Why? Because I enjoy coffee. I like to roast it, smell it, taste it and I do drink many beverages based on coffee as long as I can taste the magic black liquid. My choice for a warm and sunny summer like the one we have this year in Europe is a coffee tonic.
The recipe is very easy: Espresso, tonic water, ice and if you like it also a twist of lemon. The proportion of the ingredients depends on you and your taste. I like to use one part espresso (one espresso) and two parts tonic water. To prepare it first pour the tonic water and ice into the glass. Then pour the espresso. Finally add the lemon zest.
Espresso+Tonic Water+Lemon
Pour espresso over tonic water and ice cubes
Keep the espresso/water ratio that you like
Add zest from lemon or other fruit
Coffee from different types of beans will make the drink taste different logically. A fruity coffee bean such as those from Ethiopia matches well with the citrusy taste of the quinine. However, a nuttier coffee bean (as the Manabi coffee from Engrano) or beans with more chocolate taste (as the Coatepec coffee from Engrano) will add depth to the drink. So, when I use my Latin American beans I add the twist of lemon to balance the acidity and sweetness. If lemon is too acidic for you then better use zest of mandarins, sweet oranges, cherries (natural or extract) or extract of pomegranate. You could play around with the flavour of the coffee and the intensity of the fruit. Adjust the coffee to tonic water ratio accordingly.
Coffee tonic can be also prepared with cold brew coffee. In Mexico at the famous Cafe Avellaneda I enjoyed a delicious drink with cold brew (called by them cafe reposado), tonic water and the lemon twist. Very refreshing!
These high temperatures in Europe call for cold drinks! A good option for a refreshing caffeine buzz is cold brew coffee. I’m sure you have heard about it because it is in fashion. I was not convinced about it the first time I tried one. It was a bottle drink and my concerned was correct, it was weak, bitter and had an unpleasant after taste. So, to give cold brew a second chance I decided to make it myself. Much better!
Home made cold brew coffee
There are two methods to make cold brew, the cold dripper and the immersion method. For cold dripper you will need … a dripper. It is a fancy method but not so easy to apply at home. The immersion method is easier, simpler and properly prepared can be as nice as with the dripper. So, if you want to try it, here is my recipe.
I used a cold-brew coffee maker. They are not so expensive but lucky me I found one on discount just after last Christmas. In case you don’t have one and are not willing to buy it, you can use a French press, a big tea pot for loose-leaves tea or even a simple jug and a filter.
Cold brew maker, jug and cloth filter, French press
As you can see in the photo, the cold-brew maker is kind of a big tea pot. It has a big filter, where we will place the coffee, inside the jar. We will use freshly roasted coffee of course. Prefer a light roast. Ground the coffee coarse as you will ground it for the French press.
I put 200 grams of coffee in the filter. Then, place the filter back in its position in the jug. Pour the water slowly over the coffee to make it wet. I needed to pour water a few times because the coffee was very dense inside the filter. When the coffee is wet take the filter out, place it temporary on a dish and fill the jug with about 1 litter of cool water. I then placed back the filter in the jug. You will see the water colouring from the coffee. Put the lid on to cover the coffee before placing the jug into the fridge. Let the coffee rest there for 24 hours.
The ratio of 200 grams coffee to 1 litter water is rather high, but I do like strong coffee. Try with a lower amount if you prefer a smooth flavour, but from my experience less than 120 gr of coffee per litter of water will result in a weak tasting drink.
If you don’t have the cold-brew coffee maker but a tea pot, you can just follow the same indications as above. If you use a French press or a simple jug pour the ground coffee on the water and leave it for 24 hours in the fridge. For the French press once the coffee was brewed, you can use the press to separate the coffee from the infused water. Pour the infused water into another jug to avoid further contact with the ground coffee. If you use a simple jug, then after 24 brewing you have to filter your coffee-infused water. Use a cloth filter for good results.
Once the coffee has been brewed for 24 hours you can serve it with additional ice or milk. Place a straw and enjoy! Cold brew coffee, independent from the method you choose to prepare it, will produce a naturally sweeter cup with a softer acidity compared to hot brewed coffee of the same origin and roast.
