To most Spanish-speaking peoples, tinto is red wine; to Colombians, it is a tiny cup of black coffeeand a social institution that ranks with the Englishman's tea, the Argentine's mate and the Norteamericano's cocktails. Over their four or five daily tintos in drab little cafes (many cater exclusively to lawyers, bullfight fans, et al.), Colombians make & break governments, trade plantations and gold mines, brood about mistresses and write poems.
For a hundred years and more, a tinto has sold for 5 centavos. Last week inflation-harried café owners asked the price control board...
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