I’m in Florida right now. When I travel I like to leave a little taste of the local culture on this blog. Last night I got a great big sip of it in the form of Café Cubano. The (passionate) conversation about this iconic beverage was interesting enough to me that I decided to have a sip. I’m not a coffee drinker so I was surprised at myself.
You see Cubans (and Cuban Americans) take their coffee very seriously. Forget the venti mocha. Leave the cappuccino at Starbucks. When in the Ybor City section of Tampa do as the natives do, order a Café Cubano or a Café con Leche. No Cuban meal is complete without one of these strong, sweet coffee drinks savored at the end of a sultry Florida night. A proper Café Cubano has a thick layer of sweet crema (cream) floating over strong espresso. It was this crema that started the vigorous conversation on what constitutes a Café Cubano or a Café con Leche.
Once the crema was deemed correct, that’s when the conversation really got going. It seems the rules extend far beyond the amount (more than espresso, less than latte) and texture (silky) of the sweet crema. The secret to Café Cubano is the finely ground, dark roasted coffee itself, or what Cubans call a cafecito. The two brands favored by Cuban Americans are Bustelo and Pilon. Look for them in Latin markets.
The Cuban friends I was sitting with spooned a big helping of the crema from the top of the cup to test the sweetness then took a sip of the brew. I don’t know if this is the traditional way to enjoy this beverage, but it certainly instilled passion. From my point of view I will say that the sweet crema floating on top tasted a lot like good mocha candy. Even I (the non-coffee drinker) enjoyed the process of ending the meal with a taste of Café Cubano.
Of course when I compared the taste to sweet mocha candy the conversation got going all over again. Another round of Café Cubanos was ordered, another taste was required from me. Evidently I said the wrong thing. What does this Americano know about Café Cubano. GREG
When my husband and I were traveling together in Argentina, Café con Crema (as they called it in Buenos Aires) was my go-to every morning. I loved the thick cream on top of the strong coffee. I crave it every now and then but have not had anything quite as good as it was in South America. Thanks for the reminder.
Several years ago, my old job sent me to our Miami office for two weeks. The employees in this office were predominantly Cuban, and like clockwork, they would pull out the coffee/espresso machine at 3:00 p.m. every day and make Cuban Coffee/Cafe Con Leche for everyone. It was fantastic!
Ahhh good ol’ Ybor City. Did you get yourself a proper Cubano sandwich while there? I need to master the bread that they make for those.
I spent a year in Spain many moons ago and fell in love with Café con Leche. Perfection in a cup.
You totally have me even more excited for my trip to Tampa next month! You better believe I’ll be getting my Cuban food on! If you’re still in Tampa, check out La Septima Cafe in Brandon & I believe there’s one in Tampa too.
I could easily make a few of these vanish. I’m a big coffee drinker and love the more traditional versions of the drink.
The sugar scares me away, but I’m sure it’s one of those great coffee drinks. I like naked espresso, because I think it’s sweet in and of itself (if made right).
I’ve neverbeen to Florida or Cuba, but I must say, this sounds like the perfect coffee. So good. 🙂
I love this. I also love Bustelo coffee. That stuff is good. Funny, but this is actually quite similar to the method Neapolitans use to brew their espresso. It seems coffee and sugar when paired, enter the realm of alchemy. You’ll often see remarkable crema on their coffee, but they do not use a fancy espresso machine, but rather the famous Neapolitan flip pot or a Moka pot. A bit of sugar is added to the drinking cup, and once the Moka pot produces that first bit of super strong espresso or caffe, a bit of that strong brew is stirred into the sugar to make a paste-like consistency. Then the espresso is allowed to finish brewing and added to the cup to produce a lovely, thick, sweet crema. (In the case of the flip pot the coffee is added once brewing is complete. This produces great cream, of which the Napolitani are justly proud. I think I need “un caffe!”
I wonder if the coffee with the crema could be iced — or would that be terribly improper? Kind of like the Vietnamese stuff with condensed milk?
I lived in Miami for four years and enjoyed Cuban food. Very jealous, right now! I am not a coffee drinker, but I remember driving into work and back and the Cuban coffee houses always had a crowd. They really do take their cafe seriously! Have fun!