We made a video about this brewing method that you can check on the link below:
Whether it’s cold coffee, freshly-made lemonade, iced-cold beer or a frozen cocktail, let’s grab a cool drink and enjoy the summer!
A couple of years ago, when I was starting into the coffee world, my husband brought me some coffee from Mexico from an area that I was not so familiar with with respect to their coffee. This area is the state of Guerrero along the Pacific Coast of Mexico. The coffee was so unique, so delicious, like nothing I have tasted before. It reminded me of drinking Kalhua. We found out that this coffee was grown and roasted by a small group of farmers in Atoyac de Alvarez and what made this coffee different is that it was processed dry or natural. The next time I heard about the natural process was when I approached the Mexican Coffee Association to find out more about these coffees to see if I can import them into Europe. They told me that the “Kalhua” taste was not so much the coffee itself, but probably due to a fermentation of the coffee. Which is true and very interesting. But unfortunately at that time natural process was almost synonym of low quality coffee and therefore hard to obtain. Later, as I learned more and more about coffee, I tried some amazing coffees when in Ecuador: both natural and wet processed. The differences in flavour are remarkable and since the beginning of my coffee roastery I have worked with both processes. So let me elaborate on what is exactly a natural or dry process coffee and what makes it special.
Coffee, though called a bean, is not really a bean: it is a seed. Two seeds – two coffee beans- are nestled inside a coffee cherry, so basically the coffee we roast is seeds of fruits. There are multiple ways to process the fruits in order to remove the seeds: natural (dry), washed (wet), pulped natural and honey.
Ripe coffee cherry (in Guatemala)
Coffee seeds (coffee beans) and the skin of one cherry
The natural process is the oldest method. After picking the cherries from the coffee trees, first of all the un-ripe (green) and defective cherries should be removed by hand from the batches. Then the remaining fruits are placed in patios, or even better on tables, to dry under the sun. Hence, the entire fruit will dry. The once soft juice cherry has to remain drying for 14 to 25 days until it turns hard to the touch, it shrinks and becomes dark brown/black. The inner fruit by then has the consistency of a raisin. The drying is considered to be done when the moisture content is 12.5% or less. A higher percentage leads to rot. A resting period usually follows during which the dried cherries are stored until sold. This time, 2 or 3 months will allow the taste to mature. Finally, a hulling machine removes the dry skin from the seed.
Patio in Guatemala for drying coffee cherries (directly on the floor)
One big advantage of this process is that no water is required, so it is sustainable in the long term. This method is used where local conditions restrict access to water. Some producers do put the cherries through a quick wash to easily separate the debris from the fruit instead of picking them by hand. However, extended periods of sunshine are necessary. Nowadays with climate changing sometimes farmers have to run to protect their drying cherries from sudden rains (unexpected outside rainy season), or gusts of wind in which the now dry cherries can easily blow away. And due to high humidity in some places the cherries are not dried outside but in “green houses” under controlled environment. Some companies even use drying machines to speed up the process. The best practice, however, remains to be the slow dry that assures that the coffee keeps its attractive qualities for longer times.
Which attractive qualities would that be? Well, this dry process accentuates the sugar profiles in the coffees. It adds fruit flavours in all coffees regardless of variety and origin. The coffee develops hints of berries, raisins or even tropical fruits. In coffees from Brazil or Ecuador it adds some hints of nuts. Another advantage of the natural process is that the farmer can play with the variables: sun exposure, moisture level, shade, and so in order to develop the flavours that he finds interesting.
Dried cherries
Worldwide there is an increasing demand for natural and other semi-washed process. The “bad name” of natural as a cheap process for low quality coffee is changing due to the attention on quality control during the process starting from the moment of picking the cherries. It is important to pick only the ripe cherries. As the fruit ripens sugars develop and create interesting flavours. Then the drying itself: selecting the best place with direct sun to dry, placing the cherries in thin layers and turning them regularly to ensure even drying and preventing moulding, fermentation or rotting taking place. A common practice is to place the cherries on the ground, though raised beds are highly recommended. Not only as a clean surface to put the cherries on but also because the wind circulation assures the cherries to dry evenly. Finally, during the drying period it is necessary to control the moisture to decide when the coffee is ready. For some producers below 12.5% is an accepted rule, some others have found better taste when drying down to 10%. Moisture is even more important once the dried fruits are collected and stored to avoid over-fermentation which would add an unpleasant flavour.
