The city of Tampa has a number of things that represent its culture and tell its story. In the Ybor City district of Tampa, these include cigars and coffee. Ybor City was founded in 1886 by Vicente Martinez-Ybor, a Spanish entrepreneur who would turn Tampa into the “Cigar Capital of the World”.
Many of the workers of the cigar industry came from Cuba, then a Spanish colony, bringing with them tradition, Spanish language, and Cuban coffee. Today, Tampa is known for its many Cuban-influenced cigar shops and cafés.
Tabanero Cigars, located in the heart of Ybor’s 7th Avenue, Tabanero Cigars is a cigar manufacturer and a café, all in one. The Tabanero Cigar brand has been in Ybor City for 11 years, welcoming customers and tourists alike.
Upon entering the shop, customers are welcomed by the experienced cigar workers, binding cigars by hand, passing the cigar crafting trade from one generation to the next.
Tobacco leaves are bunched together, creating the filling. They are then wrapped with another tobacco leaf to bind the filling, using either honey or a vegetable-based glue to hold them together. They are also pressed at the front of the shop, wrapped with the best looking tobacco leaves, and then hand-labeled with the Tabanero Cigars logo.
Further into the shop, cigars are stored to age on the left side, and placed on display for sale on the right. Open seats welcome customers who gather around to enjoy cigars and talk.
Yanko Maceda welcomes people walking into his shop. Some of them stop to catch up with him, while others simply respond with a greeting of their own. Well presented and donning a panama hat, Maceda walks to each part of his shop, ensuring that every aspect of his business is flowing smoothly.
The back of the shop hosts the café, serving Taba Brew coffee.
I order a café con leche, a beverage that represents Tampa’s Latin culture and influence. Made with espresso, simmered milk, and just the right amount of sugar, this is my preferred way of drinking coffee. There are some changes to how it is made today. Some shops use an espresso machine instead of a colador (a cloth sieve) and a pot of water, and many cafés steam their milk instead of simmering it in a pot.
While a café con leche is a simple beverage, detail is key in its preparation. The barista starts grinding the coffee beans only after I’ve ordered, and brews them into an espresso. She then pours milk into a steel container, and begins to steam it, bringing the milk to a simmer. Then the barista scoops a bit of sugar into a mug. Once the espresso is brewed and poured into the mug, the barista pours the milk into the coffee and sugar, blending them together with a frother.
Casi perfecto.
This blend gets a 9/10. The only way this gets a ten it were made this good with the traditional equipment. The milk is simmered perfectly. The coffee blend is strong and present, but knows its role and is never overpowering. This café con leche is not too sweet either. The taste is JUST RIGHT.
I enjoy the café con leche with Tabanero’s Robusto Connecticut, a light cigar delivering a smooth taste, making it a perfect pair. The cigar is made with Nicaraguan and Ecuadoran tobacco, with a Connecticut tobacco wrapper. I was also able to speak with Maceda while enjoying my cigar.
Maceda, having no background in cigar making, studied the cigar trade long before opening his business. He took time to study each detail of the process of cigar manufacturing, learning the best ways of tobacco cultivation, curing, blending, and hand crafting.
Today, his cigars are well known among the cigar aficionados of the Tampa Bay area. As if this wasn’t impressive enough, he gave the same attention to the selection of his coffee blend.
Maceda originally made his coffee with Café Bustelo Supreme. Café Bustelo is a staple in many Latin households, known for its excellent quality despite its inexpensiveness. Yet, it was not good enough for Yanko Maceda. He noted that Bustelo roasted the Supreme’s 100% Arabica coffee beans too early. This creates a dusty consistency when ground and a taste that is too bitter to his liking.
Unsatisfied, Maceda struck a partnership with Naviera Coffee Mills, a Tampa coffee roaster, to make the perfect blend. Maceda rejected three of Naviera’s blends before arriving to his desired blend at the fourth time. Maceda believes that Naviera Coffee Mills took his request as a challenge, motivating the century-old coffee company to deliver.
Deliver they did. Both Naviera Coffee Mills and Tabanero Cigars have contributed to Tampa’s high quality coffee culture. Although I will visit other shops to discover the coffee, culture, and history of our city, I will always have time for a Tabanero cigar and a café con leche.
