Cuban espresso
Café Cubano (Cuban coffee, Cuban espresso, cafecito, Cuban pull, Cuban shot) is a type of espresso which originated in Cuba after espresso machines were first imported there from Italy. Specifically, it refers to an espresso shot which is sweetened with demerara sugar as it is being brewed, but the name covers other drinks that use Cuban espresso as their base.
Drinking café cubano remains a prominent social and cultural activity within Cuba, South Florida, Tampa and the Keys, as well as the Cuban exile community.
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[edit] Preparation
Traditional Cuban-style espresso is made by adding demerara sugar to the container into which the espresso will drip, allowing the espresso to mix with the sugar as it is brewed – compare Vietnamese coffee preparation. Some people believe that this results in a smooth, sweet espresso.
A method commonly used to prepare a café cubano is to initially add only the first few drops of espresso to the sugar and mix vigorously. This results in a creamy, light brown paste. The remaining espresso is then added to this paste and mixed, creating a light brown foam layer, or espumita, atop the coffee. A proper cafecito can be made using either an espresso machine or an Italian moka pot, macchinetta.
The heat from the coffee-making process will hydrolyze some of the sucrose, thereby creating a sweeter and different tasting result than adding sugar at the end.
[edit] Variations
Cortadito, which in Spanish literally means "small cut", is an espresso topped with steamed milk. It can be between 50/50 to 75/25 espresso and milk. It is similar to a cortado served in other countries, but pre-sweetened.
Café con leche, or "coffee with milk", is a Cuban espresso served alongside a cup of hot or steamed milk. Originally served separately, the cafecito is poured into the glass of hot milk and, then, stirred. It is the traditional Cuban breakfast beverage, served with slices of buttered, toasted cuban bread which can be dunked in the coffee cup. In addition, traditional Cuban "café con leche" contains a dab of salt (popularized by the Chinese immigrants who arrived in 19th century Cuba) and a pinch of butter, giving it a unique taste.
Colada, 4-6 shots of cafecito served in a large cup along with small demitasse glasses. It is meant to be shared.
A common variant is that the drink is sweetened while the espresso is being brewed. In this version, the sugar (most often brown sugar) is packed above the coffee grounds in the espresso machine and allowed to pass with the hot water through the espresso puck while brewing.
[edit] See also
- Vietnamese coffee, similar sweetened coffee
[edit] References
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