Washed beans (left) and natural beans (right) both from Cariamanga, Ecuador -green
Washed beans (left) and natural beans (right) both from Cariamanga, Ecuador -green
Washed beans (left) and natural beans (right) both from Cariamanga, Ecuador -roasted
Due to the additional labour involved the natural process is not necessary a cheap process. But in my experience natural coffees have a wilder nature, boozy, robust, deeper character perfectly reflected in your cup of coffee. They are more challenging to roast, but the reward is definitely worth the effort. Something that is typical of natural coffees is that the beans are very unevenly coloured: from light green to yellowish or even cinnamon colour depending on the influence of the juice of the berry. This gives also a rather uneven coloured coffee after roasting that consumers have to get used to. Traditionally unevenly coloured coffee is considered the result of fast and bad roasting. However, for natural coffee it’s almost impossible to get an even roast due the variation in colour of the green beans. Therefore, the next time you see in your coffee store what looks like a unevenly roasted coffee first check what kind of coffee it is. If it’s a natural, give it a try and you may be pleasantly surprised!
Last week a dear friend from Colombia invited me to her house for a cup of coffee, and what a cup it was going to be! Nope, it was not some fruity, floral, smooth Colombian coffee, no. Last year she visited Viet Nam, where she drank coffee almost every day and she liked it so much that she brought back some coffee together with the necessary items to prepare Vietnamese coffee. I was curious!
But first a little bit of history…. Viet Nam has produced and consumed coffees for decades and it all started around 1857 when Viet Nam was still a French protectorate. People started growing coffee in both the Central Highland and Coastal area as well as in the south east region. The production grew until the Civil war (1954-1975) after which it was collectivized as government owned leading to a decline in production. Things changed again in 1986 with the reforms called Do Moi that reintroduced private ownership. Coffee production now grew again, and to such a level that by the year 2000 it had doubled. That over-production had a devastating effect on the global price of coffee due to oversupply and so a massive price crash followed. Nowadays Viet Nam is the second largest coffee producer in the world (after Brazil) with around 2 million tons per year. And eventhough 97% of their production is Robusta, production of Arabica is increasing. The French not only introduced coffee to Viet Nam as a crop but also its consumption. During the colonial times French wanted to enjoy a cup of coffee with milk as they were used to. Unfortunately fresh diary product were hard to find in Viet Nam and a solution was fount in using condensed milk, which is produced and canned since the mid 19th century. And so traditional Vietnamese coffee is prepared with sweet condensed milk.
Vietnamese coffee is brew as a single serving using a phin. This is a gravity-based filter than is easily placed on top of a cup. The phin has a saucer (with holes), a cup to place the coffee in, a filter and a lid. But for instance in my phin the saucer and the cup are one piece. The recommended ground is medium to coarse but it is better to check the holes in the saucer and filter and accordingly decide how to grind the coffee. As you can see in the picture below, my saucer has rather big holes so I grind my coffee coarse as for french press.
Phin cup and saucer
How to prepare Vietnamese coffee:
Preheat the phin and the cup by placing the phin on top of the cup and pour some hot water through. Then discard the water from the cup.
Scoop two teaspoons of sweet condensed milk in the cup. If you are not into sweet coffee then replace the condensed milk with regular milk (any kind you like) or nothing.
Sweet condensed milk in the cup
Add ground coffee in phin cup and shake the phin to distribute the coffee evenly. I use 7 gr of coffee for 100 ml water.
Now place the filter on top of the coffee and level the grounds some more by twisting the filter while applying a little bit of pressure.
Coarse ground coffee in the phin
Filter on top of coffee
Gently pour a third of the hot water in the filter. Allow the coffee to swell for about a minute.
Add the remaining the water in the filter and place the lid of the phin on top to retain the heat. For the next 4 to 5 minutes you can see the coffee brewing.
