Cuban coffee, aka café Cubano, aka Cafecito, is one of the crowd pleasers in the Cuban community living in the United States. And anyone who has tried it gets it straight away. This will put your strong Starbucks coffee to shame. It’s also been ordered as a dessert in Cuban restaurants.
Café Cubano requires a strong, dark-roasted espresso (i.e., Café Bustelo) that has some bitterness as well.
This is why it requires a sweetener. But the recipe demands a different form of sweetening called “Espumita”. It’s a thick mixture made with sugar and the first few drops of brewed espresso.
The Recipe Specifications
- Time required: 20 minutes
- Drink size: 6 servings at once
- Ratio: 1:2 (cup to teaspoons of sugar)
Equipment
- An espresso maker (stovetop or a machine)
- A bowl and whisk for making Espumita
Ingredients
- Dark-roasted ground espresso (preferably Cuban ground coffee)
- White sugar
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1
Put your ground coffee into your espresso maker and brew the espresso
Step 2
Now take the empty bowl and pour in the sugar. We recommend 1 to 1.5 teaspoons per cup as ideal. But traditional recipes require 2 teaspoons of sugar per cup
Step 3
Add the first few drops of espresso to the bowl of sugar. Vigorously stir the mixture until it turns into a pale and thick but drippy-textured foam, aka the Espumita
Step 4
Once the brewing is done completely, pour the brew into the Espumita and stir together slowly. Once combined, pour into espresso cups right away
Step 5
Serve and enjoy!
