A cup of Joe can have rum if requested
IAN STALKER
Hold the milk, skip the sugar but add the rum….
Those visiting Finca La Maria in Cuba’s Ciego de Avila province are invited to try dew of the rooster, a popular area concoction that features rum-laced coffee, with both coffee and rum being hugely popular in the Caribbean country.
The finca — a working farm that hosts tourists — has a counter that serves coffee, including the intriguingly named dew of the rooster, which is also served in bars in the nearby town of Moron.
“If you’re able to drink rum in the morning, you can,” Finca La Maria guide Milaxy Perez Reyes says of her attraction.
And that beverage is only one of many insights into Cuban agricultural life that tourists will gain during their visit, says the trilingual Perez Reyes.
The14-hectare farm began generations ago, with the owner naming it after his daughter Maria. Those touring it today will be able to see a 1956 Chevrolet, a 1952 Willy’s Jeep and other vehicles. Also awaiting visitors are tractors that they can operate under the watchful eye of a Finca La Maria employee if they wish. Horseback riding is also available.
Those touring the finca will also see farm buildings designed to withstand hurricanes, crops, and bees used to produce honey, with Perez Reyes reporting that there are no lazy bees as the queen bee kills them, leaving only productive ones. Visitors can also feed lambs and ducks. Also to be spotted is a towering royal palm, Cuba’s national tree. “They like Cuban nature,” Perez Reyes says of the tourist reaction to farm greenery.
A finca staffer will also use a traditional press to extract juice from sugar cane, with visitors able to drink that juice. Meanwhile, Havana resident Lisandra Andres Cots, who has visited the finca and tried its coffee, gave it the thumbs-up, declaring it to be “super-rico.”
Perez Reyes in turn says having a cup of Joe at the finca helps visitors immerse themselves in Cuban lifestyles. “It’s very, very Cuban to drink coffee,” she states.
