Winter In Key West

The leaves outside have turned yellow and red and many have fallen to the ground.  For the past couple of days, rain has drizzled down ushering in a cold front that has dropped the low temperatures into the 30's.  On overcast and rainy days with winter kicking in the door, my mind tends to drift southward.  Key West seems to stay on my  mind.

Winters in my home state of Mississippi are generally mild compared to most of the U.S. however, they would seem harsh in comparison to those of Key West.  Since the time that the U.S. Weather Service has maintained records, the lowest recorded temperature in Key West is 41 degrees F and that was in 1886.   I would imagine that somewhere around 65 degrees, the citizens of Key West break out their sweaters.

Friday evening as I looked at the cold rain falling outside my office window, I checked the temperature in Key West, it was 80 degrees.

The average winter temperatures for Key West are as follows:

November:   80 high / 72 low
December:    76 high / 67 low
January:        74 high / 64 low
February:      76 high / 66 low
March:          78 high / 68 low

Winter has been brutal.  I could live with a little Key West weather!   CURRENT WEATHER IN KEY WEST.

A Nice Little Surprise: Cuban Coffee Queen

               Cuban Coffee Queen, 284 Margaret Street, Key West, FL

It definitely doesn't stand out.  Hidden on the northern side of the island in a small building from another time is the Cuban Coffee Queen.

I never really searched out the Cuban Coffee Queen (CCQ).  It just kind of happened.  As I searched through a couple of apps for restaurants where I had never been, I continued to stumble upon the CCQ as a great place for coffee and sandwiches.  After reading several rave reviews, we decided we'd give it a try.

One evening after sunset, my wife and I walked in the direction of the CCQ and initially failed to find it.  We were looking for a much bigger and more prominent location than what the CCQ actually is.  In the darkness, we finally spotted the tiny rustic building, lights out.  Disappointed, we walked to the window and read the operating hours.  The simplicity and rawness of the building along with the reviews that we had read had us intrigued.  We declared that we would be back.

A couple of mornings later, as we began our morning walk around the island, we made our first stop at the CCQ.  Standing in a short line, we checked out the menu.  I got the hot Cafe con leche while my wife got the iced coffee.  The ice was an espresso ice, a nice touch.

As we strolled the island, we sipped on our coffees and took in the beauty that is Key West.  I am not  a coffee connoisseur but I do know that my coffee was very good.  I also purchased a breakfast sandwich called, the Key Wester.  It is two eggs, American cheese and a choice of ham, bacon, sausage or pork on pressed Cuban bread, and it is very good! I purchased the Key Wester based upon some good reviews from Yelp.  It did not disappoint.

I only have one major regret.  They had a great t-shirt that I wish I had purchased, but I suppose the last thing that I need is another t-shirt.

I would highly recommend a visit to the Cuban Coffee Queen.   You won't be disappointed.

UPDATE:  There is now another location for Cuban Coffee Queen.  The new location is in downtown Key West off of Duval Street near the corner of  Southard.  It is in Key Lime Square, 5 Key Lime Square to be exact.  It is open from 7am to 9pm and there is seating for dine-in.  They also have pick-up and delivery.  For a delivery, call 305-294-7787.

While this original blog was concerning the location pictured above, the Key Lime Square location is the one that I frequented most on my last visit to Key West and is more central to the island just off of Duval.



The original Cuban Coffee Queen is located at: 284 Margaret Street, Key West, FL