Café de Olla
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Café de Olla

Mexico
Mexico

Café de Olla is a Mexican coffee that uses spices and unrefined sugar cane called “piloncillo”. Spices used in this coffee are most often cinnamon sticks, and sometimes cloves or star anise. It's made in a clay pot, the “olla”, which adds an earthy flavor to its already unique mix of ingredients. 

 

Contents

 

Coffee beans, Ingredients and Caffeine Content of Café de Olla

For Café de Olla, the main ingredients are coarse-ground dark roasted coffee, piloncillo (which is like a block of molasses-tasting sugar), cinnamon sticks, and sometimes extra spices like cloves or star anise. Its caffeine level is similar to drip coffee, with around 80–100 mg of caffeine per big 230ml cup (8-ounce cup), though this depends on how much coffee you add to the brew.

 

Origin and History of Café de Olla

For centuries before coffee arrived on the American continent, the indigenous people in Mexico were enjoying drinks like Atole and Pinole, made with corn, cacao, and various spices. These drinks were flavored with natural ingredients like honey, vanilla, nutmeg and chili. After coffee finally came to Mexico from Cuba in the eighteenth century, French and German immigrants started establishing coffee plantations and experimenting with coffee flavors, trying to create something unique. Café de olla was finally created in the 1910s during the Mexican Revolution.

Legend says that Café de Olla was Emiliano Zapata’s favorite drink. During the Mexican revolution, women took on the role of preparing food and drink to support the army. They invented Café de Olla as a way to give soldiers the energy to fight. They did this by mixing coffee with traditional ingredients like cacao, cinnamon, clove, and star anise and sweetening it with piloncillo. The drink was a success on the battlefield because it offered energy from the caffeine, nutrients from the cacao and enzymes from the cinnamon and piloncillo that helped to soothe the stomach. 

 

Ingredients of Café de Olla

  1. 4 cups of water sized around 100 ml (3oz)
  2. ⅓ (100ml or 3oz.) of a cup of piloncillo, use brown sugar if you don't have access to piloncillo
  3. ½ stick of Mexican cinnamon, use regular cinnamon if you cant find Mexican version of it
  4. 4 tablespoons of ground coffee, or 1 tablespoon per one cup of water added
  5. Optional spices such as: clover or star anise.

 

How to Make Café de Olla

  1. Boil Water and Spices: Start by boiling water in a medum sized clay pot (use regular pot if you dont have a clay one), add one or more couple of cinnamon sticks and piloncillo, stir until piloncillo dissolves.
  2. Add Coffee Grounds: Once the water starts boiling, add coarse-ground coffee, mix it, and reduce the heat. Let it brew for about 5 minutes.
  3. Add optional Spices: You can opt in to adding spices like cloves or star anise if you want to get a more intense flavor.
  4. Serve: After brewing, remove from heat, let it sit for 2 minutes and then pour into mugs using the strainer.

 

Watch this video for a step-by-step guide on how to make Café de Olla:

 

Café de Olla Variations

  • Iced Café de Olla: Cool the brewed Café de Olla in the refrigerator and pour it over ice for a refreshing summer version of Cafe de Olla.
  • With Chocolate: Add a bit of chocolate for a sweet and dessert-like version of Cafe de Olla.
  • Latte Style: Add steamed milk on top of Café de Olla for a creamy, light and latte-inspired twist.

 

Café de Olla Facts and Trivia

  • Symbol of Mexican Culture: Often associated with traditional and old style Mexican lifestyle because it’s served during holidays and festivals.
  • Eco-Friendly: No fancy machines or filters needed, just things found in a regular (Mexican) kitchen.
  • Global Influence: Mexican Coffee is found in online shops these days, for it it considered Gourmet Coffee.