Cuban Coffee (Cafecito)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup finely ground coffee, or amount needed for pot
• 1 1/2 cups water, or amount needed for pot
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Steps to Make It

1. Gather the ingredients.
2. In a large stovetop espresso maker, brew coffee according to the manufacturer’s instructions using fine-ground coffee.
3. In a glass measuring cup with at least 2 cup capacity, add the sugar. Once a little bit of coffee has brewed, add about 1 tablespoon to the sugar. Reserve a little extra coffee concentrate in a small dish to use if needed. Place the pot back on the stove to finish brewing.
4. Make the espuma by using a small whisk or spoon to vigorously beat the sugar and espresso until it is a pale brown, almost foamy paste, about 2 to 3 minutes. You cannot beat it too much.
5. When the coffee has finished brewing, pour it over the espuma while stirring to incorporate. Let the foamy crema rise to the top.
6. Pour into individual demitasse espresso cups. Shake the measuring cup a little and use a spoon as you pour to get crema into each cup.
7. Serve and enjoy.

Tips

• Use the amount of coffee and water required for the capacity of espresso maker you’re using.
• When whipping the espuma, it will be grainy at first. Keep going and it will turn into a foamy paste. It should be thick enough to drip off the end of the whisk or spoon but not runny and the sugar should be nearly dissolved. Add another splash of concentrated espresso if needed.
• There’s no need to adjust the sugar to your size pot—1/4 cup works for 6-cup and 9-cup pots. The larger volume will not be quite as sweet.
• You can use a 3-cup moka pot but will need to reduce the espuma or the coffee will be too sweet. Since 1/4 cup of sugar is easier to beat into espuma than 1/8 cup, consider making the larger amount. Once the espuma is ready, divide it in half or spoon a tablespoon (or to taste) of espuma into individual cups. Store excess espuma in a sealed container in the refrigerator and use it within a day; let it reach room temperature and whip again before adding coffee. The second round may not be perfect, but it will still taste good.

How Strong Is Cuban Coffee?

Cuban coffee consists of strong coffee sugar, so it has the same amount of caffeine as a strong cup of black coffee (50 or more milligrams per 1/2 cup serving, depending on the beans, roast, and coffee maker). Cuban coffee can also be made using decaf coffee.