Santo Domingo Coffee

I grind my own beans, generally I use 4 scoops/large mug of coffee, (10 oz) and I drink it strong. Ask for "Cafe en grano" next time!

Ron1 said:

Hi everyone,

Recently I returned from the DR (Samana) with two suitcases full of Santo Domingo coffee and am having trouble getting it brewed properly. Can anyone reccomend the correct water to ground coffee mixture? I really enjoyed the pre-portioned packages the hotel had...so if anyone has access to one of those and can tell me what the proportions are for those that would help alot.

One thing I leanred for next time is to buy just the whole beans (did get a couple pounds)...but I couldn't think of how to ask for it in Spanish at the supermarket. I will know for next time.

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Did you try taking the coffee out of your suitcase first

outta control...

Man...I'm going to have to go back and read the rules so I can figure out how many posts one has to have before others can no longer arbitrarily insult them without provocation.... with impunity.

Dominican coffee is strong relative to what most of us are used to and I thought the question was a legitimate one. Not worthy of an attack.

greydread said:

Man...I'm going to have to go back and read the rules so I can figure out how many posts one has to have before others can no longer arbitrarily insult them without provocation.... with impunity.

Dominican coffee is strong relative to what most of us are used to and I thought the question was a legitimate one. Not worthy of an attack.

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It was a joke man, no insult intended

greydread said:

Man...I'm going to have to go back and read the rules so I can figure out how many posts one has to have before others can no longer arbitrarily insult them without provocation.... with impunity.

Dominican coffee is strong relative to what most of us are used to and I thought the question was a legitimate one. Not worthy of an attack.

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Waytogo was attempting to make funny, I do not see any insult...you really need to lighten up.

Ho Ho Ho

Ron1...i too became addicted to Cafe Santo Domingo. I began using a heaping tablespoon per cup (my coffe maker has measuremnt lines on it)...I soon after found that 5 tablespoons for 6 cups suited my taste. I also use bottled water when I brew, not tap water.

Are you in the States? Want to sell a bag to a "jonesin' java junkie"? haha

Cafe de Campo: Place 2 inch piece of cinnamon stick in bottom of greca, fill half way with water. Add 2 heaping scoops ground coffee to the bin. On top of that grate a pinch or two of nutmeg. Brew. Taste. Love.

Mmmmm....

Certainly I'm biased, but as a hardcore "coffeer" there are MUCH better brands of coffee than Santo Domingo.

I know for a stone cold fact that around 90% of the BEST coffee beans grown and processed in the DR...the Top Grade superior beans that are among the best on the planet...are for export. Why? They fetch a higher price than the typical Dominican consumer is willing to pay. I know wholesalers who sell the best beans offshore (or for small batch local production) and sell the runts and inferior beans for domestic consumption

There are a couple of brands of coffee available in the DR that absolutely blow the brand with the 95% share away in terms of quality.

Unless your preference is for high-acidic, high-caffeine coffee.

cobraboy said:

Certainly I'm biased, but as a hardcore "coffeer" there are MUCH better brands of coffee than Santo Domingo.

I know for a stone cold fact that around 90% of the BEST coffee beans grown and processed in the DR...the Top Grade superior beans that are among the best on the planet...are for export. Why? They fetch a higher price than the typical Dominican consumer is willing to pay. I know wholesalers who sell the best beans offshore (or for small batch local production) and sell the runts and inferior beans for domestic consumption

There are a couple of brands of coffee available in the DR that absolutely blow the brand with the 95% share away in terms of quality.

Unless your preference is for high-acidic, high-caffeine coffee.

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I know that there is great coffee here.. and much better than Santo Domingo.. near where I live, Villar Hermanos has its brand.. called cafe pilon, I think which is FULL of caffeine and JITTERS...

but you keep talking about your fabulous coffee up there in Jarabaco... do you know of any brands to look for in the Capital? or where?

I am still used to paying $8 a pound for good coffee...... as in the US...

