Coffee & Friends
Mexican coffee has been since we arrived in Mexico as tourists many years ago. Some good, some not as good and some downright funny. We were vacationing in the Cancun area many years ago; before some of the modern western world had caught up with transporting stuff into what was then considered a somewhat laid back and backward country. Cancun however was on the leading at that time with beautiful resorts, very up to date designs in architecture and of course the gourmet side of Mexico’s cuisine.
We had been at the Club Med in Cancun for a couple of weeks and booked an extra week in Cancun proper to see the sites, the archeological digs and learn about the Mayan and Aztec cultures while enjoying the luxury a five-star hotel had to offer at very reasonable rates. [Remember, this was many, many years ago.] My wife and I had gone to what was one of the best restaurants in town for an elegant dinner, which we capped off with “Coffee Chak Mool”, which of course, is a wonderful coffee drink prepared with much fanfare and acrobatics and not just a dash of liquor.
It goes something like this: The coffee cart is ceremoniously rolled up to the table. It is laid with cups, several bottles of liquor, a steaming pot of fresh coffee and clear coffee mugs. First the mugs are heated over a flame, then the rims rubbed with fresh orange fruit rind and turned rim down on a plate of sugar, coating the complete rim with a dusting of orange flavored sugar. The cups are then heated over the flame carmelizeing the sugar and imparting the fresh orange flavor to the rim of the cups.
Next a large scoop of vanilla ice cream was ceremoniously placed in the cup; next came the steaming hot coffee poured over the ice cream and finally, while standing on a chair the waiter poured a flaming strand of liquor into the mix. It was delicious. At the bottom of the cup however, we found chewy nodules of something I assumed were pieces of the sugar that had fallen into the cup during the making or drinking. It was wonderful.
That weekend, since we were traveling with friends, and we had enjoyed the meal, the extraordinary service and the “Coffee Chak Mool” so much we invited the friends we were traveling with to join us in order that they too could enjoy the experience and some of the wonderful culinary faire Cancun had to offer.
The dinner was a delight, the company great and we once again ended the meal with the great “Coffee Chak Mool”. Only this time I asked about the chewy lumps found in the bottom of each cup…The answer: Oh, that is part of the ice cream, we can’t get vanilla ice cream so we must use tutti-frutti flavor ice cream instead, which has the small bits of chewy candy in it. It was a great experience.
The coffee industry and coffee in general has come a long way since then. In Mazatlan there are two predominant coffee houses — both having beautiful and welcoming atmosphere as well as excellent coffee and coffee drinks. The “Mother Church” [So-to speak] of coffee houses in Mazatlan is “RICO’s coffee. It is possible to purchase great coffees, coffee drinks, pastries and light meals in a great coffee-house atmosphere. Tables inside as well as outside to sit, enjoy the coffee and company of friends or partake of business meetings while being served your favorite coffee drinks. The barrister’s are perfectly trained to the extent some compete in the barrister competitions in Mexico city and do very well against all the other competing barristers from all over Mexico. There are two locations; the first is in the “Golden Zone” [hotel and shopping area] and the second on a junction near the Mazatlan yacht marina. The marina is a little different in that the atmosphere is a bit more relaxed, but the drinks and service are the same and consistent as per the attentive administration of the owners; Marianne and Rogelio Fontes
The second is much different in its origins, yet as wonderful an atmosphere to linger and enjoy a cup of great coffee or a cappuccino. Tom and Heidi Dales provide a place for young people to step out of the fast-lane of life and enjoy the pleasure of beach and surf. The young people are provided a place to live for a nominal fee and must contribute to the living situation by working at “Looney Bean”, a coffee-house almost on the beach in the Bruja area of Mazatlan Mexico. The atmosphere is very Mexican and relaxed.
Coffeehouses are becoming very popular in Mexico. When we first arrived it was hard to find more than a cup or pot of Mexican coffee. [Mexican coffee is laced with cinnamon] Now coffee houses are popping up all over and growing in popularity. Imagine sitting in a Mazatlan coffee house, enjoying your favorite coffee beverage and wondering what is next on the vacation agenda; Will it be a para-shoot ride over the Malicon, a stint on a surf board [there is some great surfing just north of Mazatlan] or will it simply be soaking up some of the warm sun south of the border? Of course you will now ask: Is it safe? The answer is a bit complex, but as long as you are here to vacation, enjoy what Mazatlan has to offer in the way of hospitality, culinary delights and cultural activities Mazatlan is perfectly safe. Yes there is violence in Mexico, but we find it is pretty well specifically directed — and not directed at the tourism industry.
So, come…enjoy the warmth of the Mexican sun and the Mexican people…
