Francesca is the champion of coffee tasting • Workers

a Francesca Holder Jess I find it surrounded by coffee mugs. Infusion analysis to determine and perceive the sweetness, colour, flavour, acidity and purity of aromatic grains has been his routine for more than four decades.

Its lifespan exceeds 70 years and is able to distinguish almost all varieties that are produced in the world. Their taste-trained accuracy is tested at the Asdrúbal López Coffee Processing Company, of Guantanamo, the country’s largest exporter of this ingredient, with well-positioned brands on the international market, such as Extra Turquino Especial, Turquino, Serrano Superior, Caracolillo and Alto Serra.

Between the bitter and sweet flavors, every day, sip sips (repeated over thirty times), Francesca, the only internationally ranked female coffee tasting woman in Cuba, evaluates the properties of nectar to certify the quality of the aromatic beans. From eastern Cuba, it is well known in about twenty countries.

“Being a good connoisseur requires discipline and training, you can’t use many cosmetics or eat spiced foods; also, zero vices. We rely not only on the palate or smell; also from sight to perceive color concoction, touch when feeling and biting pills, and even the ear.” listening to her while she mingles,” details Holder Jess, who came to the profession by chance in 1972.

He says that at that time he was in Santiago de Cuba and discovered an advertisement for a course for connoisseurs. At first she didn’t care much, as she was more of a tea lover, but they were only looking for people who didn’t like coffee. In the exam, he put his innate abilities to the test by demonstrating the qualities of his taste, olfactory organ and sight, as well as classifying flavors according to their properties and differentiated solutions based on different products such as ketones, formalin, vanilla and others. .

After being among the elect, he became part of the crew of the Cuban Coffee Company, in the heroic city, and traveled to Mexico and then to Germany, where he studied and learned a profession that is not really just coffee drinking..

“It is more complicated, the physical qualities must be evaluated, because to export a product, you must know the market and the taste of those who will consume it. Some prefer to drink strong coffee, while others prefer to drink light coffee, with a vanilla flavor,” says the experienced coppersmith, who has taught Trade for its citizens, including her daughter Elba Vicente, and colleagues from countries such as Panama, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Burundi and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

He claims that training as an international expert is very expensive, involves a lot of travel and expensive testing, but it is worth it, as it allows the good quality of Cuban coffee to be certified, hence its preference in many markets.

In fact, soon she will not be the only Cuban to gain international rank. It has students who only need one or two subjects to establish themselves as world-class connoisseurs.

“We are also continuing to train the juniors, connecting them directly to the agronomy profession at Guantanamo University, where there is great potential,” he expressed his relief.

With stately modesty, Holder Jess does not boast of domestic and beyond recognition, although it has even been called the Queen of Coffee.

Among his accolades is La Fama, the symbol of Guantanamo City. Guantanamo Pride; Creativity Award for Rural Women; Work for Life Award from the Cuban Association of Agricultural and Forestry Technicians; Medal of Lázaro Peña; And this year she was awarded the honorary title of Labor Hero of the Republic of Cuba, which is very much appreciated for her work.

When referring to the moment when she was awarded the title of Labor Champion, at a ceremony held at El Laguito Protocol Hall, in Havana, she is not talking about her remarkable career and the outstanding results associated with her work, but about the honor of being able to share with eminent researchers and scientists from sectors such as health, on For example, the same ones that achieved the basic Cuban vaccines against COVID-19.

Outside of Asdrúbal López, where she has been in business for the past 49 years and serves as a principal quality management specialist, Francesca also does an outstanding job.

In his neighborhood, on C Street, Line No. 189, Confluentes, of Guantanamo City, three decades ago served as chairman of the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution.

“I always contribute as much as I can to my city, to my country. I remember that around 1962, when I was very young, I was active in the first polio vaccination campaign. As a federal member, I was involved in the harvesting and cultivation of coffee in Piati, a municipality in El Salvador, and I contributed My blood is in voluntary donations in dangerous circumstances, such as when the devastating Hurricane Flora,” she explains.

Francesca Holder Jess loves her work and loves Guantanamo, a province she compares to coffee harvested on the hills of La Tagua: “Brilliant, aromatic, with a full floral aroma, or like beans from Colombia and Tanzania, with good acidity, aroma, intensity and texture, meaning it stays on the palate for a long time. “.

Perhaps that is why she aspires, as soon as she retires, to have a place of her own, well equipped, to continue to train students in the taste of coffee, cocoa and tea, because she asserts that “this profession, to which I have devoted almost all my life, will continue to growth, acquiring quality, level and better flavour, color and aroma. I dream of continuing to be a trainer for those people who ratify coffee in the heights,” she concludes.