In honor of Santiago Lorenzo
Named for Santiago, our El Cubanito.
El Cubanito was the nickname of our dad, Santiago Lorenzo, given to him by a Puerto Rican acquaintance during our childhood. He was Cuban and loved sharing his stories with anyone who would listen. One of our last conversations with him took us back to Esmeralda and Remedios.
He told us about his grandfather, who served as mayor in a Cuban town before the family moved to Remedios, helped bring streetlights to his community, and owned a cigar factory. Santiago’s father, Rogelio, and Rogelio’s brothers began working there at just seven years old. On his mother Braulia’s side, his grandfather fought for Cuba against Spain as a young man.
Santiago was proud to be a boy from Cuba who built a life in the United States, and proud of the family he raised. He often told me I reminded him of himself and that he was proud of the life I was building for my daughters.
In our family, coffee was never just coffee—it was a reason to sit awhile, talk, laugh, and make room for one more person. Every cup we serve carries Santiago’s warmth and hospitality. This little coffee house is our way of honoring him and sharing that feeling with our Kingwood community.
Con cariño,
the El Cubanito family