Café de olla
Coffee simmered with piloncillo and cinnamon in a clay pot, then strained: sweet, spiced, and earthy.
Mexico · Saucepan · Hot · Medium
- Coffee
- 15 g
- Water
- 250 ml
- Ratio
- 1 : 16
- Temperature
- Simmering
- Time
- 12 min
- Caffeine
- About 95 mg
- Spiced coffee 210 ml
Ingredients
- 15 gGround coffeecoarse
- 250 mlWater
- 25 gPiloncilloor jaggery, or dark brown sugar
- 1Cinnamonabout 4 cm of Ceylon cinnamon stick
- 1Strip of orange peeloptional
- 1Cloveoptional
Method
Put the water, piloncillo, cinnamon, and orange peel and clove if using in a clay pot or saucepan. Bring to a simmer and stir until the piloncillo dissolves, about 5 minutes.
Simmer5:00Stir in the coffee and bring it just back to a simmer, without boiling, then take it off the heat.
Cover and leave it to steep for 5 minutes.
Steep5:00Strain through a fine sieve or a cloth into clay mugs or cups.
Tips
- Jaggery is the closest substitute for piloncillo in India; dark brown sugar also works.
- Keep it below a boil once the coffee is in, or it turns bitter.
- Use Ceylon cinnamon, the canela used in Mexico; it is softer and sweeter than cassia.
About this drink
Café de olla is Mexican coffee brewed in an olla de barro, a clay pot, with piloncillo, a raw cane sugar, and a stick of cinnamon. It is said to date from the Mexican Revolution, and it is still a common coffee in homes and markets, especially in the colder months. It is sweet, spiced, and earthy.
