CHRISTIAN

Citrus Project

Out of the Box

Protective Face Mask

Aromatic Avatar

Utopian Body

Twilight in the Forest

Moss
Water
Fresh
Night
Smell right before rain
green
Purple
Wet wood
sandalwood
musk

.2ml of

Stone

Dark woods

Green accord

Heavy floral

Magic in Music

Poetry of Longing

Ritual Alter

Coffee all across Latin America is a gift from the earth with rich history and flavors drastically changing across countries of origin. Specifically, Cuban coffee has a significant impact on me not only as I grew up but daily as well. I must have been around 5 years old when I had my first taste of coffee. It was a Sunday morning and Sunday mornings in my house were the day the family would come together and we would have a typical Cuban breakfast: bread, butter, pastelitos, accompanied by cafe con leche. Fast forward 10 years, now 15, working my first job in a hispanic grocery store, I'm trying a colada–essentially Cuban espresso with a lot of sugar. My colleagues and I drink the coffee collectively, chat about life and the day, and we would do this probably three times a day, everyday. It wasn't a break, we were on the clock, it was just kind of part of our day. I quickly grew to learn that there is a rich and beautiful cultural history behind cuban coffee and how it is part of daily lives differently than how coffee is part of the American culture. In the United States people get venti coffees from Starbucks to go, trying to be in and out as quickly as possible to make it on time to wherever they're going. Part of the experience of Cuban coffee is the social aspect that comes along with a cup of coffee, whether it's the host that served it for you, the colleagues you're sharing it with, or the bakery person that made it for you. Cuban coffee is not served like American coffee. With cuban coffee you get one cup with a bunch of smaller cups to pour small servings for the people you're sharing it with unlike an extra large Americano.

There is an interesting distinct addition to the architecture of a Cuban restaurant in most places around the world. They have ventanitas for the most part, or “little windows”. These ventanitas are almost like a stand up outdoor bar where people order their coffee and share it on the stoop of the business or right there at the window. In Miami it is not uncommon to see these ventanitas packed with Cubans and fans of Cuban coffee. Coffee and ventanita culture is something that I interpret and view as an altar, especially when thinking about my roots and the people I have shared a coffee with.