April 04, 2006 at 07:46am by Gus

Cuban Coffee, How To Make the Perfect Cafecito

Enjoying a Cuban coffee (un cafecito) is a daily ritual for many Latin Americans. I say enjoying because Latins and Americans drink their coffee a little differently.

Americans associate coffee with a quick dash into Stabucks on their way to work, or trying not to burn themselves as they order a cup at the Mc Donald’s drive thru. My grandfather drove a Greyhound bus. Because reststops were only 10 minutes in duration, he had this nifty trick of ordering coffee and spooning in some ice cubes to cool it down quickly.

But when Latins drink coffee, it’s more of a social thing. They take their coffee very seriously. I’ve come to learn that when a Latin offers me a coffee, I should graciously accept. Sharing a coffee for them is like offering you an extended handshake.

At any time of day, at the many Cuban cafes throughout Miami, people line up for café cubano which is served in thimble-sized plastic cups.  When ordered for a group, one calls it a “colada”. Cuban coffee is also served at the end of every meal in “tacitas”, which are small china cups.

There is definitely a ritual to making a cafecito. The ingrediants are pretty basic. All you need is: cuban coffee, sugar, an espresso maker, and a metal cup.

Here is how to make the perfect cafecito:

1. Pour ice cold water into your espresso maker. Your espresso maker can be a fancy machine, or just a pot on the the stove.
2. Fill the espresso maker with coffee grounds. Screw the espresso maker together and place on a hot burner.
3. In your metal cup, add about two teaspoons of sugar for each serving.
4. As the coffee begins to percolate, pour enough coffee into your metal cup to moisten the sugar. Mix the moistened sugar and coffee together until it becomes a paste.
5. Once the coffee is done, pour it slowly into the metal cup while gently mixing it with the sugar paste. If done properly, the sugar paste will create a foam. Mix in the rest of the coffee, and there you go, the perfect cafecito.

Stay tuned for tips on how to make the perfect cafe con leche.

Gus Moore heads up Miami Beach 411 as site administrator, where he has been helping people understand how Miami works for over a decade. See more articles by Gus >

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25 Responses to "Cuban Coffee, How To Make the Perfect Cafecito"

1. Cuban Coffee Guy says:

   You need to make sure people know how to make cafe con leche as well, but a nice method for the cafe cubano.

   Posted on 03/07 at 8:06 PM
2. Free Shipping Furniture says:

   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 restaurants 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 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.

   Posted on 06/12 at 11:38 AM
3. Jon the New Guy says:

   I just moved to Miami and have quickly come to love Cuban Coffee.  I’m glad I read this.  I have politely declined Cuban coffee thinking I didn’t want to impose. I hope they’ll understand it was ignorance, not rudeness.

   Posted on 08/01 at 8:39 AM
4. Gus says:

   Thanks for commenting, Jon. Welcome to Miami Beach 411.

   Posted on 08/01 at 9:15 AM
5. Dale says:

   I just came back from Miami, while I was there I was offered a coffee shot from a nice Cuban lady. It was the best I’ve ever had, I’m hooked! I asked what kind it was she said La llave, well someone translated, I just went out and bought a stovetop espresso maker and some la llave coffee. Thanks for teaching me how to make it the right way. I can’t wait till I get better at it.

   Posted on 08/26 at 9:01 PM
6. Billie Grace Carman says:

   i just had dinner with some friends fresh back from Miami, we had cuban coffee afterward or I should say “tacitas”.  I love it, I found this web site looking for a cuban coffee maker; thank you Cuba!

   Posted on 01/28 at 12:41 AM
7. Richard says:

   I would like to tell you something important the meeting I had with a retired US NAVY 2 star rank the subject was that they knew where Castro was at 24/7 I am a Jew just like we knew how they liked their coffie fixed in Eygpt our surprize atack on them Isreal 1 Gygpt 0 Tell some of your customers that America has been selling out remember when someone tampered with a over the counter Rx at a drug store the same thing is done at some Rx factories because some sick person cooked the books like at tax time loading of the program on a companies mainframe AOL is a bad to Windows Regedit PC like @aol.Someone up in Washington DC and Stock Exchange has went to bed with a coffie company in South America.Local Tv news paper should Raiders of the Lost Ark and Watergate was a something that got Nixon out of office like what got NY Gov.out of office threw the smoke and political establishment.18+ years sluffing off voted into office.41 no one to say daddy.US Medical DOD GOV.Civilian hands off.From the Ford White House.Planet of The Apes wuth ones and zeroes Redneck and KKK House of UN American Activites.The New Black September on American Soil,They burnned their bras over movie The Island.1970s ERA.

   Posted on 03/23 at 4:56 AM
8. Vic says:

   Hmm, looks like there is someone among us that has had one cafecito too many and is on one serious caffine buzz.

   Gus, thanks for the instructions.  Last week we were in Miami and we fell in love with the Cafe con Leche.  Mmmm.

   Posted on 06/30 at 1:29 AM
9. Coffee Lover says:

   Although I have never tasted a cuban coffee, it sounds great…thanks for sharing.

   Posted on 11/21 at 4:47 AM
10. Machines says:

    Interesting how coffee is different all over the world. I have tried a cuban coffee and recommend them to anyone.