Brewing
Once ready, just take the phin off, mix the coffee and milk and enjoy!
When prepared dark the coffee is called Ca Phe Nau. Considering that in Vietnamese language words have only one syllable. This three words when said together may remind you of the french origin.. Cafe Noire. When prepare with condensed milk it is called Ca Phe Sua. Other interesting variation is Sua Chua Ca Phe which is coffee brewed over yogurt. And even more interesting is Ca Phe Trung which is prepared with egg: egg yolk is whipped and mixed with condensed milk and then poured into already brewed coffee. This tradition started in the 1940’s when milk was scarce: egg was the replacement for milk. To be honest, I have never tried this.
As Viet Nam is a country with warm weather it is not strange that cold coffee is very popular. Ca Phe Sua Da is prepared in the same way as described above, just add ice cubes together with the condensed milk. The result is a diluted coffee, but sweet, creamy and fresh.
My own latest coffee tour in Barcelona had the best possible starting point: Nomad Coffee! Started and run by Jordi Mester, they have three spots in Barcelona and on top of that plenty of places also serve their coffee. But I was lucky enough that my hotel was just two blocks from the location where they in fact roast coffee: Roasters Home. So there I enjoyed a double espresso from Colombia while I watched them roast a new batch. This coffee was grown by Juan Pablo Penagos at Finca Santa Helena (1670 masl), a washed coffee varietal Castillo Naranjal. It has a good body, fruity sweetness, a hint of almonds in the aftertaste. I do appreciate acidity in my espresso, but i think it was a bit too acid. Talking to the barista, she agreed that the batch from which I was drinking was roasted a bit too light.
Colombian coffee at Nomad
I then head to the downtown to buy one of my favorite cookies: alfajores. These are not traditional from Barcelona, but the best known brand (Havanna) from Argentina does have stores in Barcelona. Unfortunately as good as the cookies are at Havana, the espresso is not as remarkable. It was bitter and had almost no crema.
My next stop is Cometa: a cozy lunchroom and coffee place south from the downtown. Funny enough, I was not aware that they serve Nomad’s coffee. So well, instead of asking for an espresso to taste the coffee I had a cortado, my favourite coffee drink, and some cake. The menu said it was the same Santa Helena coffee that I had in the morning, but this time I didn’t feel the acidity nor the fruity sweetness. So, to clear up any doubt I ordered an espresso and I confirmed with the waiter that it was indeed the Santa Helena. But different barista, different taste: I think the espresso machine here is set to a too high temperature or the barista is just overextracting the coffee because it was not the same as directly from Nomad.
Cortado and cake at Cometa
One more place in my list was Satan’s Coffee at Gran Via. I heard about Satan’s as being one of the first specialty coffee bars in Barcelona set up by Marcos Bartolomé. They serve coffee roasted by Right side coffee. Satan’s Coffee is located inside the design hotel Casa Bonay. The space is nice, open and light and it reminds me of places in Australia, actually. The day I was there they were serving Colombian coffee from La Victoria in the Huila region. Grown at 1900 masl this Caturra was grown and washed by Yisela Piso and roasted one week ago. The espresso blew me away! It was very nicely balanced; it had acidity as from cider, a herbal flavour in the mouth and an aftertaste like pears and caramel.
Brew bar at Satan’s coffee corner
This espresso blew me away!
Pretty high on caffeine by now I moved on to another legendary coffee place in Barcelona: Cafes El Magnifico in the Gothic neighborhood of downtown Barcelona. When I entered this coffee temple I ran into Salvador Sans, the current owner. He is the third generation now in charge of this place that was founded in 1919. The baristas were busy with a short queue and so there was not much time to chat. I ordered first an espresso: the coffee served that day was Red Bourbon from Montecristo, Nicaragua. This coffee is grown by Jaime Jose Molina Fiallos, at 1300 to 1450 masl and the process is honey. It was strong and had a full body but a bit on the bitter side for my taste. As the small sitting area emptied I take my chance to taste something else so I ordered an Aeropress with coffee from the farms Himalaya and Divisadero from El Salvador. Their coffee menu is extensive. After a few minutes I decided to taste this coffee grown by Mauricio Salaverria at 1500 masl. The varietals are Red Caturra and Pacamara and the process is honey. I followed the barista next door, literally, to enjoy the ritual that you can see in the video.
