Café de Olla
There’s one thing that you would always find in my grandma’s kitchen right next to the wood stove: the large enamel blue pot with coffee, no matter the time of day or the season of the year. You will always find coffee. Why?, I don’t know, but that old pot was there for as long as I can remember, and it would always welcome the visitors with a warm cup of coffee.
Those times are long gone but the memories are still there, especially on a cold day like this when a good cup of coffee from México with Cinnamon and Piloncillo will warm you up. I love making this coffee when we go camping. The firewood smoke gives an extra flavor to the coffee like the one sold in some of the Mexican small town road restaurants.
Café de Olla Recipe
Instructions:
- In a Medium saucepan, place the water, cinnamon, and Piloncillo. Turn heat and simmer until the piloncillo is dissolved. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- When the water starts boiling, add the coffee, turn the heat off and stir.
- Cover the pot and let steep for 5 minutes. Pour through a strainer to serve.
Those times are long gone but the memories are still there, especially on a cold day like this when a good cup of coffee from México with Cinnamon and Piloncillo will warm you up. I love making this coffee when we go camping.
- 4 cups of water
- 3 oz. Piloncillo/Panela or dark brown sugar about 1/3 cup
- 1/2 a stick of Mexican Cinnamon
- 4 Tablespoons of ground Coffee it would be better if you could get a Dark Mexican Coffee.
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In a Medium saucepan, place the water, cinnamon, and Piloncillo (or brown sugar). Turn heat and simmer until the piloncillo is dissolved. About7 minutes.
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When the water starts boiling, add the coffee, turn the heat off and stir.
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Cover the pot and let steep for 5 minutes. Pour through a strainer to serve.
*This is the most common version of Café de Olla, sometimes you will find it with the addition of cloves or anise seeds.
* When buying piloncillo/Panela, make sure to look for the pure version, like in the picture above. There is a look-alike version in some stores that are just plain sugar in a cone shape lacking the flavor and nutrients of the real Piloncillo.
* To easily cut the piloncillo, warm it up first. This will soften the piloncillo.
* Mexican Coffee is easily available online nowadays, try to look for it. Mexican Coffee is considered as a Gourmet Coffee and is Natural Organic Fair Trade Harvested. The Mexico Coffee Industry is ranked number 6th overall out of the top 20 Coffee Producing countries.
¡Buen provecho!
Mely
Do you drink coffee? How do you like it?
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wow!!
Yum, Mely, this coffee looks so good! I love cafe de olla and I take it black. When I make mine I like to add orange peel in the pot, it gives my coffee an added flavor an fragrant that I enjoy. Some times I add a splash of piquete, any kind. Your coffee looks delicious, I can almost smell it! Happy Thanksgiving!
Hello Prieta,
I forgot to add about the orange peel. It really adds a bonus fragrance to the coffee.
Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
I love this traditional version of coffee Mely. we have a similar version with palm sugar.
Hola Mely! Love this coffee. I do have the piloncillo, but not the pure one. I'll have to look for it. Looks delish! Glad you carry out the tradtions. Happy Thanksgiving Mely to you and your family, in case I don't see you before. Thanks for the coffee amiga!
You are welcome Gloria. Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
Hi Mely! This looks like the perfect thing to warm me up when I get back to cold New England. I was shopping with my mom down here in Texas yesterday and saw piloncillo for the first time in a long time. I've never bought it before but it caught my eye enough for me to pick it up and ALMOST purchase it. If I had just read this post before that trip to the market, I definitely would have. I'm going to have to make a trip back before I leave for New Hampshire. Yum!
Hello Candace,
You must go back and purchase the piloncillo, it gives a new dimension to warm drinks when you add a little bit of it.
Happy Thanksgiving!
That looks incredible delightful, Mely! Loving the addition of CANELA 🙂 Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!
Abrazotes <3
What a great recipe. Since I discovered café de olla it has become one of my favourite ways to make coffee. I think everyone should try this. I like to add anise as well.
Your are right Robert, at least once. If you are a coffee drinker, give it a try.
Mely
This does look like a good campfire recipe. I'm going to try it.
Yes, it is. Now I remember that you also like camping.
Have a great weekend.
Mely
Hola Mely
Qué delicia de café, sabe riquísimo con canelita!!!! y qué mejor para esta rica temporada!
Hola Mely, cuál es su café favorito? De vez en cuando, compro mi café de justcoffee.org porque conozco la compañía en Agua Prieta, Son. Pero cuál café toman en su casa? Le agradezco por sus recetas y memorias – fantásticos!! Feliz día del pavo (mejor tarde que nunca)!
Hola Sara,
Hay un sitio que se llama "thatscoffee", ellos venden café de la región de Orizaba y Cordoba en Veracruz. Lo venden como la opción 'fare trade". Pero aquí sigo tratando de encontrar algo que me guste. El café "Illy" es hasta ahora mi favoríto.
Gracias por tu comentario, muy amable.
Mely
que rico!
I just found this blog today. I have been seeing a wonderful Mexican gentleman and need to learn how to make different Mexican meals. He has told me how good Mexican coffe is. I would love to try this recipe for him. I was wondering though do you use the instant coffee or the regular coffee?
