The Smell of Home - Gaviña Coffee Basket Giveaway

I remember being about 5 years old when I really took notice that my family brewed coffee a dozen times a day. It was almost a Sacred Ritual. This also happened, I took note, in every single Cuban home I had ever entered.

The daily brewing of the perfect Cuban cafecito is something that happens repeatedly throughout the day in Cuban households and ventanitas everywhere ("little windows" - these are mostly found in Miami, but that's not important right now).

I think one of my very first sensory memories has to do with the fragrance of a beautifully brewed, hot, sweet espresso. The aroma is something that evokes warmth and family and men in guayaberas and women in crisp aprons and lots of loud talking. The smell of home.

A few weeks ago I announced that My Big, Fat, Cuban Family had partnered with Gaviña Gourmet Coffee. I'm so pleased that they are my newest sponsor.

In light of this wonderful parnership, I think we need to celebrate, don't you?

And what better way to celebrate than to do a giveaway of a Basket of Coffee Awesomeness from Gaviña? Can I just tell you that my morning cafecito tastes sooo much better when drunk from one of these adorable Cafe La Llave tacitas. It does. I promise.

The Cafe La Llave Cuban Coffee Basket consists of the following:

• 2- 10oz. Cafe La Llave espresso bricks
• 1- 8.8oz. Cafe La Llave decaf. espresso brick
• 4- 1.75oz. Cafe La Llave espresso samples
• 4- "tacitas" - demitasse cups and saucers

1) To enter this drawing for this beautiful Cafe La Llave Cuban Coffee Basket, please leave a comment on this post and answer one or both of the following questions:

• Do you remember the first time you had a perfectly brewed espresso?
  
• Or is this a taste you acquired later in life? Tell me.
  

Please leave your comment on this post and I'll choose a winner on Friday, March 28th, 2014 at 11am PST.

2) For an extra entry, please go "like" Cafe La Llave on Facebook and come back and leave me another comment telling me:  

• "I like Cafe La Llave!"

So that's not one, but two entries. De nada.

If you want even more coffee awesomeness, please click on the sponsored La Llave Coffee link to the right and be sure to enter Cuban20 at checkout for 20% off Cafe La Llave.

Also, please let them know that Marta from My Big, Fat, Cuban Family sent you. It doesn't make any difference to how I choose the winner. I just want them to know you are reading about it here, but that's not important right now.

MBFCF Giveaway Week Winners

I want to thank you all for celebrating with me this week. Also, to my very generous sponsors for providing the cool Cuban giveaways I've been priviledged to share. Thank you all. I'm blessed and humbled by your constant love and support.

MBFCF Giveaway #1 - My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Cookbook

goes to....

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MBFCF Giveaway #2 - WASSUP En LA? Family Gift Pack

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MBFCF Giveaway #3 - Cubamerican The Movie, Tickets

The winners will be contacted by the Producers of Cubamerican.

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MBFCF Giveaway #4 - Santayana Jewelers' Leather Bracelet and the Azabache.

goes to...

Also, if you're still interested in this beautiful bracelet (and I know you are), remember that Santayana Jewelers has graciously added a special promotion for MBFCF readers:

$40 off your $150 purchase with the promo code MARTASENTME.

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MBFCF Giveaway #5 - The Cafe La Llave Cuban Coffee Basket

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I want to thank you all for entering my giveaways and for participating in my weeklong celebration of my 7th Blogging Anniversary. 

To all the winners - Congratulations! Please shoot me an email that contains your mailing address. Put HEY, MARTA! I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG! in the subject line so that I don't accidentally delete it and I will get your goodies out to you ASAP.

But wait! There's more....

I wasn't quite prepared for the ridiculously generous show of support from my Cuban Cubiches and now I have some more sponsored giveaways coming up this weekend!

Please stay tuned for MBFCF Giveaway Week - The Sequel.

Many thanks to you all for entering and sharing. I'm overwhelmed with pride and love for all the friends of MBFCF. Seriously.

We Visited Coffee Heaven and Lived to Tell the Tale

I like love coffee. It's part of my Cuban DNA.

Growing up in a Cuban household, coffee was The Staple that was ever-present. I can remember having café con leche for breakfast before school. Of course, this was back in the day when no one was calling the authorities if children were given caffeine. But I digress....

