To me, Cuban coffee, aka cafecito, is life. I can certainly say that I would not be where I am today without Cuban coffee. It has gotten me through undergrad, med school, residency, and now attending-hood. You can ask my wife, if I dont have my Cuban coffee in the morning, I am not a very pleasant person to deal with. It’s to the point that I have an electric cuban coffee maker that I specifically use for travel. Some may say I am addicted, but I just say it’s my livelihood!
For those of you who don’t know, I did my residency in New York, Cuban coffee is not a thing. You can’t throw a rock in Miami without hitting a ventana that is selling Cuban coffee. So, of course I bought a Cuban coffee maker for residency and by the time I finished my residency, not only did I have everyone drinking it, I also taught a few of the residents how to make it so that they could continue drinking it once I left.
What is the espumita?
Espumita is the foam you see on top of every Cuban Cafecito. It is made by combining the first bit of coffee made, and pouring it into sugar and whipping it up with a spoon really fast.
How much sugar should I use to make Cuban coffee?
This depends on how sweet you like your coffee and the size of the coffee maker. Here are the measurements I recommend depending on the size of your coffee maker, but feel free to adjust to your liking.
- 6 cup Cuban coffee maker: 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 9 cup Cuban coffee maker: 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 12 cup Cuban coffee maker: 4 tablespoons of sugar
Don’t worry, these are not real measurement cups, they are more espresso size servings which are traditionally about 3 oz.
How do you make Cuban coffee?
First thing you are going to need to get is a Cuban coffee maker, or some may call it a percolator. You can buy one by clicking here and looking at the “Cuban Coffee Starter Pack” I put together. Once you have this, just follow these easy steps:
- Assemble your coffee: Fill the water reservoir up to the little knob inside. Then pack the coffee filter tightly with coffee and place it into the water reservoir. Screw the top on tightly.
- Brew your coffee: Place the coffee maker on the stove over high heat.
- Make your espumita: Place the sugar in a measuring cup. Keeping an eye on the coffee while it is brewing, use the first few drops of coffee that come out and pour it into the sugar. Be careful not to pour too much because you don’t want to make it watery. Next, start stirring the sugar and coffee together very quickly, until a pale thick paste is formed.
- Combine the coffee with the sugar: Once your coffee is done brewing, stir the coffee into the sugar slowly, making sure that all the sugar is dissolved. Serve in espresso cups and enjoy!
Ingredients
- Ground espresso
- Sugar
- Stove top espresso maker
- Measuring cup
Instructions
- Fill the water reservoir up to the little knob inside. Then pack the coffee filter tightly with coffee and place it into the water reservoir. Screw the top on tightly.
- Place the coffee maker on the stove over high heat.
- Place the sugar in a measuring cup. Keeping an eye on the coffee while it is brewing, use the first few drops of coffee that come out and pour it into the sugar. This part of the coffee is the thickest and most concentrated, which is what we want. (Be careful not to pour too much because you don’t want to make it watery.)
- Next start stirring the sugar and coffee together very quickly, until a thick pale paste is formed.
- Once your coffee is done brewing, stir the coffee into the sugar slowly, making sure that all the sugar is dissolved. You should see your espumita form.
- Serve in espresso cups and enjoy!
I looove Cuban coffee as well! When I first learned to make it I was surprised there is no dairy in it and the espumita is just whipped sugar and coffee.
Gotta ask, what’s your favorite brand of coffee? So far I’ve tried Cafe La Llave and Cafe Bustelo.
Hi! So I typically use the cafe bustelo supremo (sumpreme) which is a yellow and black packaging. My in laws love the pilon negro (which is also in a black packaging). Cafe la llave is also good, I just had a hard time finding it when I lived in New York and really only cold find the bustelo one up there. Hopes this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.