Cafe de olla

Coffee the way Mexico has brewed it for centuries

Origin: Mexico

From the journey of Cinnamon.

Cafe de olla (coffee brewed in a clay pot with cinnamon stick, piloncillo and cloves) is the oldest coffee preparation tradition in Mexico, dating to the colonial era when Spanish missionaries and soldiers brewed coffee over campfires in ceramic ollas. The cinnamon transforms the coffee from a bitter stimulant into something aromatic and rounded: a distinct flavour that cannot be replicated in a machine. Cafe de olla is the coffee of traditional Mexico: of markets, of abuelitas' kitchens, of Day of the Dead altars. Mexico's use of Ceylon cinnamon (canela) rather than cassia gives cafe de olla a fragrance that is immediately identifiable and differs entirely from cinnamon-flavoured coffees made elsewhere.

Ingredients

Base

  • 1000 ml water

Sweetener

  • 60 g piloncillo (or 4 tbsp dark brown sugar)

Flavour

  • 1 cinnamon stick (Ceylon/canela)
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 1 strip orange peel, optional

Coffee

  • 4 tbsp coarsely ground dark roast coffee

Method

  1. Combine the water, piloncillo, cinnamon stick, cloves and orange peel (if using) in a clay olla or medium saucepan.
  2. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the piloncillo has fully dissolved.
  3. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.
  4. Add the coarsely ground coffee. Stir once to combine.
  5. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Do not let it boil hard: a gentle simmer extracts the best flavour without bitterness.
  6. Remove from heat. Allow the coffee to rest for 2 minutes so the grounds settle to the bottom.
  7. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into cups. Serve immediately, black.

Notes

Serve without milk. Cafe de olla is always black. The sweetness should come entirely from the piloncillo. Ground cinnamon can be scattered lightly on top of each cup for extra fragrance when serving.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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