba in Coral Gables, owner Debbie Rabinovici, right, creates a beloved community space with coff ee from multiple roasters and scratch-made baked goods. Below: House-made pastries and a well-curated multiroaster coff ee menu shine at Volta Coff ee, Chocolate & Tea in Gainesville. Opposite: An owner's-eye view of Café Curuba, as Debbie Rabinovici sips espresso behind the bar. 39 www.baristamagazine.com