I just found this blog today. I have been seeing a wonderful Mexican gentleman and need to learn how to make different Mexican meals. He has told me how good Mexican coffe is. I would love to try this recipe for him. I was wondering though do you use the instant coffee or the regular coffee?
Hello Mercedie,
Use ground coffee for this recipe. Thanks for your kind comments. Please check your email, I sent you some ideas for breakfast.
Mely
Mely, yo si tomo café y me gusta solo o con un poquito de miel de agave. Después de probar muchas marcas de café, me quedé con Café Garat, Café Gourmet 100% mexicano, Tostado regular (Hay varias presentaciones) Se los recomiendo. Hoy salió tu publicación en mi blog. Muchas gracias amiga!
Love those two coffee mugs, the glaze looks like something my potter friends would make.
I have a cone of piloncillo that I need to use, maybe I should make this for Alexis.
Hi Mely,
I would just love to have a cup of this Cafe de Olla right now, it looks awesome! Hope you are having a great weekend and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Qué rico café Mely… me gusta mucho así, yo no soy mucho de café mi esposo ama el buen café pero con éste frillito … se antoja verdad?
Saludos querida Mely
Qué rico café Mely… me gusta mucho así, yo no soy mucho de café mi esposo ama el buen café pero con éste frillito … se antoja verdad?
Saludos querida Mely
Congratulations!
Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Hope you are having a great week and enjoy your new Red Plate.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Thank you for posting this recipe! We are traveling in Mexico and do not have a coffee pot in our apartment. However, we did find a pot and strainer!
Thank you Melly, I had this coffee in the food court of a Mexican Supermarcado in Delano several years ago one Sunday morning and loved it–finally engaged my brain and did a search for the recipe.
Hello Little Dikkins!
Enjoy your coffee! 😉
Hello Mely. How does one tell the difference between the real piloncillo and the dark sugar cone?
Hello Monkey Mans mama,
Real piloncillo looks like a solid material, it could be dark or light amber. There is a fake piloncillo from China, that is lighter in color and right away you can see that granular sugar in the cone.
Gracias Mely! I will try this recipe this week 🙂
Saludos,
Aida
In Merida, they add stone fruit! Illy is also my favorite.
I lived in.Mexico city when I was 25. I'm now 73 and for years I used to wonder how the spanish ( Spain ) used to make a delicious coffe that aS sweet and cinnamonly she would pour about half full and full with milk. I never knew how she made it but I never tasted it again. The recipe for cafe de olla might be it. Any ideA what I'm talking about???
Hello,
I hope I knew about that coffee you are mentioning it sounds delicious. Now, I also want to know about it. Please do try this recipe, maybe is something similar.
Hello Mely – yesterday a group of friends visited a Mexican restaurant in San Juan Capistrano (So. California) and we ordered their "special" coffee. All seven of us were in heaven. So now I'm at your blog, reading the recipe. I found Goya brand panela at amazon. Is it one that you recommend? Amazon has several brands, and perhaps if I sought out a local Mexican market I could find others. Goya's IS a kind of cone shape (and you mention not to buy that type) yet I thought Goya was a good, reputable brand (from Spain, I know). Goya's got the better marks from users at amazon, but there are many other brands with no comments at all. Any advice? Thank you!
Hello Carolyn,
The Goya brand is more refined but you can still use it. There is a smaller version (cones) that are less refined and render better flavor. Check this link: http://amzn.to/2oh6YSr You can also look for it at latin stores, always choose the ones with a darker color and rough finish. The one for Goya has a light caramel color and other brands sell the same type.
Enjoy you coffee!
Sweet! Can’t wait to make this!
Ich liebe Blog. Ich liebe mexikanisches Essen. So glücklich, dass ich dich gefunden habe. Vielen Dank!
Hi Mely! I love cafe de la olla! I leave out the piloncillo since I’m diabetic, but make up for the flavor with the canela.
I remember drinking this with my grandmother & aunts in Michoacan; good memories. The last time I was there, I bought ground coffee in Uruapan, & almost had to surrender it at the Guadalajara airport. What an ordeal! Anyway, I enjoyed that coffee for a long time!
Hello Esther,
Sweet memories from your aunts and grandmother.
It’s a coffee the family loves. Saturday and Sunday’s are for cafe de olla. Thank you for the recipe.
Hello Mayra,
Great family tradition. 🙂
Hello Mely,
I happened upon your site while seeing a yelp review of a local Mexicans restaurant. I will seek out authentic piloncillo at one of our local Mexican Marketsbecause I cant wait to try this recipe. So long as it’s a dark roast coffee I’m all in! I grew up enjoying the darkest richest roasted coffees because” that’s how my Italian parents & entire family served it. I’m also interested in trying something called “ (a cool/cold chocolate like beverage that’s vigorously whipped (?) by hand till frothy) if you have a recipe for that I’d love to see it to try it as well.
I hope you’re having a wonderful summer!
Hello Sandi,
Thank you for stopping by. Is that chocolate drink one from Oaxaca or Veracruz. There are some drinks made with chocolate that have a frothy foam on those 2 state in my country.