Puerto Rico's largest coffee producer by the 1890s, when coffee was called 'oro negro'. Third-largest in the 2002 USDA census.
Utuado, the third-largest Puerto Rican municipality by land area, experienced explosive growth around coffee in the late 19th century, when coffee was known as 'oro negro' (black gold), and by the 1890s it was the island's largest coffee producer. The boom ended in 1899 with the US occupation, which shifted focus to sugar, and Hurricane San Ciriaco, which destroyed the coffee haciendas. Per the 2002 USDA Agricultural Census, Utuado had regained some standing and was the third-largest coffee producer in Puerto Rico.
Field notes
- i
Locals once called coffee 'oro negro' (black gold) during Utuado's 1890s boom, when it was the island's largest coffee producer.
- ii
Hurricane San Ciriaco struck in 1899, just a year after the US acquisition, devastating Utuado's coffee haciendas and compounding the industry's decline.
- iii
In a 2006 census of Puerto Rican coffee roasters surveyed by the University of Puerto Rico, 40% of the 30 respondents were in the Utuado region.
Sources · 2 Every sentence here was checked against a source we read. Taste notes are what guides describe, not promises about your bag. Last revised 2026-11-11. Some details here are less settled than others.
- Utuado, Puerto Rico · Wikimedia Foundation
- Manual para la Produccion y Exportacion de Cafe de Puerto Rico (Marketing Analysis: An Action Plan for Puerto Rican Coffee Producers) · University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus, Agricultural Extension Service