Cafe Melo - Barahona, Monte Alte - Jarabacoa, Pilon, Mama Inez, Cafe Santo Domingo, I've had a couple of others but the names escape me. The first two are organic and full bodied strong coffees, both very good. I've had plenty of coffee from small mountain farms that are roasted by the family and they can be really really good( My wife's cousin makes great coffee from the beans in his back yard in Jarabacoa)

Uhhhh CAFE PILON....yellow bag? red writing? is it Cuban expresso? I do know that PILON I see stateside is expresso ground, made "Cuban style" and sold as shots....if you're drinking it brewed thru a typical coffee maker and in typical sized cups, you'll need an upper GI series run sooner than you think! Another brand famous is Bustelo....

Regardless of which beans they use to make Cafe SD...it beats Folgers and Maxwell House.

Funny thing is I've been sending Starbucks coffees to SD lately....we always want what we can't get!

p.s.~if you want to drop the acidity in any coffee, toss in a pinch of salt with the grounds before brewing.

Excellent DR coffees:
Paliza - sold in Mercado Modelo.
The unbranded coffee that is ground and sold at La Cafetera del Conde
Monte Alto is often found in large supermarkets like Nacional - it has organic and gourmet varieties - this is the one cobraboy recommends.
Melo from Barahona.
Honourable mention for Cafe Santo Domingo which holds its own very well against all the premium brands IMHO.

Chirimoya said:

Excellent DR coffees:
Paliza - sold in Mercado Modelo.
The unbranded coffee that is ground and sold at La Cafetera del Conde
Monte Alto is often found in large supermarkets like Nacional - it has organic and gourmet varieties - this is the one cobraboy recommends.
Melo from Barahona.
Honourable mention for Cafe Santo Domingo which holds its own very well against all the premium brands IMHO.

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I am a coffee drinker also,and have for the last few years had single serve coffee machines such as senseo or tassimo,and order all my coffee from the web,from all places on the planet...and because you can use your own coffee in a special pod,I have tried most of the coffees here and particularly like the blend from cafe conde and another shop on Melle,before La Sirena...
Starbucks has single serve coffee,some are good,and some from canada are also great,Timothys...but the selection is awsummm,and more come on line every month.
love my coffee
bob

jaguarbob said:

I am a coffee drinker also,and have for the last few years had single serve coffee machines such as senseo or tassimo,and order all my coffee from the web,from all places on the planet...and because you can use your own coffee in a special pod,I have tried most of the coffees here and particularly like the blend from cafe conde and another shop on Melle,before La Sirena...
Starbucks has single serve coffee,some are good,and some from canada are also great,Timothys...but the selection is awsummm,and more come on line every month.
love my coffee
bob

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I like Dominican Coffee but I prefer Ethiopian and Kenya AA over Dominican. I has some Kona from Hawaii last week that was heavenly.

Having worked with coffee growers in the DR, there's nothing like sitting in the "detached kitchen" on a moutainside while the do?a roasts coffee with a little sugar over a smoky fire. Then grinds it fine and pours water through the sock. Add plenty o sugar and enjoy. Maybe it was amplified by the environment but that sure was good coffee. There's a small Dominican colmado here in the KC area that stocks Cafe Santo Domingo ($6) so we are able to fire up the greca on weekends. I haven't compared the brands listed in some of the replies on this thread but I'm sure they are good. We have a company here in KC called the Roasterie, and Danny O'Neill the owner brings coffees from all over the world. One little fact that I've learned from his tours may reflect on whether Cafe Santo Domingo in "good" coffee or whether the "good" coffee is all exported. He points out that the world's supply of coffee can be viewed as a pyramid with the poorer quality, the most plentiful, at the bottom, and the primo stuff way up there at the peak. Now, if you are Folgers, you need millions of pounds of coffee that will consistently taste the same, bag after bag. You ain't gonna find enough at the top of the pyramid. You buy from the base. Danny, like other small producers, gets to buy from the top because he doesn't have to supply as much. Whether Cafe Santo Domingo has gotten so big that they have to go further down the pyramid I don't know. Just a little economics 101 about supply and demand.