MexConnect.com Forums: Areas: Southern Mexico: Scoring good coffee in Oaxaca city: Page 3

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NinaNina

Apr 21, 2009, 10:53 AM

Post #51 of 62 (2602 views)

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Re: [GringaGirl] Scoring good coffee in Oaxaca city

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Hey, GringaGirl!

Imagine my surprise to see this thread revived. I thought it might be worth it to say that we've been living in Oaxaca City for nearly two years now, and we have loved the coffee. It has come a long way since the Nescafe days, though I've certainly been served Nescafe as well.

I live near the Reforma district, and there is an organic coffee spot up the block from me that roasts and grinds on-site. I've also tried Ron's recommendations at Pochote.

Your concerns about rent are valid, because there are many overpriced places marketed online. I think once you hit town you will be able to find a place much cheaper to rent than 1,000 per month! We paid less than that for a three bedroom house with a separate guest house.

Good luck.

--Serena
Have You Seen the Dog Lately?

Hound Dog

Apr 21, 2009, 4:56 PM

Post #52 of 62 (2590 views)

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Re: [NinaNina] Scoring good coffee in Oaxaca city

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Well, now, listen NinaNina:

I have no doubt we would be famously friendly if we met but I must say that if you guys are going to reopen an ancient thread regarding coffee then I may have to join in.

Just for the record, we live at Lake Chapala and in San Cristóbal de Las Casas and we drink Chiapas and Oaxaca and Veracruz coffee all the time. I contend that:

The best Oaxaca, Chiapas or Veracruz coffee I find is sold in downtown Ajijic at a fabulous place known as Cafe Grano Cafe which imports these coffees from those states and does a fabulous job of roasting and preparing those wonderful beans beyond anything I have experienced locally in those places and I spend a lot of time down there.

Finding decent coffee in Chiapas or Oaxaca state is almost impossible except in certain urban regions around principal plazas in places such as Oaxaca City or San Cristóbal de Las Casas and the standard avauilable in those states in rural regions and regional urban centers is Nescafe made with unpurified water and accompanied by erzatz "Cremola". And why is that?

Because coffee drinking is not typical of the region and most of the great coffee is grown for export.

There is no major city in which I have ever spent a significant amount of time where it is harder to find an even remotely decent cup of coffee than Oaxaca City and even then one must usually wait until mid-morning before that coffee is available. The fact is I have never even once had a memorable cup of coffee in the entire state of Oaxaca.

It took me a long time to find really good coffee in San Cristóbal but now I can tell the reader some places:

*The Museo de Cafe on Adelina Flores in the historic centro. Great coffee but mediocre food.
*La Selva Cafe (part of a Mexico City chain) not far from the Plaza Principal. Great coffee and quite good food. The best dark roast coffee here is call Cafe Cubano not French Roast. Outstanding.
*Italian Coffee Company just off the Plaza Principal. Part of the Puebla based chain of roadside cafes. Nice place to sit outside and watch the passing crowd on Calle Real de Guadalupe which is a popular pedestrian mall filled with cafes and nightclubs and bookstores.

I know a few more but that´s enough. I´m exhausted.

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on Apr 21, 2009, 5:00 PM)

Jim in Cancun / Moderator

Apr 22, 2009, 6:06 AM

Post #53 of 62 (2568 views)

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Re: [GringaGirl] Scoring good coffee in Oaxaca city

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I am sure you will find good meals in Oaxaca for about $3 usd (comida corrida about $50 pesos is probably expensive). And you will find things cheaper than Indiana. I speak as an ex-Hoosier who has been in Cancun for 22 years.

I would suggest you start a new post about the topic so we can get some good responses without dredging up an old post.

GringaGirl

Apr 22, 2009, 12:54 PM

Post #54 of 62 (2547 views)

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Re: [Jim in Cancun] Scoring good coffee in Oaxaca city

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Obviously where to get a good cup of coffee is a universal topic... generating much discussion...and deservedly so! If only I can find coffee, a reasonably priced apartment, and some good Mexican food while I'm in Oaxaca and I'll be very happy!

Brigitte Ordoquy

Apr 23, 2009, 10:29 AM

Post #55 of 62 (2516 views)

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Re: [NinaNina] Scoring good coffee in Oaxaca city

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NinaNina wrote:

Hey, GringaGirl!

Imagine my surprise to see this thread revived. I thought it might be worth it to say that we've been living in Oaxaca City for nearly two years now, and we have loved the coffee. It has come a long way since the Nescafe days, though I've certainly been served Nescafe as well.

I live near the Reforma district, and there is an organic coffee spot up the block from me that roasts and grinds on-site. I've also tried Ron's recommendations at Pochote.

Your concerns about rent are valid, because there are many overpriced places marketed online. I think once you hit town you will be able to find a place much cheaper to rent than 1,000 per month! We paid less than that for a three bedroom house with a separate guest house.

Good luck.

