As a third generation native of Tampa, Florida, born on 7th and Jefferson, it is natural that I’d be acquainted with great cigars. But Tampa has great coffee too. My favorite? Naviera.

How much do I like this coffee? My wallet is even made from an emptied bag I drank some time ago. Yep, I made a wallet out of a Naviera coffee bag.

That much.

Cafe con leche, coffee with milk, is a Tampa staple of those who lives are connected to Ybor City and historic Tampa, Florida. My family is from here, we even had a hardware store on 7th and Nebraska, American Hardware.

From its founding, Tampa was an amazing collection of people, a microcosm of cultures and industry. World collected, world connected, we had good stuff from all over the world, in a remote location only recently connected by rail. Fat with beef and agriculture, Tampa, and especially Ybor City, grew with producing goods from these bounties.

So I boil water, pour it into a measuring cup with coffee grounds scooped into it, stir and let steep, then strain it through cotton flannel cloth. I then add that to warmed milk, stir and enjoy.

That’s really, really, really good too, with a cigar. That’s about as good as life can get quite frankly, with a bit of reading or in my case, baby talking the kitty cats. 🙂 Good good stuff.

So what’s your favorite coffee? Comment below.

David