    Posted on 11/21 at 4:48 AM
11. El Pinareño Cafecito Expert says:

    I would like to add one important point:  the bit of brewed coffee used to create the “crema” or “espumita” (foam) by mixing it in with the sugar must absolutely be the first half ounce or so that brews out of the espresso maker.  It is this concentrated “first milk” as it were that allows for the proper creation of a thick crema.  If you wait for the entire serving to brew and then use that more diluted coffee to create the crema, you will not get a good result.  With a little practice all of this becomes second nature, but it does require watching the coffee maker closely to catch that first brew!  ¡Buena Suerte amigos!

    Posted on 01/21 at 12:30 PM
12. Gus says:

    Your welcome, Vic.

    Good tip, El Pinareño Cafecito Expert. Your name suits you well. I’ve never heard the term “first milk” before. Thank you for posting.

    Posted on 01/21 at 12:47 PM
13. El Pinareño Cafecito Expert says:

    You’re welcome Gus.  “First milk”, technically known as “colostrum”, refers to the milk produced by the mammary glands of mammals, humans included, immediately after the offspring’s birth, or during late pregnancy.  You can instantly see the association with the first coffee that brews out of the “cafetera” when making Cuban coffee.  Cheers!

    Posted on 01/21 at 2:03 PM
14. Jon Acker says:

    While that is very informative, I like to think milk is from the dairy case (although I know the whole thing about cows, mammary glands etc.)  I really miss good Cuban coffee.  I’m back in Austin now, and the stuff I make just ain’t the same.

    Posted on 01/21 at 2:21 PM
15. Ashley says:

    My friend Gina just taught me how to make Colada as well. It is so good, but in heavy doses is like liquid crack. So Good!

    Posted on 02/26 at 1:00 PM
16. El Pinareño Cafecito Expert says:

    Ashley, if you can down a whole colada by yourself then you belong in the Cafecito Drinkers’ Hall of Fame, and “liquid crack” is an understatement.  For those not in the know, a “colada” is one large serving of Cuban coffee meant to serve multiple drinkers with demitasse servings.

    Posted on 02/26 at 3:30 PM
17. Ashley says:

    No intentions of offending anyone if I have misused the word “colada,” as I know that the topic of Cuban Coffee is such a sensitive area. Thanks for bringing all of us NON EXPERTS in THE KNOW… And I must be on real crack because I cant recall ever saying that I have downed a whole Colada by myself… DEMITASSE THAT! And thanks for posting!

    Posted on 02/27 at 11:24 AM
18. Jon the New Guy says:

    My name is Jon and I have drunk a whole colada myself.

    Posted on 02/27 at 2:15 PM
19. Gilbert Hero says:

    Gus, Check this product out nothing like it in Miami!  http://www.paracafe.com

    Posted on 04/01 at 9:01 AM
20. El Pinareño Cafecito Expert says:

    Gilbert, that is one cool device!  I’m going to order mine right away, as I’m tired of the mess I make with the tamper.  Although the demo video didn’t show it, my guess is this thing tamps down as well.  Thanks for posting!

    Posted on 04/01 at 4:46 PM
21. Barb says:

    Coming from a Cuban-American family, we never had an espresso machine or coffee maker in our house growing up…and to this day, I still have never owned a coffee maker. We made our coffee right on the stove top..the aroma is amazing..i have fond memories of making my dad his “cafecito”..I brought the water, sugar and coffee to a boil and right before that foam hit the top of the pot, I’d turn off the stove..pour the coffee into the cloth coffee strainer and with hot buttered cuban bread - it was simply amazing!

    Posted on 05/23 at 6:20 AM
22. El Pinareño Cafecito Expert says:

    Barb, that’s the way it was in the Old Country, where the old cloth “colador” was the standard way to make coffee.  This method is still used today by some Cuban Americans in the US and elsewhere, and I have seen it used in other parts of Latin America. Needless to say, the brew was served really hot, requiring us kids to drink from the saucer so that the coffee could cool off.  What memories!

    Posted on 05/29 at 12:42 AM
23. jerry says:

    Just back from Hollywood Beach, Florida where I had delicious cafecitos on the Broadwalk at Havaco, looking out over the ocean.. Of course, now I am again trying to recreate that because I need my fix of Cafe Cubano! I would love to know the exact steps to Barb’s method, if anyone could share?

    Posted on 05/29 at 12:00 PM
24. Jasmine says:

    cuban coffee is more complex at times and there are many different ways to make it. my boyfriends step dad is from cuba he came over here like 27 years ago and they make the best cuban coffee. nevcer turn it down its like an insult but any one whos truley had coffe has had cuban coffee if not your totally missing out make it and whonce u go cuban theres no more american starbucks instant coffee.

    Posted on 10/02 at 9:34 PM
25. 22.El Pinareño Cafecito Expert says:

    Jerry, the old “colador” method is quite simple.  You first have to aquire the “colador” which is nothing more than a piece of cloth hanging from a ring (kind of like a fish scooper). You put the ground coffee in it, boil water, and pour it over the coffee until all of it filters through.  It’s a bit like quick percolation.  Add sugar to the brew (to taste) and that’s all there is to it.  It’s a bit difficult to get “crema” or “espumita” out of the coffee via this method, but it’s possible if you just put the first few drops of the brewed coffee into the pre-measured sugar and make the paste, same as with the espresso method.  BTW, coladores may be picked up for a couple of bucks at most Latin markets in Miami.  Wouldn’t know about elsewhere in the US.

    Posted on 10/02 at 10:12 PM

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