Café De Olla / Mexican Coffee

Name: Café De Olla / Mexican Coffee
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 8 cups water; 3 cloves; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 star anise; 3 to 4 inch orange peel; 1/4 piece of Abuelita Mexican chocolate; 1/2 of a large pilonsillo (less or more depending on your taste); 8 heaping Tbsp ground coffee; Add water and all ingredients (except the coffee) into a deep saucepan or Olla de Barro (Mexican clay pot).; Bring to a rolling boil about 10 min.; Insure that the chocolate and pilonsillo have completely dissolved.; Add coffee grounds and stir well.; Turn off heat; Cover and allow to steep for 10 minutes.; Strain and pour into coffee mugs.; Garnish with star anise or cinnamon sticks.; Modify the ingredients as you prefer but this is how we like it. ENJOY ☕️ 🇲🇽

8 Cups

30 min

Seriously if you enjoy coffee, YOU will love CAFÉ DE OLLA 🇲🇽 whether you’re a coffee drinker or not. It’s a cozy aromatic & flavorful coffee that dates back to the early 1900’s during the Mexican revolution. It almost has a consistency of a tea. You won’t need any creamers either because the warm fall spices that are used to make it give it such a wonderful flavor. The authentic version didn’t have creamer but if you prefer it, go ahead and add it. I do not think it’s necessary because it’s very flavorful on its own. It’s sweetened with pilonsillo, an unrefined cane sugar & it’s made in an Olla de Barro, a Mexican clay pot but if you don’t have one, use a regular saucepan, large enough to fit 8 cups of water.

This is a very nostalgic drink for me and brings back some wonderful childhood memories. The Olla de Barro I have was handed down to me by my dad 💙 but if you want one of your own, you can typically find them in Mexican grocery stores. I hope you give this simple but delicious drink a try, it’s perfect for a cold day.

WHAT IS PILONSILLO

It is a staple in Mexican cooking and baking. It’s an unrefined whole cane sugar, mainly found in Mexico. Story is that it’s been around for over 500 years. It has an earthy, caramel-like taste, I think it’s similar to a very intense brown sugar or molasses but even better. You can find it in Mexican markets. It is pressed into blocks, cones, or even loaves. It’s very easy to store and typically inexpensive. Pilonsillo always brings back childhood memories, I really enjoy the flavor. Give it a try if you ever come across it and I hope you give this wonderful coffee a try as well.

Thank you for stopping by.

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Alright, let’s make this!

The utensil I’m using to help dissolve the chocolate and pilonsillo is called a milonero and it’s made of wood. My grandmother used to use it to help dissolve the pilonsillo. You place it between the palms of your hand and rub it together fast. It produces a spinning motion and works well to dissolve the pilonsillo. You can use a long serving spoon if you don’t have one of these.