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How to Make Cuban Coffee?

Perfectly sweet and authentic Cuban coffee, also known as cafecito or café Cubano, is made with a strong espresso shot and topped with a thick foam of sugar. Cuban coffee is a favorite beverage for many people.

cuban coffee.

If you’ve tried this coffee brew, you’ll have discovered what you’ve been missing. If you’re assuming that Starbucks coffee brews are the strongest coffees, then you won’t hold the same view after trying Cuban coffee. It’s one of the most delicious beverage treats you can ever have.

Cafecito is part of coffee culture for many people. It’s often made after meals. It’s also ordered in Cuban restaurants as a dessert. Lovers of cafecito often buy it for strangers, whereby they share one serving in several smaller cups.

What Does Cuban Coffee Entail?

Cuban coffee refers to a dark roast and strong espresso brew that’s quite bitter. Its bitterness makes its lovers add a delicious sugar foam known as espumita to sweeten it. Espumita is prepared by mixing brewed espresso with granulated sugar.

Varieties of Cafecito

There’re several varieties of cafecito to choose from including:

  1. Cortadito

Cortadito refers to a single shot of Cuban espresso without any sweetener and contains steamed milk. However, you can sweeten it if need be.

  1. Colada

Colada refers to a Cuban espresso containing espumita and served in 4-ounce Styrofoam cups. Smaller plastic cups are available for sharing the brew.

  1. Café con Leche

It’s a Cuban espresso that’s served without any sweetener but contains hot whole milk. It’s often served for breakfast alongside a buttered toast.

As you can see, these Cuban coffee varieties are all based on espresso. Here’s how to prepare authentic Cuban coffee containing espumita.

Step 1- Prepare the espresso

Add ground espresso coffee and water to an espresso maker depending on the directions of the manufacturer. Place the espresso maker on a stove and make the espresso. The heat level on your stove should be set at exactly medium-high.

Step 2- Prepare the espumita

Add granulated sugar into a creamer cup or measuring cup. Add some drops of the espresso into the measuring cup. Preferably, start with adding the first initial drops coming from your espresso maker as they’re more concentrated than the rest of the brew. The high concentration is what you’re after when making cafecito. Next, allow your espresso to continue brewing while making espumita.

Stir the contents in the measuring cup to form a thick, pale sugar foam. If it’s your first time doing this, be ready to do make numerous trials and errors before perfecting. You’ll learn about the amount of sugar to add with practice.

Step 3- Combine the espumita with the espresso

Add the rest of the espresso brew into the measuring cup containing the espumita. Stir the contents slowly to mix them. Serve the brew in espresso cups.

Can you use brown sugar in place of granulated sugar when making sugar foam?

Although you can use both sugars to make espumita for your cafecito, it’s recommended to use granulated sugar. Using brown sugar forms a thicker espumita and more sweetness than recommended for a cafecito. The reason behind this is that brown sugar contains molasses. Regardless, you can use either type of sugar depending on your taste preferences.

 

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