Eric's coffee preference is a strong, sweet espresso, specifically La Llave by Gaviña. Mine a deep, rich Columbian roast. My favorite is Don Francisco, also by Gaviña.

The Gaviña Gourmet Coffee Roasters invited me to come up and take a tour of their facility, which I jumped on. A day surrounded by our favorite coffee? That's the closest definition of heaven I can come to.

The tour required us wearing hairnets. And in Eric's case a "beard net." (One of my favorite words in Spanish is the one for "hairnet." It's "redesilla," but that's not important right now.)

This is me and Eric in Coffee Heaven.

How attractive are we??

I so love the long and rich coffee history of the Gaviña family and their commitment to selecting the best coffee beans from around the world. Their dedication to quality is pretty much unsurpassed.

Our tour guide, Leonor Gaviña-Valls was wonderfully knowledgeable.

Leonor Gaviña-Valls and me. I predict hairnets will soon be back in style...

Eric was decidedly beside himself that we happened to be there at the exact moment they were running the La Llave Espresso through production.

Eric and and miles and miles of La Llave Espresso.

Also impressive was the fantastic collection of coffee roasters displayed throughout the facility.

Just a sampling of the many and varied coffee roasters found at Gaviña Gourmet Coffee.

After the tour, it was time for "cupping."

Like wine tasting, cupping is the art of observing the aromas and tastes of brewed coffees. You begin by noticing the different colors and textures of the coffee, before and after roasting.

The next step is to deeply sniff the coffee grounds as hot water is poured on them.

We look so pro, don't we?

Then comes the slurping. Loud slurping. The slurp gets the coffee all the way to the back of your tongue and it fills your mouth, engaging all your senses. Again, no polite sipping here. Slurp away, people! Noisy slurping is the only way. (Obviously, this was extremely fascinating to me. I even shot a video of the slurp-fest, which I may or may not share someday. Sorry, today is not that day.)

Also, a disclaimer: I may not be articulating the cupping ritual exactly. All I remember is that there was sniffing and slurping and there was coffee and it was wonderful.

We determined that Eric really, really likes the La Llave espresso. And I really like the Don Francisco. But then, we knew that. And honestly, if we didn't already love those brands, after spending a day with the Gaviña family we would be their biggest fans.

Our cupping experience was made all that more delightful by the knowledgeable Michael Gaviña who lives and breathes coffee and walked us through all the smelling, tasting, and slurping that is The Art of Cupping.

Check out this beautiful ad with Michael and his father, Pedro Gaviña.

We finished off our day at Gaviña Gourmet Coffee exactly as we had hoped.

Ah, nectar of the gods.

A great big thank you to the Gaviña family for their kind hospitality and for a delightful day.

Also, thanks for the surprise of lovely parting gifts. Coffee heaven indeed.

You're all invited over to my house. "Estoy colando!"

If you don't already, I suggest you follow them on Facebook: Don Francisco Gourmet Coffee. Café La Llave.

La Llave Coffee Basket - A Winner

Someone's Mami is in for a wonderful surprise.

Congratulations to the winner of the La Llave Cuban Coffee Basket for Mother's Day.

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Nery, please send me an email with HEY, MARTA! I WON SOMETHING ON YOUR BLOG in the subject line, so I don't accidentally delete it. Also, include your name and mailing address so I can forward to Gaviña Gourmet Coffee so that they can ship that beautiful coffee basket out to you ASAP.  

Thanks to all of you who participated in this giveaway and for sharing your love of Cuban coffee. It never gets old, does it?

A very special thank you to my friends at Gaviña Coffee for their generosity. Also, go "like" La Llave on Facebook (if you don't already). They are always having promotions for some seriously delicious Cuban coffee goodness.

In case you don't know the secret to making Cuban Coffee with KILLER Espuma, here's my daughter, Amy Kikita to show you how.

Mami Loves Cuban Coffee - A Giveaway

Mother's Day is next week, people.

It always comes on the 2nd weekend in May. And yet, I'm always surprised that it comes so soon after the month starts. What's that about?

Anyway, because I love you, and I know that you love Cuban coffee as much as I do, I have fabulous news:

My good friends at Gaviña & Sons Coffee have offered to sponsor a La Llave Cuban Coffee Basket for a Mother's Day Giveaway. The beauty of this is that the Gaviña family is Cuban and they know espresso.

