Café de Olla

Storing and Planning Ahead

Drink it fresh. It can be strained, refrigerated 2 days and reheated gently, but never re-boiled.

Café de Olla: The Method

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1. Put the water, piloncillo, cinnamon, cloves, orange peel and salt in a clay olla or a heavy pan.

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2. Bring to a simmer and cook 8 minutes, stirring until the piloncillo has completely dissolved.

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3. Take the pan off the heat entirely.

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4. Stir in the coffee grounds, cover, and steep 5 minutes.

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5. Strain through a fine sieve or a cloth into cups.

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6. Serve immediately, in clay jarritos if you have them.

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Worth Knowing

• Off the heat before the coffee goes in, every time. This is what separates it from bitter boiled coffee.
• Coarse grind. Fine grounds slip through the sieve and turn the last mouthful to silt.
• Piloncillo is worth seeking out. Muscovado is the closest substitute; white sugar is not one.

Serving Ideas

Pan dulce, especially conchas · Tamales in the morning · A shot of mezcal alongside

Café de Olla Nutrition Facts

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.