Cuban Coffee,, A Simple Pleasure.
Did you really think that I would label a blog page ‘My Cafecito” without a post on coffee?
Twice a day, morning and early evening, the coffee gets made. A task, that has become a pleasure to do. A brief photo journey through my process follows the story of how I got hooked.
I started working the streets of South Beach in 1984 on the afternoon shift; keeping awake until 1 am was a problem. I started out using Vivarin caffeine tablets to stay alert. One evening I was called to meet a fellow officer at the coffee window of David’s Cafe, located at the corner of 11th street and Collins Avenue. As we were talking I went to pop a Vivarin, he asked me what it was, I told him.
He said, “ Toss that crap away and let me show you something better to keep you awake.”
He ordered me a Cuban coffee from the window of David’s Cafe and I never picked up another Vivarin. I did a 2 1/2 year and another 9 1/2 year stretch on the midnight shift during my career. The Cuban coffee kept me going. After retirement I had to hit coffee windows wherever I could find them. I finally got tired of the expense, trouble and hit/miss quality that I was getting. I decided to learn how to make Cuban coffee.
Before I get to the process, I want to give thanks to David’s Cafe and the family of Alfredo and Maria Gonzalez, the owners of David’s Cafe. Alfredo was always nice to me and supportive of the Miami Beach Police. David’s Cafe is no longer at 11th street and Collins Avenue, but Alfredo’s son Adrian has continued the tradition of good Cuban coffee and great service. Adrian has opened David’s Cafe Cafecito on 9th street and Alton Road, Miami Beach.
I often think of the times spent at the coffee window of David’s Cafe.
Sadly, David’s Cafe and David’s Cafe Cafecito no longer exist, just fond memories of days gone by.
Making Cuban Coffee
Let’s start with the Moka pot itself; you can buy a cheap one for under $10.00 or you can go with the best, Bialetti. Bialetti is an Italian Company. The difference in a cheap Moka pot and a Bialetti Moka pot is the aluminium and the craftsmanship.
A little trivia for you; the very first Moka pot was made in Italy by Alfonso Bialetti in 1933.
Cafe Pilon
Start off with the three best Moka pot coffees;
I keep them both in an air-tight container.
I clean the Moka pot (cafetera) after each use, some prefer not to. I have a 1 cup, 3 cup, 6 cup(shown in these photos) and a 12 cup I call “Big Papi”
My Cafecito
4 tablespoons for a 6 cup Moka pot
I only use these sugars:
Fill the water to just below the valve(left photo)
Then level out your coffee.
**Make sure the pot has been reassembled with the filter & washer in place**
I heat at “5” medium for 7 minutes on a 6 cup Moka pot.
Cuban Coffee
Most Important !
The first small amount of coffee to emerge must be used to make the “espuma” or the “crema” on the top of the finished coffee.
Be careful not to pour too much coffee into the sugar or you won’t get the result shown in the photo on the right. I work the mixture with a silicone spatula until I get a change in texture, color. Then I pour the remaining coffee from the Moka pot down the spatula as not to disturb the “espuma”
Cuban Coffee espuma or crema
Gently move the spatula around the edge of the cup, this loosens the “espuma” mixture from the bottom. The heat from the coffee just poured, will dissolve the sugar and push the “espuma” / “crema” to the top of the cup.
I use the remainder of the coffee to make a nice cafe con leche.
I use low fat milk, as it does not mask the coffee flavor as much as whole milk does.
I heat the milk in the microwave for 1:45 minutes; I prefer this over pan heating the milk. Froth the milk with an aerolatte.
The result,,, a great cup of Cuban Coffee !
Cuban Coffee On The Go !
When you want a great cup of Cuban Coffee, you’re not always around a stove. I take an electric Moka pot with me on my trips. I can plug it into a wall socket at the hotel or recently I had a great cup alongside the road.
Here are the posts that show you how.
A great way for our truck drivers to get Cuban Coffee on the go, whenever they want it in just 6 minutes !
Thank you for taking the time to listen,,,,have a Great Day !
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