Local coffee shop sets itself apart with South American inspired coffee

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - Cafe Con Papi opened early last year on 6th street.

“We didn’t have a grand opening, it was more of a small opening,” said Jose Delgado, Owner of Cafe Con Papi. “So, we got to get the community to come in and it was great. Just getting the feedback about how Reno is up and growing and just having something unique like this.”

Delgado has drawn inspirations from Miami, parts of California, and, of course, South America.

“Our menu is more Latin based, from working as a mixologist in Southern California and Miami,” said Delgado. “I went to South America, Nicaragua, Costa Rica. They were giving me special drinks like Cafe de la Hoya. I learned how to do a little bit of mixing with banana as well.”

It’s important to him to not only bring a unique coffee shop to Reno, but to represent his culture as well.

“I’m bringing this Latin inspired coffee from where coffee originates from, especially from Colombian and you’ve got your Nicaraguan coffee, I just feel like we need to embrace that.”

Their two most popular drinks are the Cafe con Platano and Cafe de Hoya.

“The Cafe Con Platano is our banana-based coffee. It’s banana organic powder and banana syrup. I got the idea in my travels in South America. I had a lot of plantain with my food, and I mixed some powder with coffee and thought, we don’t have that in the United States, why not bring it to the States and change around things. Cafe de Hoya goes back to the 1900s in the Mexican Revolution when women took a big part in the front lines. They would actually make these big clay pots for the soldiers to give them an energy boost and they would serve these Cafe de hoyas, which is infused with cinnamon, cane sugar, and coffee as well.”

To Jose, Cafe con Papi is more than just a coffee shop and more than sharing his culture. It’s about sharing a coffee with someone you care about.

“Cafe con Papi kind of comes from that as well. From my dad being a big inspiration in my life. So, when we first got this building, it was me and him, building and painting. As for my mom, she would always toss in her two cents and tell me what to use and what I’m lacking. That family support is just great.”

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