Café Crema is a mixed coffee drink recipe popular in neighboring Italian and Swiss regions. This delicious drink is made with espresso, full-fat milk, sugar, and, believe it or not, a layer of cornstarch. It’s thick, creamy, and has a festive vibe to it.
Today, we can only see a variant of “café crema” that uses a very long shot of espresso.
For example, a “ristretto” is a 1-1.5oz espresso shot. An “espresso” is a 2oz shot. A “lungo” is a 3oz shot. But a “café crema” is a 6–8oz espresso shot. So the pull time is the real magician behind the different flavor profiles.
Therefore, a café crema calls for more coarsely ground coffee.
Note: Originally, “café crema” was just another name for a traditional espresso. And the word “Crema” refers to the cream on top that we usually see over a fresh shot of espresso.
The Recipe Specifications
- Time required: 7 minutes
- Ratio: 1:1 (coffee to cream)
- Drink size: 6-8 oz. per serving
Equipment
- A medium-sized cooking pot
- An espresso maker
- A coffee grinder
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of sugar per serving
- Dark-roasted coffee beans
- Whole milk
- 2 tablespoons of flour (optional)
- Chocolate powder (optional)
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1
First, take the dark-roasted coffee beans and make a coarse grind out of them
Step 2
Prepare the 6-8oz long black shot in your espresso maker with fresh ground coffee
Step 3
Put the flour, sugar, and milk into the cooking pot. Keep whisking the mixture until it’s fully dissolved
Step 4
Turn the pot’s heat to medium and immediately pour the espresso into it
Step 5
Stir continuously and bring the mixture to a light boil for 1 minute
Step 6
Now pour the mixture into your cup, top it off with chocolate powder, serve, and enjoy!