P.R. nabs Guinness world record for largest cup of coffee
González, Fernández and Montañez stand in front of the mammoth cup of coffee to be featured at the event.
Puerto Rico landed itself yet another Guinness world record Sunday, with the certification of the world’s largest cup of coffee, an 11-foot aluminum vessel that held 2,750 gallons of the aromatic beverage and served more than 50,000 people during this weekend’s Puerto Rico Coffee Expo event.
A trio of young entrepreneurs that have set out to help the island’s coffee industry spring back into the international spotlight accomplished the historic feat.
Pedro Fernández, co-producer and partner of the event’s organizing firm, CUBE Group Inc., said “we want to help continue taking our coffee industry to the next level and to the world.”
The gigantic cup of coffee, made by Juncos Steel, was crafted of aluminum and lined with a layer of foam insulation to keep the java warm. At 11 feet high and 7 feet in diameter, the cup was large enough to hold the record-breaking amount of coffee, and then some, said Paul González, another partner of CUBE Group Inc.
“We really ended up making like 3,300 gallons of coffee, which were sold cup-by-cup, to benefit the United Way,” he said.
The second edition of the Puerto Rico Coffee Expo event gathered about 30 brands of coffee produced by local farmers and drew more than 20,000 participants who enjoyed product tastings and got the chance to buy them as well.
“Our coffee farmers make spectacular coffee. All that’s needed now is that element of taking it from the farm to the rest of the world,” González said. “The Puerto Rico Coffee expo is one of the ways we’re helping them gain exposure, as well as through the www.puertoricoiscoffee.com website.”
The site has 15 brands of coffee already available for sale through the virtual store, González noted.
CUBE Group Inc. will now look for a place to store and display the record-breaking cup of coffee.
The gargantuan cup of coffee certified Sunday at the Miramar Convention Center beat out the previous record set in October 2010, when GourmetGiftBaskets.com presented a cup holding 2,010 gallons of the brew during an event at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, according to Guinness World Records.
“We already had about three or four records that we had recognized in this category since 2004. This was very good coffee they made,” said Johanna Hessling, Guinness World Record judge and certifier. “This record will go into the www.guinnessworldrecords.com databank, which can be reviewed by anybody.”
While it is not a sure thing that this record will get into the book itself, as Guinness certifies 40,000 feats a year and includes 4,000 in the annual publication, the possibility is not completely discarded as the organization does “not get many records from Puerto Rico,” she said.
“When we travel to certify the record, it lifts the chances for it to get into the book, which in this case would be the 2013 edition that will publish next September,” Hessling added.
Meanwhile, Orlando Montañez, the third co-producer and partner of CUBE Group Inc., said he and his partners will now look for a place to display the cup for the public to enjoy.
How to make Puerto Rican coffee
Ingredients:
1 / 2 cup water
2 tablespoons coffee
2 ounces boiled milk
1 tablespoon sugar (or to taste)
procedure:
1. Mix the coffee with water and boil 2 minutes.
2. Strain the coffee in coffee sock.
3. In a cup, combine brewed coffee with milk.
4. Add sugar to taste.
PuertoRicoCoffeeShop.com
Choose from our selection of true and delicious coffee from Puerto Rico
Thank you Evelyn. Let’s talk next week, as I would like to write something about your site as well.