The La Llave Cuban Coffee Basket for Mother's Day consists of the following:

• 2- 10oz. Cafe La Llave espresso bricks
• 1- 8.8oz. Cafe La Llave decaf. espresso brick
• 4- 1.75oz. Cafe La Llave espresso samples
• 4- "tacitas" demitasse cups and saucers

It's a beautiful thing, right?

1) To enter this drawing for this beautiful Cafe La Llave Cuban Coffee Basket, please leave a comment on this post and answer  one or both of the following questions:

• How do you like your espresso? Straight up? With espumita? Cortadito?
  
• How many times a day do you drink it?
  

Please leave your comment on this post and I'll choose a winner on Monday, 6thth, 2013 at 11am PST.

2) For an extra entry, please go "like" Cafe La Llave on Facebook and come back and leave me another comment telling me:  

• "I like Cafe La Llave!"

So that's not one, but two entries apiece. You're welcome. Mami will love it. I promise. Also, please let them know that Marta from My Big, Fat, Cuban Family sent you. (I don't get extra points for that or anything. I just want them to know you are reading about it here, but that's not important right now.)

{Disclaimer: Gaviña Gourmet Coffee has graciously provided this Cafe La Llave Gift Basket as a giveaway.  I have received no compensation for this. I just truly love them.}

Keeping the Faith - A Giveaway

There have been a lot of twists and turns in my personal life (and in the country at large) this past week. It's times like these that send me looking (running!) for comfort.

Because I'm Cuban, I can usually find my comfort in the kitchen. (Don't judge me.) A fabulous sofrito, a perfect arroz con pollo a la chorrera, or a sweet flan all speak to me of goodness and abundance and home and give me an all-is-right-with-the-world feeling.

However, none of these can compete with the aroma of freshly brewed espresso. It is, to me, the quintessentially Cuban comfort. It speaks of my culture, reminds me of my Papi, and has been the constant in my entire existence on this planet. Too dramatic? Please. I'm having a moment here.

I was delighted that my friends at IMUSA USA have offered to sponsor this week's giveaway. “A buen hora.” (Loose translation: “Perfect timing.”)

An IMUSA Bistro 4 Cup Espresso and Cappuccino Machine and an 4 Cup Espresso Set with Chrome Rack.

UPDATE 11/10/12: The very generous folks at Gaviña Gourmet Coffees are adding a pound of their deliciously Cuban La Llave Espresso to this giveaway package. Gracias, my friends!

Honestly, I've always been partial to the old-school stove-top espresso maker. But this baby now takes pride of place in my kitchen and I'm pleased to report that it's simple enough to operate that I can practically do it in my sleep. (And believe me, most of the time, I'm sleepwalking when I'm making my first cup.)

Eric is in love with the cappuccino feature. He insists that the 3 o'clock hour is mandatory for his afternoon cappuccino. But, then again, he's fully awake and functioning at that hour, but that's not important right now.

For a chance to win BOTH the IMUSA Bistro Espresso Machine and the Espresso Set, please leave a comment on this post. Please answer one or all of the following questions:

• Coffee, tea, espresso, cappuccino?
  
• Do you have a particular hour for your afternoon caffeine pick-me-up?
• Does the aroma of freshly brewing coffee remind you of someone or something special?

For an extra entry, please go "like" IMUSA USA on Facebook and come back and tell me:

• I like IMUSA USA!

I'll choose the winner on Tuesday, November 13th, 2012 at 11 am PST.

“Coffee and love are best when they are hot.”-German proverb

MBFCF Giveaway Week is over - And the Winners are...

Thank you.

I'm so grateful that so many of you joined in my 6th Blogiversary Celebration Week. I am humbled by your wonderful response and good wishes. I so love when you play along with me, but that's not important right now.

Sometimes I think I've told all the stories I have to tell and that I don't have one creative bone left in my body. Sometimes I stare at the blank screen and find it impossible to string two words together to attempt to make a sentence. But then...you leave a comment telling me about your life, or how you found my blog and that it makes you happy, or you tell me about how you love Cuban stuff like I do. This gives me the energy and vision to keep moving forward.

So, once again...Thank you.

Without further ado (drum roll please) here are the winners of last week's giveaways.

Congratulations to all of the winners!

1) The My Big, Fat, Cuban Family Cookbook

The MBFCF Cookbook goes to:

Dyana B said...

