Coffee and budget.

Loving greetings to all my Hive friends, especially to the coffee lovers. It is a pleasure for me to be once again in this great initiative. This week's topic calls my attention enormously, since without a doubt I believe that economics interferes a lot in our coffee habits, in the type of coffee that you drink, in the frequency and quantity. I have several experiences that make me be convinced of them.

As many already know, Venezuela has gone through several economic situations in recent years. The year 2018 was particularly hard for me and my family, so there were quite a few restrictions on coffee. For several weeks we could not even buy it. When we could consider buying it we would definitely pick the cheapest coffee we could find on the shelves. I remember very well that we spent about six months buying one called El Faraón. It is one of the few coffees, produced in Venezuela, that I can say is horrible. But it was what we could afford at the time.

Over the years we have regained our purchasing power, so now we can carefully choose what we like to drink. In my case it is difficult for me to choose exotic or luxurious options, but that does not mean that I have to choose the cheapest coffee in the store. My favorite coffee, produced in the state of Táchira where I live, is Concafe. It is delicious, by far the best in the whole region and has a long history, as I have been drinking it since my childhood and it has passed from generation to generation in the families of our Andean state. Its price is 10$ per kilo, but it is common to get 200 grams packages for only 2$.

The problem with this brand is that it is very difficult to get it in the town where I live, and traveling to the city just to buy coffee can be exhausting. So at the moment I am consuming another national brand called Favorito. I did a post about it some time ago, it is delicious and with a very nice flavor dynamic, it is a very good quality coffee. And if cost is less than 2$ per 200 grams, a little cheaper than Concafe.

And more or less in that price range are the brands of coffee that are distributed in my community. They are brands that are grown, harvested and produced within the national territory, they are not luxurious, but many of them are really delicious. There are not many luxurious options in the market but there is a small supermarket nearby that sells Juan Valdez coffee, possibly the most expensive I have seen in the area where I live.

Colombian coffee has many brands rolling in my region, as we are a border state. The best known are Aroma and Sello Rojo. These two brands are not expensive, they are not very delicious but they are not bad either. And their price is also between 2$ or 3$ per 200 grams. But Juan Valdez, which is one of the most internationalized brands, is quite expensive here, in fact a 200 grams package can cost up to 7$, that is, three times more than the other brands.

For me it is impossible to afford this type of coffee. Especially because coffee is consumed throughout the day. And although in other countries 7$ may not be much in Venezuela it is a challenge to obtain that amount. In my case, because of my income levels I have to manage every penny very well and try to make sure I have enough for everything, sometimes it can be exhausting.

So I can say that I have had to choose the cheapest coffee in the past. But now my selection criteria is that it should be economical but also delicious. I am very grateful for this experience because it has allowed me to try an infinity of coffee brands and to know, fully how the national industry of my favorite beverage is characterized.

For now I say goodbye. I love this week's initiative. I hope you enjoy reading me and as always I write to you with a cup of hot coffee in my hand. A hug to all of you. See you soon.