A legendary place in Barcelona
The barista guiding me to enjoy the aroma
Served in a wine glass, I enjoyed the chocolate and praline fragrance. In the mouth it has a medium body and low acidity. The first taste was silky followed by sweet with hints of candied fruit, caramel and a spicy finish. While drinking I have the opportunity to chat with Mr. Sans, a coffee connaisseur.
Every time I come to Barcelona I discover new places, or traditional places with new coffee offers. Time always come short, see you soon Barcelona!
It is simply not possible to walk around Barcelona and not stop for a cup of coffee. Whether this is your first visit and you want to see everything in a short period of time or this is just one more visit to your friends that are lucky enough to live here at the “Ciudad Condal”. Either way, there are just too many attractive coffee places where customers enjoy beverages and life that you can only fill the need to join them and discover why coffee culture in Barcelona is so appealing.
Espresso before sightseeing
Coffee consumption in Spain can be traced back to the 18th century, a bit later than for other European countries. Eventhough, some stories mentioned that Emperor Charles I (1500-1558) tried coffee and found it energizing. By drinking some of this black medicine he was able to stay awake and work extensive hours. But as this magic potion was considered an evil drink by the religious authority its consumption didn’t spread. Only after it was cleared from its unholy reputation it was the nobles who started drinking it first before the rest of the population gained access to it.
Coffee culture in Barcelona nowadays means that on the way to work people stop first at the local coffee corner for a cortado and a croissant or “bocadillo” (a salty snack) while after work they again first go for a cafe con leche – espresso and milk – or cafe solo – espresso – before heading home. Around 18:00 many coffee places are filled up with families returning from picking up the kids from school. There the kids have their “merienda” (snack before dinner) while the parents have some coffee. But on top of that coffee is also consumed after lunch or during a morning break. And obviously, with such a demand the offer is extensive. In most of the places the quality of coffee is good and improving to even excellent while the prices are considerably lower than in the northern European countries: 1€ to 2€ for an espresso. Cafe con leche are almost cappuccinos, the main difference is that here cappuccinos have always cocoa powder.
Cappuccino here has cocoa powder
A relic from the past, but less and less common, are places serving cafe torrefacto. Torrefacto is the process where sugar is added to coffee during it last roasting stage. The common practice is to add 15% sugar by weight. When the sugar is added the temperature in the roasting chamber is around 200°C and so the sugar caramelizes forming a shiny layer around the coffee bean. This layer will make the coffee look uniform but it also make the taste uniform, deep, bitter and uniform. Additionally it covers up the aroma (too bad!). The main reason that people did this to coffee is need! Torrefacto started during the 1940s when coffee, among other goods, was in short supply. By partially replacing the coffee with sugar during roasting and making it more bitter, less coffee was necessary to prepare the beverage. But as mentioned, the torrefacto process makes the coffee bitter and destroys any good aroma and therefore cafe torrefacto is nowadays considered a bad habbit.
In my next post I will tell you about my coffee tour in this beautiful city, stay tuned!
Lupita
Don’t forget to visit the iconic places in Barcelona
For the first time in many years we enjoyed a real summer in the Netherlands: sunny, dry, warm… for more than two days in a row. Since June the temperature raised and except for a few chilly days in August this was a warm summer. But warm days are enjoyable when you are on holidays, not working. This summer, in our roasting room the temperature kept going up during roasting to as much as 38C. So how did we survive? With coffee of course!!
I like cold coffee as much as warm coffee, as long as it’s based on espressos. So here is a list of my favourite summer caffeine fixes.
Ice Espresso Quick and simple, chill an espresso by adding ice cubes. I normally don’t add sugar to my espressos but when I am going to drink it iced, I do. I first brew my double espresso (60 ml) and then dissolve a little bit of sugar, usually 1/8 of a teaspoon and max 1/4 of a teaspoon. The sugar will provide a contrasting flavour. Finally I pour the warm drink over ice cubes and voilá.
