Cortadito- The Perfect Coffee to Fuel Your Morning Ritual

‘Brewing Cuban Coffee at home’ series!

If you read the first part of this series, then you won’t have any trouble deciding what kind of Cuban coffee to brew when everyone is around- colada.

But what if you’re home alone and you still want to enjoy a great-tasting café cubano?

Cortadito is one of the options you should try. It’s rich and strong, just how you want your Cuban coffee to be. There aren’t too many better ways to get your morning fix. 

How to Drink Cortadito

Cortadito is a special type of Cuban espresso that’s topped with steamed whole milk. It’s usually brewed as a single serving, it’s very sweet, and the strength is roughly double that of a typical American coffee.

We know you might be worried about drinking that much caffeine on an empty stomach. After all, café cubano is like premium gasoline, but that’s where the steamed milk comes in. Milk makes the caffeine milder on the stomach. Thus, cortadito can be the perfect way to get a cup of coffee in before eating.

If ordering from a ventanita, you can even take your cortadito experience to the next level by ordering a cortadito con leche evaporada. Instead of whole milk, the barista will top your coffee with sweet evaporated milk. It tastes nothing short of heavenly, and you can enjoy it either by itself or as a dessert.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. We know that the closest ventanita could be miles away. That’s why we want to teach you how to make the perfect cortadito at home.

How to Brew Cortadito

If you thought brewing cortadito was hard, you might be mistaken. Making a cup of cortadito is quite similar to brewing colada, which we discussed in the first part of this series. Here is a list of ingredients you’ll need:

• Finely-ground Cuban coffee (we suggest a high-quality brand like La Carreta)
• A Moka pot or an espresso machine
• Sugar
• Whole or evaporated milk (depending on your preference)
• A cup and spoon for mixing.

Steps to Follow

• Add water to the Moka pot.
• Add the ground coffee to the filter.
• Place the filter back onto the bottom chamber of the Moka pot and screw the lid in place.
• Heat the Moka pot over medium heat.
• Once the first few drops of coffee begin to brew, add them to a measuring cup with the sugar and whisk vigorously to make a rich azuquita.
• Pour the remaining coffee into the measuring cup and mix. The foam or espumita will naturally rise to the top.
• Add whole or evaporated milk and enjoy a great-tasting cortadito!

What if My Coffee Doesn’t Turn Out?

Well, our first piece of advice is: don’t beat yourself up!

Brewing cortadito should be easy and straightforward. However, it’s okay if you do not get the perfect cup on your first try. 

All you have to do is make sure that you’re using high-quality ground Cuban coffee, and the rest will fall into place later on.

With more practice, you’ll get a better grasp on the right balance between coffee grounds, sugar, and milk, as well as the proper brewing time. Even you will begin to admire your Cuban coffee-making skills.