In Fajardo, there’s a small, hole-in-the-wall coffee shop that serves locally grown coffee – and it might be the best on the Eastern side of the island. We are very sad that this wonderful coffee shop which served fresh roasted beans from a family farm did not survive. But now there is a shop in Luquillo to visit which serves the same Gustos brand Puerto Rican coffee that we have chosen at the Rainforest Inn. Google maps link Coffee Therapy it is also near the restaurant we recommend for mofongo, La Fonda Gourmet.
Bill and I recently visited Coffee Monkey, located in Fajardo near the movie theater complex (see our google map of Puerto Rico coffee shops and growers )
Bill posing outside of Coffee Monkey.
The shop serves two Puerto Rican coffees: A darker, stronger roast from Hacienda Tres Picachos, and a lighter one from Café Don José.
They taste different, barista Kenneth Rivera explained to us, because although they’re the same beans, the darker roast is from a machine, while the lighter roast is from the sun. The process for drying the pulp in the sun and then blowing off the dry pulp from the beans leaves a bean that is sweeter.
I had two cappuccinos, one with each coffee. The Café Don José roast was definitely sweeter, but both coffees were smooth. Neither one was bitter and both were rich and delicious.
The two different coffees served at Coffee Monkey: A darker roast from Café Hacienda Tres Picachos, and a lighter roast from Café Don José.
The owners, husband and wife Jason Báez and Mayte Coello, opened Coffee Monkey earlier this year. We called them to learn a little bit more about the shop.
They told us a fun story: When they visited Hacienda Tres Picachos (a three-hour drive from Fajardo) to try its coffee, they discovered that the owner, Jose Martinez, was Mayte’s cousin. The coffee from Café Don José is the same coffee, just distributed by Jose’s son. So, Coffee Monkey is a family-run business, even though it happened accidentally!
Coffee Monkey gets new batches of coffee every week, so the coffee is fresh.
Jayson told us that he wants Coffee Monkey to be about more than its good product. He said he wants people to remember the experiences as well.
“You get that with the service, with employees,” he said.
Paola, one of the baristas at Coffee Money, prepares some cappuccinos.
When the shop first opened, he hired someone to train the staff and tell them more about coffee and coffee stores. The two baristas in the shop when we visited, Paola and Kenneth, were very welcoming to us.
We got our coffees to-go, but Paola even made an extra one in a mug so I could take a picture of the coffee art!
A cappuccino made with Café Hacienda Tres Picachos’ coffee beans.
I also asked Jayson why they chose the name Coffee Monkey. He said they took inspiration from the mechanic term “grease monkey”, and wanted it to be in English because the shop is in a touristy area.
“It was simple, and having monkeys being all active and all, that’s definitely how you get after you have a good cup of coffee,” he said. “It’s contagious.”
In addition to cappuccinos, Coffee Monkey serves macchiatos, cortaditos, lattes, americanos and mochas. Its cheapest drink is a $1.50 espresso and their most expensive is a $5.50 frozen coffee.
Coffee Monkey’s menu.
Coffee Monkey also sells bags of each coffee for $16/per bag.
If you like munching on something with your coffee, they also sell a variety of pastries – Bill selected a guava muffin.
The shop is open Mondays-Fridays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. About a thirty minute drive from The Rainforest Inn, it’s definitely worth stopping by during your stay.