I know I already responded to this post but upon re-reading it, I thought perhaps Serena could enlighten me on a couple of things since she has been living in Oaxaca City for a couple of years.

My post about the coffee in Oaxaca State is based on my experience during our first trip to that state perhaps five years ago when we were staying at a hotel near the Zocalo but attending festivities in nearby Teotitlan del Valle and we had to rise at about 6:00AM to drive from the city to Teotitlan for some church services connected to the event. I had gotten up early to look for some of the good coffee drinks available in the zocalo and everything was closed. Well, this was our first road trip from Lake Chapala to the Oaxaca/Chiapas/Yucatan area and I was still not familiar with the "Nescafe" phenomenon so I returned to the hotel and informed my wife that it was too early to get coffee downtown but we could pick up some on the drive to Teotitlan. That was the morning back then that I discovered that early morning coffee (in those days) or even mid-day coffee on the road in Southern Mexico was just about impossible to find with the exception of a jar of Nescafe so neglected that the instant coffee had solidified, some lukewarm and certainly suspect water on the store stove and that infamous and ubiquitous substitute dried cream product. On that commute to Teotitlan that morning we couldn´t even find that sorry substitute for coffee so I suffered through the church service and subsequent street parades and Plume Dance exhibitions feeling out of sorts until they served the first mezcal and room temperature beer of the day and then I was miraculously in a fine mood for the rest of the day.

I recognize that much has changed in many parts of Mexico since those days and the same is true in Jalisco and Chiapas where good coffee was an oddity back then and can be found in many urban areas with ease now - at least in central cities.

We have recently considered selling our Ajijic house and moving to to Oaxaca City while keeping our Chiapas home so we are full-time in Southern Mexico and Serena and others have given me pause to think about this proposed move. We think that the colonial center of Oaxaca City is stunningly beautiful but much of the rest of the city seems to be a bit noisy and rundown with somewhat anarchic traffic fueled by drivers trying to negotiate poorly designed streets and thoroughfares and we might enjoy living there part time while living in neighboring Chiapas the rest of the time but here is my question. Just where are the nice, leafy, quiet neighborhoods of Oaxaca City within walking distance of the zocalo or at the least within a relatively easy bus ride in a city where bus drivers are not only insane but extremely powerful? I have spent a bi of time looking for this seemingly imposible place but maybe some of you living there can enlighten me.

Now, the real reason for this post. Since I have disparaged Nescafe, I must tell you all that one of the best coffee drinks I have ever tasted was made with Nescafe and it was served in the dining room of an absolutely wonderful hacienda/hotel on the road from La Trinitaria to the Chinkultic ruins and the Lagunas de Montebello in Chiapas near the border with Guatemala. I believe the name of this fabulous and relatively inexpensive hotel is the Hacienda Santa Maria but don´t worry about that. This is a fairly deserted area and the road to the hacienda is to your right as you head for the lakes from La Trinitaria. A great place to stay surrounded by a coffee orchard, a musem of Spanish art and some expansive open fields with a fine open air restaurant and bar. I believe it is adjacent to the town of El Progreso which is an evangelical Christian town where local folks are quite frendly and will want to introduce you to their pastor but that is not to say they are pushy.

Anyway, this hacienda´s restaurant features a coffee drink which is absolutely delicious and made from Nescafe. They mix the Nescafe with a clotted cream and sugar and then float this concoction on top of a tall glass of steamed milk which the guest then blends with a spoon. Since they have a full bar , one can make this drink even better by adding some brandy or rum or whatever. The place serves three meals a day and the last time I was there about a year ago, the food was very good indeed.

(This post was edited by Brigitte Ordoquy on Apr 23, 2009, 10:48 AM)

NinaNina

Apr 23, 2009, 10:43 AM

Post #56 of 62 (2512 views)

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Re: [Brigitte Ordoquy] Scoring good coffee in Oaxaca city

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Well, Brigitte, it sounds like you scored some gourmet Nescafe, though I'd venture to say that the experience could largely be attributed to the clotted cream and sugar.

Early morning coffee is, indeed, harder to find in Oaxaca. I believe my favorite cafe, Cafe Brujula, on Garcia Vigil a bit south of the Pochote market, opens at an early hour. And Nuevo Mundo, which Ron mentioned earlier, is open in the morning. To be sure, though, the coffee-drinking around here seems to happen more in the PM, especially at 10pm or midnight, which would create instant insomnia for me. Like Geri, I find the Cafe de la Pluma served at Pochote Market is excellent, and my guests always want to go back there for more. There's a new cafe on Pino Suarez, Cafe Medusa, that looks and smells promising, too.

And for GringaGirl--check Oaxaca Craigslist! Within the past few days, I've seen apartments for rent posted for $300-$500 per month, fully furnished, with one including the changing of linens.

