Spiced Sweet Mexican Coffee

Mexican coffee is known in Mexico as Café de olla. This is basically coffee boiled in a clay pot called an olla, alongside piloncillo (a cane sugar known in most other parts of Latin America as panela) and cinnamon (or the similar bark called canela). Sure, you can just use brown sugar in place of piloncillo, but piloncillo has a distinct, rustic flavor–a bit like rum and molasses. It adds a certain warmth to the brew. If you can find it, definitely try it.

There are a lot of different recipes for Mexican coffee on the Internet, but two things you find in all of them is that they are sweetened and are spiced with cinnamon. Some add chocolate, others orange peel, some even add Kahlua and tequila. These are some of the more interesting recipes I found.

Mexican Coffee
from https://www.thespruceeats.com/

Mexican coffee is the perfect combination of strong, freshly roasted coffee, chocolate, and cinnamon. We topped it with whipped cream for a decadent breakfast drink or afternoon pick-me-up. It’s like a perfect marriage between hot chocolate and coffee, making it the ultimate sweet hot drink.

3/4 cup ground coffee, regular or decaffeinated
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish
5 cups water
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup chocolate syrup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cinnamon sticks, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, optional, garnish

Add the coffee grounds and cinnamon to the filter basket of your coffee pot. Then add the 5 cups of water to the pot and brew as you normally would.

While the coffee is brewing, bring the milk, heavy cream, chocolate syrup, and brown sugar to a gentle simmer in a small saucepan. Make sure to cook on low heat so you don’t burn the mixture.

Remove from the heat and add the brewed coffee to the milk mixture. Whisk in the vanilla extract.

Divide the coffee among 4 cups and top with whipped cream and garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon or chocolate shavings, and add a cinnamon stick, if desired. Enjoy immediately.

Makes 4 cups of coffee

Recipe Variations

  • You can make this coffee a boozy cocktail by adding 2 ounces of Kahlúa and 2 ounces of tequila to the finished mixture.
  • You can add more chocolate or omit it altogether if you wish.
  • You can add a little more spicy by sprinkling a pinch of cayenne pepper into the mixture.
  • You can also enjoy it iced! Allow the mixture to cool completely and then pour it over ice. Include the whipped cream on top or leave it out.

Joan's Mexican Coffee
from https://food52.com/

When staying in Mexico a year ago our breakfast buffet included a big urn of what was labeled “Mexican Coffee". After ignoring if for a day, thinking it was just regular brewed coffee, I noticed a plaque near it that explained the origin of this drink and its ingredients. According to the plaque, this drink was made by women during the revolution to strengthen and support the soldiers, and was made by what they had on hand: cocoa, coffee, cinnamon, oranges, piloncillo (dark, unrefined Mexican sugar) almonds, and vanilla. There was also a little bit of Tequila. When I came home after that trip I tried making my own version of this coffee (without the Tequila) to have for a festive breakfast. You can refrigerate leftovers to serve on ice.

6 tablespoons good coffee beans, coursely ground (Latin American beans work great, I used Costa Rican)
4 cups cold filtered water
4 whole cinnamon sticks, Mexican preferred
3 1/2 ounces piloncillo or unrefined dark brown sugar
1 rind of an orange
3 ounces Mexican chocolate or semisweet chocolat
1 teaspoon vanilla (preferably, Mexican)
1 splash Optional: heavy cream

Coarsely grind the coffee beans (about 10 seconds) and place in a large French press pot. Boil the water and pour over the coffee. Let sit about 3 minutes.

Place in a large saucepan: cinnamon stickes, orange peel, chocolate, piloncillo

Pour the coffee into the saucepan and heat gently, stirring from time to time, about 10-15 minutes. The sugar and chocolate will be melted.

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Remove cinnamon and orange peel and pour into cups. Top with cream if desired.

Servings: 4-8 depending on cup size

Mexican Coffee 3 Ways
from http://www.mokabees.com/

We’re taking this authentic recipe a step further by making it three ways:

  • Traditional Black (spiced)
  • With Chocolate
  • Iced with Chocolate

Traditional Black
2 cups water
1.5 oz piloncillo or 5 tbsp. brown sugar
4 small cinnamon sticks or 2 large ones
2 cloves
A pinch of anise seeds
1 orange peel optional
1 oz or 3 rounded Tbsp. of coarsely-ground Mexican or Viennese Coffee

For the chocolate version add:
2 oz semisweet chocolate for the chocolate version
pinch of salt and/or cinnamon

For the iced version add:
ice
milk or half-and-half optional

Combine water, sugar, cinnamon, orange peel, cloves, and anise in pot on high.

Bring to boil, stir, and then turn heat down to medium-low. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add coffee. Cover and allow to steep for 5 minutes.

Strain with a fine mesh strainer (or line a large-hole strainer with coffee filters or paper towel.)

Serve with cinnamon stick.

CHOCOLATE VERSION:

Follow steps 1-4 above.

Return coffee to pot. (You may have to clean it out first.) Turn heat to lowest setting (just to keep the coffee warm.)

Add chocolate and whisk briskly until fully dissolved (about 3-5 minutes)

Serve and sprinkle with the tiniest pinch of salt or cinnamon.

ICED VERSION:

Pour the black or chocolate version over ice to chill. Top with half-and-half or milk. Serve.

Makes 2, 6-ounce servings