Cuban Coffee Recipe

Cuban coffee, also known as Cuban espresso, is a type of sweetened espresso which originated in Cuba. It has many other names besides Cuban coffee and espresso, such as Café Cubano, cafecito, Cuban pull, and Cuban shot.

Cuban espresso can be made using an automatic espresso machine or a stovetop espresso maker, Moka pot. Coffee beans should be dark roasted and ground very finely, an espresso grind.

Since Cuban coffee is made with dark roast coffee beans, it tastes very strong and bitter. That’s why it is sweetened with sugary foam called espuma or espumita, made by whipping sugar and the first few drops of espresso. So, it has a rich and sweet taste in the end.

Cuban people originally used to make Cuban espresso using brown sugar. But today, granulated sugar is also used a lot, but brown sugar still creates a thicker foam.

Besides the one described in this recipe, there are three different versions of Cuban espresso. Colada is 4-6 shots of Cuban coffee served in a big styrofoam cup. It comes with some small plastic cups, and is meant to be shared among friends. Colada is very common in South Florida and is the symbol of camaraderie.

The other two versions, cortadito and café con leche, are Cuban coffee served with steamed milk, cortadito being with less milk than café con leche. Café con leche is mostly served at breakfast, along with slices of buttered Cuban toast.

Now let’s move on to the recipe below and learn how to make Cuban coffee at home!