Food & Drink – Jan/Feb 2009

Not Your Average Joe: Café con Leche
By Jacklyn Walling


For the Starbuck-types in the world, drinking a morning coffee is often no more than a means to help get their day started – a cup of indulgence that’s part of an a.m. routine.

But for the patrons of the Urban Corridor’s many Cuban and Spanish cafes, the roasted brew means quite a bit more. It’s a breakfast staple accompanied with spirited conversation and reflections of days gone by.

As for their brew of choice … it’s as exotic as any Italian latte or cappuccino, just served in a small cup, instead of a big corporate box. Of course I refer to the city’s best-selling beverage: Café con Leche.

Café con Leche, which translates to "coffee with milk" in Spanish, is just what it sounds like: strong coffee mixed with scalded milk in approximately a one to one ratio. (Sugar is added according to taste.) As for which brand of coffee Tampans’ like best, it varies per drinker; but Ybor City’s Naviera Coffee and Miami’s Café Bustelo are common favorites.

At the famous La Teresita Restaurant in West Tampa, I sat with Raoul Zayas, a Tampa native and area high school teacher, as we both sipped our own cups of the coffee/milk combo. As we chatted about the beverage, his eyes started to glisten as he brought up memories of times he had shared with his parents, grandparents and brothers.

“My brothers and I would dunk our Cuban toast in it for breakfast,” Zayas said of a Café con Leche-dip ritual that’s persevered through generations. “And our parents would always wonder why we were all so jacked up every morning.”

Despite getting “jacked” by the caffeine concoction, the Zayas family considers it a comforting beverage. For example, when Raoul’s brother recently called him to report a bad day, Raoul’s prescription was one pair of warm socks for the feet, and one cup of hot Café con Leche for the stomach … “just like our grandmother used to tell us.”

Drinking Café con Leche is also a time to talk politics amongst friends. A good place to see (or better yet, “hear”) this high volume exchange of ideas in action is West Tampa’s El Gallo de Oro (The Golden Rooster), a Cuban mom and pop restaurant that’s been serving up Cuban joe for more than 25 years.

Owner (aka “king of the coop”), Gustavo Orama, told me that he sees the same people every day he opens the store. One by one they file in, place their same order, find their same seat and begin to debate their political viewpoints. (Long-time patrons need not worry about ordering … Orama has their orders memorized.)

Orama enjoys the sameness. “For me, it’s all I know. It’s about gathering every day for our cup of coffee. Café con Leche brings friends together.”

Whether you take your Café con Leche with a spoonful of sweet family memories or prefer it with straight political talk, it’s easy to tell in either case that Tampa’s drink of choice is not your average joe. We invite you to sound out about your Café con Leche preferences and memories by visiting the New Heights blog: newheightsmag.blogspot.com.

Try A Cup!
[wt] El Gallo De Oro
4007 Fiesta Plz.
(813) 873-8008

[wt] La Teresita Restaurant
3246 W. Columbus Dr.
(813) 879-4909
www.lateresitarestaurant.com

[yb] La Tropicana Café
1822 E. 7th Ave.
(813) 247-4040

Try Something Else!
[dt] Cafe Hey
1540 N. Franklin Ave.
(813) 221-5150
www.myspace.com/cafehey

[dt] Indigo Coffee
514 N. Franklin St., Ste. 102
(813) 849-2233
www.drinkindigo.com

Read More at www.NewHeightsMag.com.