Oh dear, I have no idea when I found you but I'm so happy that I did. It's been at least four years, for sure!

I love EVERYTHING about your blog! I also live far, far away from anything Cuban and just reading your recipes motivates me to cook at home as well!

If the question of "How long have you been here?" is about the U.S.? Then my whole life. I'm a 1st generation American and very proud of my Cuban heritage! <3

Reply October 01, 2012 at 03:35 AM

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2) Santayana Jewelers Habana Bead Collection Bracelet with 4 charms

If you would like to order your own Habana Collection Charm Bracelet, Santayana Jewelers is very graciously offering an online promotion for My big, fat, Cuban family readers. If you buy 4 beads, the fourth is free when you enter the promo code MARTA at checkout. Go to Santayana Jewelers online.

The beautiful bracelet from Santayana Jewelers goes to:

Jcass0912 said...

What a touching story!!!! How can you pick a favorite?! Each one is so meaningful! I have to say I do love el corazon de meon and la cafetera! Reminds me of my grandmother she used to call us her corazones de melon! This charm would be perfect for my Mom!!!!

Reply October 02, 2012 at 10:59 AM

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3) Juan of the Dead DVD

Juan of the Dead, is available to rent or download on iTunes at http://bit.ly/ZombieRevolution and on DVD at http://bit.ly/zombieRevolution.

 

The winners of the Juan of the Dead DVD are:

1)

Lilly Medina said...

I'm not really into the zombie fad but this movie was hilarious! One of my favorites for sure!

Reply October 03, 2012 at 07:59 AM

AND

2)

Rebeca Montalvan Del Sol Toth said...

I absolutely LOVE horror movies, especially Zombie ones! I must have a copy of Juan of the Dead it is so funny and absolutely Cuban! If there was a zombie outbreak in Havana I know our Cuban brothers and sisters could handle it! We are survivors!

Reply October 03, 2012 at 01:51 PM

AND

3)

Emilia Platas said...

I'm with you on the horror movie thing--even agree on the American Werewolf in London part. However, mi niña is another story! She LOVES Shaun of the Dead. It's like a cult classic with her and her friends! So how perfect would it be to give my USA-born girl some cubanismo in the form of her favorite genre? (Did I mention her b-day is coming up?)I always say one of the best ways to educate is with comedy. Plus, the girl has lots of friends so your friends at Focus World could be sure the film would be seen by other teens and young twenty-somethings. Heck, even I want to see it!

Reply October 03, 2012 at 11:45 AM

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4) The Red Umbrella and A Thunderous Whisper (autographed by the author)

The Red Umbrella and a Thunderous Whisper are both available at Amazon.com.

The books, The Red Umbrella and a Thunderous Whisper - both autographed by author, Christina Diaz Gonzalez go to:

Esther Avila-Young said...

I remember when I was in Cuba still in the early 60's some of our neighbors boys left as Pedro Pans, and I have also have met some Pedro Pans here in Southern California. What a sadness that must be to leave your parents behind to the unknown and uncertain, not knowing anyone, not knowing the language and hoping that you some day will see your parents again. My heart breaks just thinking about it. What a courage of those parents to send their children before them.
I do have a "Cuando sali de Cuba moment" and story that will share with you one of these days.

Reply October 04, 2012 at 11:14 AM

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5) A Gaviña Gourmet Coffee Basket, which includes their new Holiday Coffee Collection (!)

The fabulous Gaviña Gourmet Holiday Coffee Baskets go to:

1)

BBabushka said...

Which one of the coffees in this Holiday Collection (!) sounds the best to you?

Caramel Spiced Rum- Caramelo, especia- verbo, sazonar, Ron

Vamo mi gente, you can't get more Cuban than that!!

; ) Loving this series Marta- Congrats.

BB2U

Reply October 05, 2012 at 12:47 PM

AND

2)

Nancy Reed said...

My first cup in the morning...Well, honestly ANYthing as long as its strong. I even enjoy the FREE coffee at church on Sundays. My afternoon cup (yes usually I do have one)I enjoy my flavored k-cups and it feels like a treat. One of my favorite is the pumkin spice. As an October baby I love anything fall. Happy Anniversary MBFGF! time flies huh?

Reply October 05, 2012 at 07:38 AM

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6) Handpainted Varadero Sign

The hand-painted (by me!) Varadero sign goes to:

Jackie said...

