Café de Olla (Mexican Spiced Coffee)
Coffee simmered with canela, piloncillo, cloves and orange peel. Warm, gently sweet and the classic partner for pan de muerto.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Steep
- 5 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Makes
- 4 cups
- Level
- Easy
Café de olla is named for the clay pot, the olla, it is traditionally made in. Instead of brewing coffee and sweetening it later, you simmer the water with Mexican cinnamon and piloncillo, a raw cane sugar with a deep molasses flavor, then steep the grounds right in the pot.
It is a common offering on Día de Muertos altars and it is what many families drink while visiting cemeteries on the cool nights of November 1 and 2.
Method
Simmer the spices
In a saucepan or clay pot, combine the water, cinnamon, piloncillo, cloves, star anise and orange peel. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Dissolve the sugar
Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the piloncillo has fully dissolved and the water smells strongly of cinnamon.
Steep the coffee
Turn off the heat, stir in the coffee grounds, cover and let steep for 5 minutes.
Strain and serve
Pour through a fine-mesh strainer lined with a coffee filter or cheesecloth into mugs. Serve hot, with a cinnamon stick if you like.
Tips for success
- Use a coarse grind, as for a French press. Fine grounds make the coffee muddy and bitter.
- Canela (Ceylon cinnamon) is softer and more floral than the cassia sticks sold in most US supermarkets. Look for it in Latin markets.
Storage and make-ahead
Best fresh. The spiced, sweetened water (before adding coffee) can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept in the fridge.
