Cafe Cubano

[Confuzius]

It's something I've been wanting to try.

Espresso with raw or brown sugar in with the grounds while the coffee is brewed.

I haven't done it yet, because I'm kind of scared of the clean-up involved, but would be more likely to try it with my moka pot.

Does anyone have any experience with this or any kind of ratio or recipe they can share?

[sehrgut]

I haven't done it yet, because I'm kind of scared of the clean-up involved, but would be more likely to try it with my moka pot.

Does anyone have any experience with this or any kind of ratio or recipe they can share?

The general starting point is 1 tsp per serving of coffee. You definitely only want to make cubano in a moka (which is how it was originally made anyway), and not risk gunking up your espresso machine. Make sure you rinse the moka with hot water immediately afterwards, however.

[PedroNavaja]

I remember when I was a kid, some 55 years ago, my mother use to make cuban coffee by first grinding the coffee beans, boiling the ground coffee with water and brown sugar and then putting it through a cloth colander.
Of course I didn't drink coffee at that time, so I can't say how good or bad it was, but comming from my mom, I'm sure it was great.
Now I drink espresso several times a day, and we use Cafe Bustelo and a Mokka Express, no sugar.
When I travel to Miami, I get my cuban coffee with sugar. I love it. :001_smile

[ratcheer]

Cuban coffee. Ummmm. Delicious stuff!

Tim

[EAnglin]

I was taught to make Cuban coffee by an old Cuban lady and she used a very different method.

First you prepare the moka pot as you would for any espresso, but you heat it rather slowly and watch over it as the water comes to a boil.
Have your sugar (One teaspoon per cup plus one for the pot was a starting guideline. Adjust per your preference.) ready nearby in a glass measuring cup or wide mouthed pitcher. My teacher recommended extra-fine sugar. Have a sturdy log handles spoon ready.

As soon as the coffee begins to bubble up into the upper chamber, remove the moka pot from the heat and quickly dribble the first oily drops of coffe over the sugar- this is the trick part- you want to get *just* enough coffee to moisten the sugar and form a thick creamy paste. The first drops are far oiler and thicker than the later part of the brew, and you want the stuff you mix in to be as oily and thick as possible.

Put the pot back on to finish brewing. While the pot brews start beating the sugar and coffee into a thick froth- it should become creamy and look a bit like runny caramel frosting (Not too stiff and it it shouldn't be gritty if you whip it properly.)

Pour the coffee into your mixing vessel and stir everything together quickly then pour immediately into tiny serving cups- idealy it should all be poured into cups before the frothy sugar foam has a chance to rise to the surface.

If you do it right each cup will have a 1/8 -1/4 inch layer of rich coffee-caramel foam on the top.

Mmmmm...I need to get replacement seals for my moka pots or just buy new pots and make this again.

[Trius]

EAnglin: Wow, cool! I have to try that.