Spiced Sweet Mexican Coffee

Café de Olla

Serves 4 to 6 Preparation Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes Can be made a couple of hours ahead and kept, covered, in the pot; reheat before serving

This coffee gets extra flavor from the raw sugar, piloncillo, combined with the warmth of true cinnamon. This is the coffee you’ll find in the countryside of Mexico, typically brewed in a clay pot known as an olla de barro (see the sidebar) and served in tin mugs.

Café de olla used to be found mostly in low-end restaurants, but it has become trendy and is now found in highbrow coffee shops. I like its humble origins and its down-to-earth taste.

• 8 cups water
• 6 tablespoons coarsely ground dark-roasted coffee beans
• 8–9 tablespoons grated or finely chopped piloncillo (see the sidebar) or dark brown sugar, or to taste
• 1 Ceylon cinnamon stick (see the sidebar)

1. Bring the water to a rolling boil in a pot. Reduce the heat to low and add the coffee, piloncillo, and cinnamon stick. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then turn off the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
2. Strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth and serve. Alternatively, remove the cinnamon stick and pour the drink into a French press; press down on the plunger and serve.

Mexican Clay Cooking Pots (Ollas de Barro) Mexicans often cook in clay vessels, which bring authentic flavors with a lot of presence to dishes from Simple Beans from the Pot to Spiced Sweet Mexican Coffee. They are great fun to use if you know a few things.

First, a new clay pot is very porous and must be cured before using so the inner surface seals and doesn’t leak. I’ve found what works best is to fill the pot with water to about 1 inch below the rim, bring the water to a boil over medium-low heat, and let it simmer for 15 minutes or so. Remove it from the heat and let it cool thoroughly. Drain the water, and the pot is cured. Although you can boil liquid over high heat in a clay pot, it must be heated gradually to prevent cracking. There is no need to worry about lead poisoning, as modern Mexican clay pots are lead-free.