Cuba Café and Cuba Ron create a Creole version of the espresso martini at Varadero Gourmet.

The 14th Varadero Gourmet International Festival continues in Cuba’s main resort as a showcase where the regime projects an image of luxury and sophistication, completely detached from the harsh reality faced by the people, exemplified in the presentation this Thursday of a Creole version of the espresso martini.

The company Cuba Café showcased on Facebook its collaboration with the corporation Cuba Ron, in which they created a version of the espresso martini, combining the gourmet coffee "Guantanamera Algo Diferente," the rum "Perla del Norte," and a touch of cocoa liqueur.

The entity described the gourmet product as a "coffee coming from blends of the Arabica variety, with a subtle flavor, clean, with a good body and medium acidity in the cup," an ostentatious display that contrasts with the reality of the population, which struggles with food shortages and an economic crisis that keeps them far from any possibility of enjoying these luxuries.

"Expression of the gastronomic culture of Cuba," affirmed the company Cuba Café in reference to the Creole version of the espresso martini, a statement that is ironic, as currently most Cubans can barely access decent coffee.

The 14th Varadero Gourmet International Festival will take place until Friday at the Plaza América Convention Center in the resort city of Matanzas, all amid one of the worst economic crises the country has faced in recent decades.

While the people have nothing to put on the table due to the shortages and inflation generated by the failed economic policies of leader Miguel Díaz-Canel, the participants in the event will debate the topic of "The evolution of Cuban gastronomy," as reported by the website Excelencias Gourmet.

The event brings together experts from the professional field through various conferences, and will also include cooking, gastronomy, and cocktail competitions, as well as specialized exhibitions, all under a media and political construction, which is very far removed from the reality of the average Cuban, who suffers from an acute shortage of food.

The holding of the Varadero Gourmet has provoked numerous reactions from people who criticized the Cuban leader for celebrating an international food festival at a time when the people are facing one of the worst food crises in their history.

While in many homes people have nothing to put on the table, the regime inaugurated the 14th Varadero Gourmet International Festival on Wednesday, with great pomp, featuring cooking, gastronomy, and cocktail competitions.

"With the hunger that most Cubans are experiencing, seeing these things fills us with outrage. They do it on purpose, there is no respect at all for my people, most of whom are elderly and sick," commented an internet user on CiberCuba's post on Facebook.