Coffee from Venezuela

Venezuela is proudly the home of some very good coffee. They also have their own class of coffees that is actually their finest. If you are curious about what makes Venezuela a great source of coffee and how it came to be so, make sure to follow through with our article. You might even want to try it out for yourself afterward!

The past

The story began in 1732 when a Spanish missionary first brought coffee beans to Venezuela. In the context of the high demand for coffee and the low cost of labor and land, this industry started to flourish. It only kept growing and growing until the 1900s. 

In the early 20th century, Venezuela was guilty of poor farming practices, which later on led to soil erosion and, therefore, a gradual decline in the coffee industry. Not only was this already enough, but at the same time, the country’s reliance on oil grew more and more. As a result, the interest in their agricultural trade also suffered and shortage. 

The situation did not change too much ever since, and the crisis within the government that started between 2016 and 2017 did not help too much either. This means that without enough investment and effort, it is very difficult to maintain a high-cupping and high-yield production. 

The coffee

Even so, it does not mean that you can not find quality coffee in Venezuela. For example, take Cucuta, Trujillo, Tachira, and Merida, which are classic Venezuelan and are characterized by a sweet and slightly rich flavor and a balanced acidity. All of them are included in the Maracaibos class, after the port they are shipped through, which points to the finest coffees of Venezuela. Another class is called Caracas. Its quality range goes from fair to excellent. The best grade a Venezuelan coffee can get is ”Lavado Fino”, which in translation means ”Fine Washed”.

Tachira

The Tachira kind, with its medium body, sweet flavor, rich acidity, and occasional fruitiness is rather similar to Colombian coffees. 

Merida

On the other hand, Merida coffees have a fair to the good body, lighter taste, delicate flavors, hints of richness, and are just as sweet. You might say that they are better to have on a summer day, considering their lightness.

The local coffee culture

By now, it is clear that Venezuela has a rich coffee history, which can only determine a rich culture. For the local people, the most prominent brewing method has always been Cafe Guayoyo.

Similar to the Costa Rican method Chorreador, it is a coffee sock brewing method. At first, it might not sound like an awesome idea, but it has been proven to be quite effective, and also popular in many regions. It is quite close to the Pour Over method too, but instead of ceramics, you will need the stand and a fabric filter. From here on, you can figure it out yourself. The grounds to coffee ratio is also rather standard, as you need less than 80 grams per liter of water.

Did you know…

• Venezuela went from being one of the biggest coffee exporters in the world to almost being completely absent. This happened because of a number of government mandates. The issue is so bad that ever since 2016, there have been no documented coffee exports.
• Considering this fact, it is almost impossible to get your hands on Venezuelan coffee. If you ever think you are getting lucky by seeing ”Venezuelan coffee” on the shelf, just know that it is highly possible that it is just inspired by Venezuelan coffee processing methods. In order to mimic the flavor and taste profile, they might use the same washing, roasting, or growing technique.

We can only hope that one day Venezuela will be able to get back on its feet again so we can enjoy its delightful coffee, all over the world. Some say that even as a local, it is quite hard to get your hands on coffee, so just think how hard it can be for it to even get across the border to other countries. While it is quite a hard thought to live with, we still have specialized sites like Cafendo that can offer a lot of different options when it comes to coffee, especially their provenance.