In the perennial debate about the best Cuban coffee, the "big three" are always mentioned: Cafe Bustelo, Cafe La Llave, and Cafe Pilon...with popularity apparently in that order. Interestingly, the leader Bustelo is the only one with roots outside of Cuba, born in the Bronx of New York. Currently, both Bustelo and Pilon are owned by corporate America...J.M. Smucker Company. La Llave is originally and still a brand of family owned Gaviña & Sons.
For me, all three are good with similar profiles, and I usually buy the one with the lowest current price. They all use 100% Arabica beans and roast to a similar dark level. The brick form (which I prefer) are vacuum packed SOLID...you would injure your toe if you dropped one on it...with a long shelf life (for bagged coffee) of over 1 year. All that being said, if prices are equal, I'll always buy La Llave.
Why La Llave? Of the three, for MY palate, La Llave tastes the most chocolatey (is that a word?). And by the same palate, Pilon is the mildest, Bustelo the strongest, and La Llave a mix between the two, with a smoother finish (i.e., less bitter) than Bustelo. Again, that's my taste and may not be yours.
At the end of the day, it's ALL about personal taste with YOUR preferred brewing style. For my taste and preferred moka pot and aeropress brewing, it's Cafe La Llave. For you, it may be the same or something else. Each one is subtly different, but all are good...and because of this, you may be like me and have a clear favorite, but buy the cheapest one.
However, this review is for Cafe La Llave. It's my favorite Cuban, a SOLID 5-stars, and I highly recommend it for your cafeteras and aeropresses. Happy Brewing! ツ
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