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Many new visitors to Miami have never had guarapo, the freshly squeezed juice of the sugar cane. It's just one of many traditional Cuban beverages that bewilder the uninitiated.

Judging by the many tourists we see drinking Coca-Cola and Pepsi, this lack of knowledge is depriving them of a great taste treat.

If you don't know a Jupiña from an Iron Beer, don't despair! The Three Guys have prepared this short guide on the best Cuban beverages.

A guarapó press: the cane is fed through the hole in the front. A rotating mill squeezes out the juice, which drips down into the trough and into the container. The hull is ejected from the back of the machine.

Guarapo is fresh sugar cane juice. It has a very light flavor (NOT supersweet like many people assume) and is extremely refreshing on a hot day. In fact, the sugar content of guarapo makes it just slightly sweeter than orange juice. (14 percent in guarapo, about 11 to 12 percent in Orange juice.) Standard sodas can have as much as four tablespoons of sugar in one can. You'd have to boil down more than a gallon of guarapo to produce that much pure sugar.

Guarapo is really quite healthy and works better than Gatorade to get into your system quickly. Much of the guarapo sold in Miami is made from sugar cane grown in western Palm Beach County, southeast of Lake Okeechobee.

The sweetest and most flavorful guarapo is available in winter when there is not as much rain.

The Cawy Bottling Company was one of the most successful bottlers of soft drinks in Cuba. The company started in 1948, and Cawy Lemon-Lime soda became Cuba's best selling soft drink, even outselling Coca-Cola. With four bottling plants and an efficient distribution network, Cawy was one of the most successful Cuban-owned and run companies. Until 1959, that is, when the communists took over the plants and two of the original partners fled to the United States. In 1964, the company was re-incorporated in the United States.

Cawy Lemon Lime
Cawy re-introduced its flagship product, Cawy Lemon-Lime, a name that brought back good memories for Cuban exiles. Over the years, the company diversified by acquiring several soft drinks that were also popular in Cuba: Materva, Jupiña, and Quinabeer.

Materva is a very interesting soda. It is made from an herb, Mate that grows in South America.

In many countries, dried Yerba Mate leaves are used to brew a hot drink, a lot like coffee or tea. As a soda, it is especially popular in Argentina. It is rumored to provide all sorts of health benefits.

Many people find the flavor to be similar to ginger ale. We think Materva has a taste all its own. The perfect compliment to a Cuban pizza. If you can't find a Hatuey beer, that is!

You can find Materva all over Miami. It is distributed by Cawy.

Materva
Guarapo Machine

Guide to the Best Cuban and Latin American Beverages

Cawy

Materva

Guarapo

Jupiña (hoo-peen-yah) is pineapple soda pop. Its name is a contraction of "Jugo de Piña " or pineapple juice. It has to be one of the sweetest sodas in the world. Its sweetness and intense pineapple flavor make it a great choice when eating something salty or fatty.

Jupina
There are a couple brands of Sandia (watermelon) soda available, but the most popular is the one made by Cawy. Watermelon soda has a unique, light flavor and is very refreshing on a hot day. It's a flavor that we have not seen in other parts of the country.
Sandia

Although some compare it to root beer, we think Iron Beer (pronounced "E-run-beer" is a close cousin to Dr. Pepper and Mr. Pibb. (It's been bottled for more than 80 years. In fact, legend has it that the original beverage was delivered to a popular Havana cafeteria in 1917 by a mule-driven cart. ) It does have a faintly metallic taste. Could it be that there really is iron in that can?

Iron Beer
A soda that is similar in flavor to Iron Beer. Quinabeer's flavor is known in the beverage industry as "champagne cola." You can clearly taste hints of cherry and orange flavors in this refreshing cola drink. A lighter tasting cousin of Quinabeer is sold in many areas as "Champ's Cola." Both are made by Cawy.
Quinabeer

Jupiña

Sandia

Iron Beer

Quinabeer

Coco Rico is Coconut flavor soda. However, don't expect an intense coconut flavor like an Almond Joy bar. Coco Rico is made to mimic the flavor of coconut milk, not coconut meat. If you haven't acquired a taste for fresh coconut juice, you might not like Coco Rico. We believe that Coco-Rico is produced in Puerto Rico.

Coco Rico
Coco Solo
Coco Solo is another take on coconut juice-flavored soda. This one produced by Cawy and gaining popularity over its main rival Coco-Rico. Many people like the association of the Cawy brand, a true Cuban favorite. There is also a neighborhood in Havana called Coco Solo.

You have to try an authentic Cuban beer. You'll see the signs for Hatuey (pronounced "ah-tway") all over town. Just look for the Indian head logo. The Indian in queHatueystion is Hatuey, a Taino indian chief who headed several rebellions against the Spanish in the early 16th century. The Bacardi Rum Company began brewing this beer at the Santiago Brewery in 1926.Hatuey Sign It, like all of their Cuban holdings was seized by the corrupt Cuban government after the "revolution."

It's a very Cuban tradition to share this beer with a good friend. You step up to the bar and order: "un indio y dos canoas." This means, "one indian and two canoes." You'll get a cold bottle of Hatuey and two small glasses. This is a real display of friendship, and you don't have to stop there. You can order several rounds this way to quench your thirst.

Coco Rico

Coco Rico

Coco Solo

Hatuey Beer

Another great Cuban beer is La Tropical, or Cerveza la Tropical. This beer was first brewed in 1888 by the Blanco Herrera family in Havana.

It was probably Cuba's best selling brand until Castro confiscated it in 1960. Back in the good old days, the La Tropical brewery in Havana was an idyllic spot with a beautiful tropical garden along the banks of the Almendares river. On Sundays, Cubans from all walks of life would gather in the gardens to dance the rumba to live music and drink fresh, cold beer. They also had a professional baseball stadium on the same site.

Tropical Beer
Tropical Beer Sign
Batidos are Cuban shakes, similar to American Style shakes, but with several unusual flavors. Some restaurants make batidos with ice cream, some use whole milk, and crushed ice. The tropical fruit flavors are very popular: batido de mango, batido de fresa (strawberry), batido de piña (pineapple), batido de mamey (a unique fruit with a pale pink flesh) and batido de fruta bomba (papaya) to name a few. Of course, chocolate and vainilla (vanilla) are big sellers too.

One we particularly like is the batido de trigo or wheat shake. You might ask: "Wheat in an ice cream drink?" But think of the tasty puffed wheat cereal from your not too distant childhood and you'll get an idea of what the batido de trigo tastes like.

It's a unique flavor you just won't find anywhere else.

Batido

Batidos

"La Tropical" Beer

Make your Own Cuban Batido (Milkshake)

RECIPE HERE

A couple of years ago, a Cuban-American guy, Manuel Portuondo bought the U. S. trademark and began brewing the beer from the original family recipe. (Our beer drinking expert, Raúl, says it tastes just like the beer he remembers from Cuba.)
You'll see the beer all over Miami in bars, restaurants, and stores. So if you're eating in Miami, or just out for a night on the town, don't order a Mexican beer – order an authentic Cuban beer and celebrate in the true Cuban style.

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