CARACAS (Reuters) - Long a nation of coffee connoisseurs, Venezuelans now have yet another variety to choose from at cafes -- “socialist” or “capitalist” brews.

Women have a cup of coffee at socialist Cafe Venezuela in downtown Caracas November 24, 2010. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

A state-run coffee shop chain has sprung up giving customers parallel price-lists to show them the wrongs of the free market and benefits of a state-controlled economy.

At one of the Cafe Venezuela shops on the corner of a historic square of central Caracas, the menu offers a large coffee at 2.5 bolivars on the “socialist price” list. The menu also has the “capitalist price” charged elsewhere -- 5 bolivars.

The idea is to provide Venezuelans with cut-price coffee and also promote the controversial left-wing politics of President Hugo Chavez’s government.

In his 12th year in power, the radical former soldier called this week on the armed forces and parliament to embrace “extreme left” policies as he seeks to further radicalize a “revolution” that has already changed the face of Venezuela.

Subsidized food for the poor has been a major platform for Chavez, although with mixed success given shortages of some products and runaway prices in other sectors.

While some supporters are balking at the pace of change in Venezuela, including widespread nationalizations, most at Cafe Venezuela on a recent sunny morning said they would be happy if it brought them more cheap coffee.

“This cafe is a symbol of a national policy that is doing away with exploitation of the poor,” said decorator Cristobal Isturiz, 70, savoring a brew with friends on the cafe terrace.

“National coffee, at national prices. You can’t beat it.”

Critics say Cafe Venezuela and other such initiatives are populist gimmicks masking Venezuela’s deep economic problems, including one of the world’s highest inflation rates and a nearly two-year-long recession.

But there can be no doubting the counter prices.

Venezuela’s staple food arepas, essentially a fat cornmeal pancake, go for 7.5 bolivars each at Cafe Venezuela, which is about a third of the cost of most private establishments.

To drive the point home, a diagram on the wall shows customers just how the prices are reached, with the cost for labor, overheads and raw materials all detailed.

“Made in Socialism” badges adorn posters and menus, while the queue of customers stretches deep into the street.

Nearby, in a sign of Venezuela’s indelibly capitalist side, the streets are packed with vendors offering pirated Hollywood movies and U.S. army-style T-shirts.

While Chavez has brought Marxist thinking to Venezuela, the OPEC member nation still ironically remains one of the most Americanized societies in Latin America.