"Neither oil nor coffee," stated Betsy Díaz Velázquez, Minister of Domestic Trade, to state media when questioned about the rationed family basket products that have not been distributed to Cubans for months. "We do not have any plans for September, just as there were none in August," confirmed the minister appointed by Miguel Díaz-Canel's government to oversee one of the most significant and concealed transitions: the gradual phasing out of subsidies for the few food and products sold through the ration book.
Amid delays in distributing rice, sugar, oil, salt, grains, and hygiene products, coffee has become one of the most elusive items for Cubans, despite once being one of the leading producers and exporters. Introduced in the late 18th century, Cuba produced over 60,000 tons of coffee annually in the 1950s. However, in 2021, the country only harvested 11,500 tons, exporting 1,365 of those, according to official statistics.
Similar to the near disappearance of the Cuban sugar industry, domestic consumption of sugar and coffee now heavily relies on imports. Ironically, Cuba, which once taught Vietnam how to cultivate coffee, now imports it from there, highlighting the collapse of the agricultural and food industries under the communist regime.
By October 2023, with coffee shortages in the basic basket exceeding five months, Cubans resorted to brewing a substitute beverage from plantain leaves. Despite this, the regime continues to prioritize exporting Cuban coffee, promoting new brands at international fairs, and partnering with foreign companies to penetrate global markets, reaping substantial profits managed with the usual opacity of the socialist business system.
While Cubans endure months without coffee from the ration book, the government blames the "blockade" for preventing the import of fertilizers and necessary supplies for coffee plantations. National coffee, now a luxury item, is sold in MLC stores at exorbitant prices unaffordable for the majority of Cuban workers.
Instead of reporting on this harsh reality, Cuban state media focuses on celebrating the "advancements" in national coffee cultivation and production, as well as its "successes" in international markets. Shamelessly, the official publication of the Communist Party of Cuba, Granma, dedicated an article on Friday to extolling the "aroma and flavor" of coffee from the mountains of Alto Oriente in Guantánamo, recently recognized with the Denomination of Origin by the Cuban Office of Industrial Property (OCPI).
"The natural attributes of these mountains hold great potential for producing a highly aromatic, top-quality bean," Granma praised, lauding the achievements of the Asdrúbal López Coffee Processor.
Will this exquisite coffee reach Cuban households? No; according to the same media outlet, "the goal is to produce what is known as Denomination of Origin Coffee, much more appreciated by customers who seek it out and pay exclusive prices, sometimes tens of times higher than traditional international market rates." For Cubans unable to afford it in MLC stores, the coffee available (when it appears) will be of very poor quality, much like the one a Cuban woman complained about last November.
It may even come with nails, but it will indeed be an "explosion-proof" coffee for Cuban coffee makers.