Ice Espresso, simple and refreshing
Portuguese style For a fresh twist go Portuguese and prepare a Mazagran. First brew your espresso with a strong full flavour coffee with less acidity as our Manabi Natural. Dissolve some sugar in the warm drink. Then place ice cubes in a glass, 3 or 4, and add a wedge of lemon. Pour the warm drink into the glass, let it chill for a moment before enjoying it.
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of sugar for a double espresso
Ice Latte I like my ice latte to taste as coffee so I brew a double espresso (60 ml) for it. Again, I dissolve a small amount of sugar (1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon) in the espresso. I pour the warm drink in a blender. Then I add about the same amount of milk as espresso or slightly more, 60 to 80 ml. Top it with ice cubes, as many as you want. Blend and serve. A variation of this drink is a shaken version, putting the ingredients into a cocktail shaker instead of a blender. Another variation that we like is replacing the normal cow milk with almond milk for a different flavour that does not overpower the coffee taste. We sometimes also use chocolate milk instead of normal milk but then I do not dissolve sugar in the espresso since I find commercial brands of chocolate milk sweet enough.
Everything in the blender Ice Latte!
This week we welcome autumn but as the temperatures are still on the warm side, we will still chill our espressos for a while, enjoy!
For the last couple of months I have been busy running my own espressobar. It is an adventure that I got involved in last October when I spotted an available (and affordable) space inside a concept store in downtown Rotterdam. For about two months my husband and I were busy buying stuff and building the espressobar before we went on a holiday and source trip to Ecuador for most of December. One week after we came back we opened Engrano Cafe. During these months lots of new experiences have kept me busy because I was not so familiar with the work in hospitality industry. The three months that I worked for McDonalds when I was 18 doesn’t really count, right? For three years we served coffee to hundreds of customers in fairs with our mobile espressobar and I found it a very tiring but overall joyful experience. On busy days we couldn’t even keep the counter clean while we served as many espressos or cappuccinos as we could while people were queuing for 10 minutes to get them. On days with bucketing rain or above 30C and sunny we had not much to do, but then we had time to chat with the scarce customers. It was always nice to interact with other people and to let my passion go wild. Talking about coffee is almost as rewarding as serving a cup and see people enjoy it. Or that is what I thought….
Yours truly at our espressobar Engrano Cafe
Now I can say, that to see and hear how much people enjoy a cup of coffee is much better! For the first time in my life I saw people spoon the last bits of their cappuccino from the cup. I have seen people “discover” how good coffee can taste. We have heard comments as: this is much better than any other coffee we have tasted. Or, this coffee is not bitter! Or, coffee has different tastes! We have seen our customers discover the layers, texture and tastes of a cup of espresso, with the same amazed expression of a professional coffee cupper.
And when we served coffee with milk, in cappuccinos, lattes or ice lattes we are now used to comments such as: we can still taste the coffee! Or a now classic: This ice coffee really taste like coffee!
One of my favourite moments happened not long ago: early in the day a young guy came to the espressobar and he told me that he likes coffee and he actually work at the moment in a store that sells a famous brand of coffee capsules. We talked for a while about coffee, the coffee farmers that I have visited and the roasting that I do. Suddenly he said he had to go to work but he will for sure come back, and so he did. That same day, close to closing time, he came back with a bag of coffee from Chiapas, Mexico. He got it as a gift from his brother and he wanted me to have it. I was touched! Since earlier that day he mentioned how interested he was in coffee from Galapagos (Ecuador) I served him an espresso from that coffee. He truly enjoyed it! Every sip. He smelled it carefully before tasting it. With every sip he described one more attribute: the textures, the flavours, the intensity, the after taste. He was so happy to taste this coffee and I was happy too to be able to bring this moment of joy to someone.
In my continuing list of guilty pleasures this one is on my top 10. Cafe Bombon is originally from Valencia, Spain but it has gained huge popularity in Latin America and from my own experience it can at least be found in any coffee place in Ecuador.
It is simple to prepare: pour condensed milk into a transparent espresso glass and then brew your espresso on top. The transparent glass is just because it is fun to see the 2 layers: creamy and heavy in the bottom and black and thin on top.
