How to make Café Cubano (Cuban Coffee)

The Shot

What tequila is to liquor, café cubano is to the world of coffee. It is not sipped or savored … it is shot! Café cubano is at-least double the strength of American coffee. It is a daily morning ritual for Cubans and Cuban-Americans. At any time of day or night at the countless little Cuban coffee house restaurant shops that dot Miami, people line up for "jolts" of café cubano served in thimble-sized paper cups. Cuban coffee is served at the end of a meal in tacitas that are smaller than demitasse coffee cups.

The old-fashioned way to make café cubano is in a pot on the stove, though the truth is that Cubans in this country make their coffee in Italian espresso makers.

The Coffee

You can best approximate the taste of cuban coffee by using finely ground, almost powdered, Jamaican beans. Cubans enjoy their coffee with generous amounts of sugar. I have added sugar this coffee recipe since that is how it generally is made,but if you wish to omit the sugar, that's fine.

The Process

Unscrew the Italian espresso maker and remove the metal filter cup from the bottom half. Pour ice cold water into the bottom of the espresso maker up to the bolt located on the inside.

Position the metal filter cup back into the bottom half and tamp very tightly with coffee grounds, leveling it off at the top. Screw the espresso maker together and place on a hot burner (high heat). While keeping an eye on the espresso maker, take a metal cup and pour about one teaspoon for each tacita.

A typical Italian espresso maker makes four tacitas, but they are available in as small as two (for the lonely Cuban bachelor) and as many as eight and up (for Noche Buena - the family Christmas Eve dinner). As the first trickles of coffee percolate, pour enough to moisten the sugar in the metal cup. Vigorously mix the moistened sugar and coffee until it becomes a light paste.

In the meantime, take the espresso maker of the heat once the top portion is about 3/4 of the way full. This will prevent it from burning and/or overflowing onto your stove. Once the coffee is done, pour it slowly into the metal cup while gently mixing it with the sugar paste. If done properly (and yes … it does take practice and a special touch), the sugar paste will create a "foam" once it is mixed with the rest of the coffee. Pour into tacitas or demitasse cups … and shoot!

Café con Leche (Cuban Coffee with Milk)

Café cubano's quieter cousin, café con leche should be called leche con café for it really is milk with coffee. A steaming cup of this sweet, comforting potion served with toasted bread or cuban crackers is a typical Cuban breakfast.

Heat milk in a pot. Café con leche is usually made with whole milk, or a mixture of whole and evaporated milk, but any milk will do - dare I say, even soy (Sorry Abuelita!).

Pour the hot milk in a mug, filling it almost to the top. Throw in a tacita of café cubano and stir. If interested in getting your cuban coffee supplies on-line, make sure to get them at cubanfoodmarket.com

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Article written by Maria-Victoria Suarez from ineedcoffee.com