A delicious Andean coffee at “La Toche Esquina”.

Love greetings to all my Hive friends, especially coffee lovers. I'm glad to be around again, this time to comment on how adventurous I can be when it comes to ordering my coffee in a coffee shop. Generally I always order cappuccino or late when I go to a coffee shop, unlike when I am at home, we very rarely use milk in our coffee. At home generally the coffee we drink throughout the day is just black coffee, either well steeped or rather a bit weak. So even though I don't drink the same in coffee shops as I do at home, I'm not that adventurous when it comes to ordering coffee outside the house. I'm rather monotonous. That doesn't change that I occasionally dare to order cold coffee drinks, we even make them at home, but I tend to be very routine with coffee.

A few days ago I went with my dear @aly.squid to a small town in my region called Paribeca. While there we went into a small local coffee shop called La Toche Esquina. Peribeca is characterized for being a touristic town, since both its facades and everything they sell is traditional and native from the Andes of Tachira. La Toche Esquina is located in a famous handicraft corridor, from the moment I entered this small cafeteria I felt I was transported to another era. The rustic and simple decoration, the wooden tables and the walls decorated with traditional handicrafts made me feel like I was at home.

On this occasion I ordered a black coffee, just as I drink it at home. It was not the gourmet and sophisticated coffee I am used to in the city, it was a simple brewed coffee in a handmade cloth bag. The aroma it gave off was so authentic and comforting that I enjoyed it immensely. I was served the coffee in a clay cup, very characteristic of the Venezuelan Andes. I felt like I was savoring not only a coffee, but a little piece of the history and tradition of this beautiful mountain town.

As I said at the beginning, I don't usually order black coffee, as I like coffee with milk every time I leave the house. But on this occasion I felt that black coffee was just what I needed. Its pure and comforting taste made me enjoy every sip and filled me with a special energy that can only be found in a place as authentic as La Toche Esquina. The only thing I didn't like was the concept of the place, since starting with the name, the word “Toche” stands out, an expression that is vulgar in the region. And although the intention was to express another of the characteristic things of Tachira, I do not agree with emphasizing something that can leave us Andeans as vulgar and ordinary people, having really much more to offer. Otherwise it was delicious and very nice to be there and enjoy a delicious coffee made in a traditional way.

Later, in another small place in town, I tasted another black coffee in a small plastic cup. It was very inexpensive and simple, but no less delicious for that. In these lands, coffee is part of daily life and is enjoyed in the simplest and most humble way possible. In Venezuela we call the mild coffee “Guayoyoyo”, you could say that this was a Guayoyo coffee but it was very delicious, even though I like it stronger. But Peribeca's coffee is really extraordinary.

What I really want to say is that despite being very routine it is always good to explore different things. On this occasion despite ordering a simple black coffee, I broke my drinking pattern and ordered something other than a latte. And I'm glad I did, as I enjoyed it to the fullest. So I say to everyone, whether you are adventurous or not, the most important thing is to enjoy a good cup of coffee. For now I say goodbye and leave you with a big hug. I love being here. See you next time.