Café Bombon
Mix the milk and the espresso gently with a small spoon and then enjoy the voluptuous texture and silky sweet flavour of this beverage. Some recipes say that the ratio between milk and coffee should be 1 to 1, thus the same amount of condensed milk as espresso, but it is up to you on how sweet or milky you want your drink.
This preparation may sound similar to Ca Phe Sua Nong, also known as Vietnamese coffee, but the extraction method is different. For Vietnamese coffee one pours 120 ml of coffee extracted with a Phin or filter pour-over method, and then add 2 tablespoons of condensed milk. This results in a creamy and sweet drink, yet less strong on the coffee.
Some interesting variations of Cafe Bombon include adding a teaspoon of vanilla extract for an extra flavour, or during summer, to pour the Cafe Bombon in the blender with added ices cubes and blend for a fresh yet sweet drink. The cold version of Vietnamese coffee, called Ca Phe Sua Da, is prepared by adding ice cubes to the warm version. No blender is used.
I like to replace the condensed milk with another Latin American wonder: dulce de leche. This gives a more decadent version: thicker, sweeter, deeper and almost-dessert beverage. Known as dulce de leche in Argentina, manjar in Ecuador and Chile, arequipe in Colombia this delight is a confection prepared by slowly heating sweetened milk.
Dulce de leche: sweet, soft, thick madness
As with the traditional Cafe Bombon, put some dulce de leche in a glass and then brew an espresso on top, then stir and enjoy. In case the “Dulce de leche” version is too sweet or heavy I add a bit of orange zest to add some freshness and acidity. It is already more a dessert than a coffee any way.
Next week, on Monday 2nd November, Mexico celebrates the Day of Dead (Dia de muertos): a combination of prehispanic traditions in Mexico and the Catholic influence as the Catholic Church celebrates All Saint’s Day on November 1st and All Soul’s Day on November 2. But only in Mexico these celebrations became a festivity, a moment not only to remember those who have died but evem more to celebrate their life, legacy and memories. By celebrating with them, they remain with us! Life and death are important symbols in Mexican culture.
The day of the death used to be a prehispanic celebration that, when the Spanish conquered what is now Mexico, was moved from summer to November 2nd. On this day we honour death: we show her that we are thankful and not afraid of her. Yet we show her in the most playful way that we rather stay away for her for as long as possible. The celebrations begin weeks in advance when families create a shrine at home, decorated in colorful paper, orange flowers called Cempazuchitl that flower around this time of the year, sugar skulls, pictures of the dead family members and their favourite food, drinks and possessions. On the day itself the cemeteries get these colorful decorations too and families go there with the Mariachi to play music next to the tombs. It is a party!
During this whole celebration time we eat a special sweet bread called “Pan de muerto” (bread of dead) that is decorated with little bread bones. And what better companion for sweet bread than warm coffee? So for the occasion we prepare one of Mexican finest traditions: Cafe de olla (coffee of the pot). It is called in this way because it is prepared in a big clay pot as a drink for the whole family. I will give you the recipe of my family, but reduced to make only 3 cups:
3 cups of water 3 tablespoons of coarse ground coffee 1 clove 1 cinnamon stick 1/4 orange peel (zest) Small cone of “piloncillo” or about 30 gr of brown sugar (“Piloncillo” in Mexico, panela in other Latin American countries is unrefined whole cane sugar).
Let’s spice it up!
To prepare the Cafe de olla, first put the water, sugar, clove, cinamon and orange peel in the pot at high heat until boiling point, then lower to medium heat before adding the coarse ground coffee. Let it in the heat for around 5 mins. Then, sieve it through a fine cloth for the spices and the coffee to be retained. Serve the coffee in a traditional clay pot. I choose a Mexican coffee for Cafe de olla, of course. I prefere to use a mild coffee to complement the flavour of clove and cinnamon, such as the Coatepec coffee from my store. This is a balanced coffee and rich in aroma. The added orange peel will give a fresh note to the beverage as well as a smooth sweetness.
Rich in aroma, smooth in flavour coarse ground Coatepec coffee
The smell of the spices combine with the coffee immediately reminds me of home!
