Useful Links:
Definitions of terms and numbers
Roast Pictorial Guide
Flavor Quality Analysis graphs

Islands: Puerto Rico


Map of Puerto Rico
Current Crop Comments:

Yauco Selecto has been a solid cup, very mild but with interesting nuances, for the past 3 seasons at least. We have a limited supply of 2006 AA grade and, with care in roasting, the cup is quite good. Remember, it is island profile in flavor, meaning balanced and m-i-l-d ... mild. That's not a bad word in coffee, it doesn't necessarily mean "milktoast." But if your idea of great coffee is dry-process Harar, citric Kenya, or dizzying high-altitude Centrals, be prepared to change gear when tasting island coffees.

I have tried other Puerto Rican coffees but only bought Yauco Selecto in recent years. And we pick and choose the shipments because the really early lots have a greenish cast to the cup flavors, and the late lots turn a bit flat. When this coffee is on, in the mid-crop pickings, don't expect fireworks ... rather, think about the general term "island profile". These coffees, which include Jamaica and Kona, have a soft cup, not acidic, balanced, and mild. They are approachable coffees, and all happen to be quite expensive. (Be aware of the fact that higher priced coffees don't necessarily have a "better" cup, but rather that price is determined by the cost of production, and limited availability. Remember that this is a coffee grown in the U.S. so production costs are higher.) Here is some more background:

Puerto Rico has a well developed coffee tradition. The history of coffee is closely tied to the history of this Caribbean island. First brought in 1736, the Spanish immigrants who settled on the island relegated coffee to a secondary role for the most part of the 18th century. At the time, the fertile valleys were their main concern and sugar and the crops were the order of the day. During the early part of the 19th century, events in Europe forced a migration of residents from the French Mediterranean island of Corsica. They arrived to Puerto Rico and were quickly told that if they wanted to farm, they would have to go to the highlands for all the valleys were taken by the Spanish immigrants. They settled in the Southwestern Mountains of the island, mostly around a town called Yauco. Hard work and determination was rewarded when they brought forth the idea of growing coffee in these high mountains. By the 1860s they dominated the coffee industry on the island and then made two important decisions that would affect the course of their history. Puertorrican coffee, particularly from the Yauco region, received a premium price all over Europe and by the 1890s represented a standard of excellence in production that many other countries sought to imitate. The island's production was the sixth largest in the world, and the fruit of those high lands that the Corsicans brought to life, was the pick of the crop. Yauco Selecto's owners trace their origin to this period. Two devastating hurricanes hit Puerto Rico during 1898. The hurricanes destroyed the coffee industry. Farmers needed to wait two years to begin seeing the crop return to its normal level. During this time, it was evident that the United States was interested in Puerto Rico (along with Cuba and the Philippines) for its sugar production. Tariffs gave coffee in Puerto Rico a severe blow as European nations no longer allowed our coffee to come in as a colonial product. The United States had a long standing agreement to buy the bulk of its coffee from Brazil. Market opportunities for our coffee were quickly drying up and all production efforts were directed toward sugar. Due to the close ties to the United States, growing coffee in Puerto Rico is a high cost operation. Just like Hawaii Kona, Puerto Rico's labor cost reflect U.S. Government standards. Environmental policies in effect in Puerto Rico also increase production costs. Yauco Selecto is proud to offer the top living conditions available in the coffee industry." -Excerted from the Yauco Selecto literature (blah, blah, blah).


Our Puerto Rican Coffee Offerings: Please refer to our Reference Page for definitions of terms and cupping numbers used below.
Puerto Rico Yauco Selecto AA
Country: US Grade: AA Region: Puerto Rico, Mark: Yauco Selecto AA
Processing: Wet-processed Crop: March 2006 Arrival Appearance: .2 d/300gr, 18+ screen Varietal: Bourbon, Typica
Dry Fragrance (1-5) 3.5 Notes: Yauco Selecto is the premium coffee from the small growing regions on the island. Production is limited and the last count I could find was 3500 bags per year. In the scheme of things its not much, and the fact these are Kona-style 100 lb bags makes the crop that much smaller. Many other price factors bear on this coffee too: since it is produced in the US the price refelects what US consumers should probably be paying for all coffee, if origins enjoyed the protections that we grant our own. There is a long tradition of coffee from Puerto Rico that was destroyed by a combination of hurricane damage and market pressures. In Europe, Puerto Rican coffees were considered the pinnacle of quality, because they have unparalleled body for an island coffee, and a soft low-acid flavor profile. The coffee is air-frieghted in small quantities to the US, so it is basically always fresh from the Yauco Selecto mill. For me, Yauco is not a year-round coffee, but rather has a seasonal peak that varies but is generally in the early part for the new year, through Spring. Too early in the crop cycle or too late and the delicate balance is upset by greenish cup flavors or by baggy old flavors. Then, there are whole years where we simply pass, when I feel that the weather has had a bad influence on the coffee. A mild cup can be easily ruined! I was happy to find this cup from new crop sample to have the character I remember: first and foremost a creamy, buttery body with nutty tones. The dry fragrance has a very attractive caramel smell with almond hint. It fades into bittersweetness in the wet aroma, but resurfaces in the cup flavors. Yet I would not characterize this as a super sweet coffee in the scheme of things; it is softly bittersweet, and with previously mentioned buttery-creamy body. I find that the Cona vacuum brew method is ideal for this coffee, bringing out the body and some subtle aromatic herbal character that I missed in the paper-drip brew; an excellent rosemary herby note. Yauco Selecto is pricey, but has the Jamaican "island cup profile", and in that repect it's half the price. I like it at a fairly light roast for drip coffee, but at Full City+ this coffee makes a really nice straight roast espresso, with great balance and body. I highly recommend this coffee for single-Estate straight roast espresso.
Wet Aroma (1-5) 3.2
Brightness - Acidity (1-10) 8
Flavor - Depth (1-10) 8.4
Body - Mouthfeel (1-5) 3.6
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10) 8
Cupper's Correction (1-5) 0 Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild intensity / Soft, balance Island coffee profile  
add 50 50 Roast: City+ is ideal for the cup I describe. This coffee can take darker roasts and develops a good tangy bittersweet roast flavor. It also makes interesting single estate espresso.
Score (Max. 100) 84.7 Compare to: Island coffee : Has the mellowness of other island coffees, with more body and excellent soft, bittersweet flavors.

Yauco is all gone for the season - we will see what comes in when the new crops are available - should be in late 2006/early 2007 - Maria

Central America: Costa Rica | Guatemala | Honduras | Mexico | Nicaragua | Panama | El Salvador
South America: Bolivia | Brazil | Colombia | Ecuador | Peru
Africa/Arabia: Burundi | Congo | Ethiopia | Kenya | Rwanda | Tanzania | Uganda | Zambia | Zimbabwe | Yemen
Indonesia/Asia: Bali | Flores | India | Java | Papua New Guinea | Sumatra | Sulawesi | Timor
Islands/Blends/Others: Australia | Hawaii | Puerto Rico | Jamaica | Dominican | Chicory | Sweet Maria's Blends
Decafs: Water Process, Natural Decafs, MC Decafs, C0-2 Decafs
Robustas: India Archives: A - COL | COS - F | G - K | L - P | R - S | T - Z | 2005-2006 | 2004 -2003 | 2001-2002 | Pre-2000
Tom's Sample Cupping Log | Moisture Content Readings

Click here to return to our Green Coffee Offering Page. Click here to go to our Shopping Cart System
This page is authored by Thompson Owen and Sweet Maria's Coffee, Inc. and is not to be copied or reproduced without permission
Search our Site