Museo Del Café

Returning to the island and not going to Ciales to buy some coffee would have being heresy. So the choice became obvious: El Museo del Café.
You can’t possibly miss it because Ciales (downtown, if there is such a term) is composed of two main streets, one way each. You enter the town using the one that leads to the Museum of Coffee and then the other one leads you away.
I had heard much about the place, but had never visited. I wish the morning had not being overcastted so that I could sit outside and enjoy the coffee looking at the flow of locals walking up and down the street. They were all as friendly as usual. Always colorful in language and mannerisms.
The Museum is at the main floor of a two story house. You can see it in less than twenty minutes, no drinking allowed inside. The store welcomes you into a gallery where you find wooden signs which belonged to the particular farms that cultivated the coffee during the 1920’s. There are record books showing the orders of exportation, the cost per pound, the farm which the buyer had chosen and, actually, the Vatican seemed to rather enjoy their Puerto Rican coffee.
There is a display of the different machines used to dry, toast, and grind the beans. A collection of Santos de Palo (carved wooden saints which are traditional) decorates many of the corners of the small building. There are plenty of beans in small bowls to be tasted and enjoyed. You can also sample a bit of expresso of the brand before you buy it. I enjoy Caracolillo and Café Don Pello. Of course, the clothes inside my suitcase needed some serious tender love and care after spending so many hours nesting my valuable cargo. For a while my friends kept wondering if I had finally, after ten years, had decided to change my perfume. Their tactful way of hinting I smelled like a caffeine addict. Then again, I did not bring them any. They should just had enjoyed the bit they got.

Great coffee! Amazing history and artifacts! A MUST see charm in Ciales. Great ambience, amazing view and beautiful patio.