If you have not heard of Café de Olla and you like your coffee sweet, then this is a great way to serve coffee. The name Café de Olla literally means “Pot Coffee” in English and is traditionally prepared in earthenware pots, hence the name. It is principally consumed in colder climates and rural areas of México. Sometimes you will hear it referred to as Café de Vaquero (Cowboy Coffee) because of its rural origins.
Café de Olla has a distinct flavor from rich, mountain-grown Mexican coffee beans ground and French-roasted, cinnamon, and piloncillo. Obviously, it is best to begin with the proper coffee beans. The author prefers the Obscuro roast from Soconusco, Chiapas located on the border of Guatemala between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Soconusco is well known for having México’s most fertile land for agriculture, providing for a beautifully unique and enriched soil that makes Soconusco coffee an instant favorite. You can expect a bright and brisk acidity paired with a light and delicate flavor. This creates a smooth and well-balanced cup of coffee with flavor notes of chocolate and fruit. The best Soconusco coffee beans in Cuernavaca are available at La Selva Cafe, where the beans are roasted on site and are always fresh. They have two locations in Cuernavaca:
La Selva Cafe – Mercado Municipal
Address: Mercado Municipal, Av Vicente Guerrero Local 109 Y 110, Lomas de la Selva, 62270 Cuernavaca, Mor.
Phone: 777 317 5821
La Selva Cafe – El Centro
Address: Gral. Mariano Arista 17, Cuernavaca Centro, Centro, 62000 Cuernavaca, Mor.
Phone: 777 318 1988
For those unfamiliar with piloncillo, it is the Mexican name for Panela, which is what they call unrefined whole cane sugar in Central and Latin America. The word panela is used for a cheese in México – Queso Panela. Piloncillo is basically a solid piece of glucose and fructose that is obtained from the boiling and evaporation of sugarcane juice. It is marketed in several forms, including solid blocks, granulated forms, and a liquid. It is used throughout México and elsewhere in the canning industry, candy making, soft drinks, bakery products, and wine and vinegar production. It is also used in the cosmetics industry to make facial and mask products due to its glycolic acid content. It is also used in treatments to slow skin aging. It is available at most Mexican supermarkets.
Note: Recipe ingredients, time, and temperature will vary with altitude differences in the north and south of Cuernavaca. Please see the article on Temperature Formula and Cooking Implications to achieve success at your unique altitude.
Here we present three ways to make your own Café de Olla at home – Traditional, Modern, and the Lazy way…
Traditional Café de Olla
Ingredients
6 tablespoons of high altitude-grown, slow-roasted Mexican coffee
2 sticks of cinnamon
1 cone (or 5 ounces granulated) of piloncillo
Utensils
1 stone molcajete
1 earthware cooking pot
1 wooden spoon
1 piece of cloth to act as a strainer
Preparation
- If you are working with a cone of piloncillo, you will need to grind it to powder in the molcajete before continuing
- Pour 1 1/2 liters of water in the earthenware pot
- Place the pot on an open fire until the water begins to boil
- Add the 2 sticks of cinnamon and the piloncillo
- Stir often with wood spoon until the piloncillo has dissolved (about 5 minutes)
- If the pot begins to boil again before the piloncillo has dissolved, simply move the pot to the side until the boiling subsides
- Once the piloncillo has disolved add 6 tablespoons of ground coffee to the pot and bring it to a boil once again
- When the water boils, move the pot away from the direct fire to a lower heat
- Let coffee continue to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Pour the mixture through the cloth to strain and serve hot
- Makes about 6 cups of coffee or 3 cups if you are using a regular coffee cup
Note: In the rural areas of México, they do not strain the coffee, but enjoy the richer taste by consuming some the grounds as they drink their Café de Olla.
Modern Version of Café de Olla
Yes, it is so in to drink Café de Olla that Nescafé has its own instant version on the market, albeit made with canela and cinnamon. I know, it’s not quite the same as real coffee.
Ingredients
6 tablespoons of ground coffee
2 cloves
2 sticks of cinnamon
1 piece of orange peel with the white interior removed
1 cone of piloncillo or substitute with 200 grams of brown sugar
Milk or cream to taste (optional)
Utensils
1 saucepan
1 cooking spoon
1 strainer for grounds
Preparation
- Place 1 1/2 liters of water, the cinnamon sticks, cloves, piloncillo, and orange peel into the saucepan
- Boil water over high heat
- When the water boils, reduce the heat to low and stir regularly until the brown sugar has dissolved
- Add the ground coffee into the pot and bring the water to a boil again
- When the water boils, reduce the heat to low and let the coffee seep for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Strain and serve coffee hot
This has become a favorite coffee drink at Christmas time in México and at parties.
Lazy Café de Olla
- Brew coffee in a coffee maker or espresso machine
- Pour into cup
- Add a stick of cinnamon and dash of brown sugar to the cup
- Stir and serve on a saucer with a few coffee beans placed around the cup for garnish
