In 1720, Frenchman Gabriel de Clieu attempted to transport two coffee plants—cuttings from Louis XIV’s royal stock—to Martinique.  de Clieu landed on Martinique with one coffee plant still intact. From that sole survivor, the Typica variety of coffee arose.  Coffee seeds from that plant’s descendants arrived in Hispaniola in 1735.  A few years later, young Typica plants were taking root in the rich soils of what is now the Dominican Republic.  The offspring of those original plants still grace the forested slopes of the Dominican Republic, where some of the oldest coffee farms in the New World produce extraordinary coffee that reflects this remarkable heritage. 

In most Latin and Central American countries, coffee is produced primarily for export.  Much of the coffee grown in the Dominican Republic, however, stays within its borders, where it is savored as an elixir of life!  Four mountain ranges span the western half of this island nation.  It is home to the loftiest peak in the Caribbean, the 3175-meter (10,417-foot) Pico Duarte.  Specialty coffee is planted on terraced mountain slopes, with the best quality beans produced at altitudes of 1000 meters (3,500 feet) and above.  The island lies at 19 degrees north latitude, and thus enjoys a climate that is markedly different from the rest of the coffee-producing regions in the Americas.  Warm ocean currents and gentle trade winds keep the temperature ideal for coffee cultivation, although it is sufficiently cool during the winter to induce 3 to 5 flowerings on coffee plants.  Numerous flowerings, throughout a range of high altitudes, mean that coffee is produced almost year-round in the Dominican Republic.  There is no definite rainy season in the Dominican Republic.  Instead, rainfall (1,800 to 2,000 mm (70 - 79 inches)) is favorably distributed throughout the year. Nurtured by soft rains that span a long growing season, coffee cherries ripen slowly, insuring greater consistency and quality in the resulting beans.  Three of the mountain ranges in the Dominican Republic are formed primarily of limestone, while the fourth range is composed of granite. Calcium and other minerals in these mountain soils impart a unique taste to Dominican Republic coffee.