--Serena
"Have You Seen the Dog Lately?" blog
http://haveyouseen.blogspot.com/

Hound Dog

Apr 23, 2009, 10:56 AM

Post #57 of 62 (2507 views)

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Re: [NinaNina] Scoring good coffee in Oaxaca city

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Sory, NinaNina:

I inadvertently posted under my wife´s name. That was I posting and I edited my post after you read it asking for the names of some leafy, quiet neighborhoods within walking istance of the Zocalo. I got your recommendations but the "leafy,quiet" and "walking distance to the Zocalo" things are important to us. Maybe that´s not possible.

Thanks for your help.

Hound Dog (Bob)

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on Apr 23, 2009, 10:58 AM)

NinaNina

Apr 23, 2009, 11:52 AM

Post #58 of 62 (2498 views)

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Re: [Hound Dog] Scoring good coffee in Oaxaca city

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Oops, Hound Dog, I totally missed your request for leafy, quiet neighborhoods. Yup, that is hard to find in Centro proper, but I think it can be done...

I love Llano Park, of course, and that is abundantly leafy. I used to live by Conzatti Park, a gorgeous tree-lined square that you would never know is just a 5-minute walk to Santo Domingo. If you could find something there, it would be golden. I lived on Jacobo Dalevuelta, a street that stretched between Llano and and Conzatti. The advantages to this location are too numerous to go into, but here is a sampling:

You have a pleasant, relatively traffic-free walk downtown via the Alcala (though I prefer the busier but more cafe-populated street of Garcia Vigil).
You do not need a car.
You can hear calenda processionals as they approach the center and have time to get out and see them, but are far enough away from the action in case the party goes on all night.
Great food every direction you go.
You are a 10-minute walk to the Pochote organic market and free foreign film theater.
There is a kickass Friday tianguis in Llano for all your weekly shopping needs.
The English library is nearby if you miss or need English reading materials.
And, yes, you too can attend the yoga, meditation and sufi whirling at Casa de Angel yoga center!

I'm sure Geri would have much more to say on this topic because I believe she's near Llano.

Now, across Calzada de Republica, the neighborhood of Jalatlaco continues. This is an extremely quiet neighborhood, with artists' studios and a health food store along the cobblestone streets and I've seen places for rent and sale nearby. You've probably been in this area, all around the Casa Arnel property. Not so many trees, but the lack of traffic and nearby Llano Park makes for some fresher air.

My other dream neighborhood is Xochilmilco, but it's a bit uphill from the zocalo, so not quite as convenient. It goes by the gorgeous Biblioteca Infantil. It follows the extension of the aqueducts that you see at El Pochote. There are trees and lots of bugambilla and jacaranda, and a modest weekly market tucked in there.

Further north, on the other side of Ninos Heroes de Chapultepec, you have the Reforma district. I find Calle Jasmines very leafy and beautiful, as I do Calle Amapolis. They do experience their comida rush hour crunches, however, so maybe a side street or a privada would be mellower. Here, however, it would be a 35-minute walk to the zocalo.

A neighborhood I haven't explored thoroughly is the area around La Soledad. There are ample trees, but I think also ample church bells at all hours.

Come to think of it, I also saw a fairly unattractive but fabulously located house near the centro. It was above our budget, but it was this mellow little corner of town kind of hidden away. I don't think you'd like the house per se, but the location was kind of cool. I think it faced a small green space with some trees, but my memory fails me. It was located on the south side of Ninos Heroes de Chapultepec, right across from the parking lot of the Hotel Fortin Plaza. Let me know if you want more details on that one, and I'll try to dig up more information.

Hound Dog

Apr 23, 2009, 12:23 PM

Post #59 of 62 (2493 views)

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Re: [NinaNina] Scoring good coffee in Oaxaca city

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Great ideas, NinaNina. I am sure others as well as we will benefit from this information. We are familiar with Conzatti Park and really like that area plus we will explore some of the other areas you mentioned when we return south. Living in both Oaxaca City and San Cristóbal de Las Casas is a dream of mine and narrows our focus to Oaxaca State, Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula with their countless attractions.

Thanks again.

Bob

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on Apr 23, 2009, 12:26 PM)

colibri1

Jul 30, 2009, 9:28 AM

Post #60 of 62 (2390 views)

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Re: [Gringal] Scoring good coffee in Oaxaca city

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While I've always been glad to get a Mexican food fix in South Tucson, as opposed to in my town of Puerto Peñasco, Sonora.......TACO BELL???!!!????

bournemouth

Jul 30, 2009, 1:29 PM

Post #61 of 62 (2375 views)

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Re: [colibri1] Scoring good coffee in Oaxaca city

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Colibri - you must be catching up on really old threads - you just replied to one started in 2007 - it seems a little, tiny bit pointless, no??

colibri1

Jul 31, 2009, 9:50 AM

Post #62 of 62 (2348 views)

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Re: [bournemouth] Scoring good coffee in Oaxaca city

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Huh?!?.....all the posts on this page have 2009 dates on them.

Just checked the whole list...looks like someone else dredged it up and it's enjoying quite the second re-incarnation.
M

(This post was edited by colibri1 on Jul 31, 2009, 9:52 AM)

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