Cute! I can't wait to see what you have in your Etsy shop!

Reply October 06, 2012 at 08:14 AM

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Again, thank you all for your very enthusiastic participation in my Blog-anniversary Giveaway Week and congratulations to all the winners. And a big thank you to all of my giveaway sponsors for their gracious generosity.

If you won, please send me an email with HEY, MARTA! I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG! in the subject line so that I won't accidentally delete it. Also, send me your street addresss. I will forward to my giveaway sponsors so you can get your goodies ASAP.

You make me very happy.

Besos,

Marta

Freshly Ground Heaven (MBFCF Giveaway #5)

Last month I was privileged to visit the Gaviña Gourmet Coffee Roasters in Vernon, California. The occasion was the introduction of the new Gaviña Holiday Collection. That's right, people. A COLLECTION. Of COFFEE. *swoon*

The Gaviña Holiday Collection (!) is a selection of seasonal coffees especially curated to “warm the hearts of coffee lovers during the holidays while brewing support for local Children's Hospitals.”

I was pleased to be able to sample the holiday collection (a Collection, people!) of coffees prepared by former U.S. Barista Champion Bronwen Serna. Gaviña has joined forces with her, local restaurants and coffee shops to brew support (get it?) for local Children's Hospitals. Five percent of the Holiday Collection (!) coffee sales will be donated to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals on behalf of each participating customer.   

Available September 1st through December 31st exclusively at participating restaurants and coffee shops throughout Southern California, the Gaviña Holiday Coffee Collection (!) features:

• Pumpkin Spice - Homemade pumpkin pie with fragrant spices.
• Eggnog - Rich and creamy, perfect for the holiday season.
• Candy Cane Cream - Smooth and crisp peppermint in a swirl of rich cream.
• Caramel Spiced Rum - Caramel and butterscotch with a hint of rum. (They had me at “a hint of rum.”)

We got to sample every one of the new brews in the Holiday Collection (!) and I decided that my personal favorite was the Caramel Spiced Rum. (By the way, that's my trademark red lipstick on each cup in the taste-fest, but that's not important right now.)

If you look closely, you can find me yakking away at around the 0.32 mark. (I know. Shut up.)

Also, I was delighted that we were treated to a tour of the Gaviña Roasting facility which was informative, amazing, and fragrant! Something that only mountains of bags of fresh coffee beans can provide.

That's me. In a hairnet. With mountains of coffee beans behind me. Which means I can actually use the word, “redecilla” - my favorite word in Spanish - in a blog post. And it's applicable! “¡Mira que comica se ve Marta en su redecilla!”

I'm so grateful to the Gaviña family for their most gracious hospitality. Read their history here.  

L to R: Pedro Gaviña, me, Leonor Gaviña-Valls

Theirs is a wonderful American success story with rich and deep Cuban roots.

See what I mean?

I'm pleased and proud to announce that Gaviña Gourmet Coffee is sponsoring today's giveaway.

MBFCF Blogiversary Giveaway #5:  

A Gaviña Gourmet Coffee Basket, which includes their new Holiday Coffee Collection (!)

This beautiful Gaviña Gourmet Coffee basket includes the following:

• 2 Gaviña travel mugs
• 1 - 8 cup French Press
• 3 -  2.5 oz ground bags of Pumpkin Spice
• 3 - 2.5 oz ground bags of Candy Cane Cream
• 3 - 2.5 oz ground bags of Eggnog
• 5 - 2.5 oz ground bags of 100% Organic Guatemala Dark
• 4 - 2.5 oz ground bags of 100% Organic Mexico

Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a Gaviña Gourmet Coffee Basket - they have generously provided two (!) for this giveaway, (valued at $75 each) - please answer one or both of the following questions:

• What is your first cup in the morning? - Espresso? Cortadito? Americano?
• Do you have an afternoon cup?
• Which one of the coffees in this Holiday Collection (!) sounds the best to you?

Full disclosure: My first cup of the day is brewed Don Francisco Gourmet Coffee by Gaviña. Freshly. Ground. Heaven.

I'll choose the winners at the end of MBFCF Blogiversary Giveaway Week on Monday, October 8th, 2012 at 11 am.

“I believe humans get a lot done, not because we're smart, but because we have thumbs so we can make coffee.” ~Flash Rosenberg