Curated/Reviewed by Matthew A. McIntosh
Public Historian
Brewminate
Introduction
Café Cubano (also known as Cuban espresso, Cuban coffee, cafecito, Cuban pull, and Cuban shot) is a type of espresso that originated in Cuba. Specifically, it refers to an espresso shot which is sweetened (traditionally with natural brown sugar which has been whipped with the first and strongest drops of espresso).[1] However, the name is sometimes used to refer to coffee-based drinks that include Cuban espresso as their main ingredient, such as café con leche.
Drinking café cubano remains a prominent social and cultural activity in Cuba and in Cuban-American communities, particularly in Miami, Tampa and the Florida Keys.[2][3][4]
Preparation
Traditional Cuban-style coffee is made using the darker roasts, typically either Italian or Spanish roasts, with the brands Cafe Bustelo, Cafe La Llave and Cafe Pilón being popular. It can be made using an electric espresso machine, but is commonly made with a moka pot.[1][5]
Either some or all of the espresso is vigorously mixed with a spoon into a creamy foam called espuma or espumita.[6][7][8] The heat from the coffee-making process will hydrolyze some of the sucrose, thereby creating a sweeter and slightly more viscous result than a normal pull or adding sugar at the table.[9]
Variations
Cortadito is a standard espresso shot topped off with steamed milk. The ratio can be between 50/50 and 75/25 espresso and milk. It is similar to a cortado served in other Latin countries, but pre-sweetened.[10][11][12]
Café con leche, or “coffee with milk”, is an espresso (without sugar) served alongside a cup of hot or steamed milk. Traditionally served separate from the coffee, the espresso is poured to the desired darkness into the cup of hot milk and then stirred. It is the traditional Cuban breakfast beverage, served with slices of buttered, toasted cuban bread.[13][14][12]
Colada is 3–6 shots of Cuban-style espresso served in a Styrofoam cup along with small, plastic demitasses. It is a takeaway form, meant to be drunk as one shot. This is customary of workplace breaks in Cuban communities.[15][16]
Endnotes
- “How to Make Cuban Coffee – Cafe Cubano Recipe | MokaBees”. MokaBees • Coffee Recipes & How-Tos. 2015-06-19. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
- Lisa Simundson (2001). Miami and the Florida Keys. Hunter Publishing, Inc. pp. 24–.
- Bob Brooke (1 September 2007). The Everything Family Guide to Coastal Florida: St. Augustine, Miami, the Keys, Panama City—and All the Hot Spots in Between!. Adams Media. pp. 104–.
- Sarah Hull; Stephen Keeling (11 October 2012). The Rough Guide to Florida. Rough Guides. pp. 63–.
- Lindgren, Glenn M. (2004). Three guys from Miami cook Cuban. Gibbs Smith, Publisher. p. 2.
- Ana Sofia Pelaez (28 October 2014). The Cuban Table: A Celebration of Food, Flavors, and History. St. Martin’s Press. pp. 45–.
- Steven Otfinoski (September 2009). 1990S To 2010. Marshall Cavendish. pp. 21–.
- Restaurant Business. Restaurant Business. October 1999.
- “Espresso versus Cuban Coffee”. J. Martinez & Company – Coffee Merchants. 24 April 2012. Archived from the original on 22 October 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- Susan Zimmer (25 February 2014). I Love Coffee!: Over 100 Easy and Delicious Coffee Drinks. Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC. pp. 213–.
- Ted Henken (29 October 2013). Cuba. ABC-CLIO. pp. 372–.
- Ana Quincoces Rodriguez (23 October 2012). Sabor!: A Passion for Cuban Cuisine. Running Press. pp. 326–.
- Daniel Young (11 March 2009). Coffee Love: 50 Ways to Drink Your Java. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 51–.
- Victoria Shearer (20 November 2012). Florida Keys Cookbook: Recipes & Foodways of Paradise. Globe Pequot Press. pp. 271–.
- Steven Raichlen (11 January 1993). Miami Spice: The New Florida Cuisine. Workman Publishing Company. pp. 16–.
- Jose Garces (19 November 2013). The Latin Road Home: Savoring the Foods of Ecuador, Spain, Cuba, Mexico, and Peru. Lake Isle Press. pp. 322–.
Originally published by Wikipedia, 10.13.2005, under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license.