Café De Olla (no straining required)

This is not your traditional café de olla. BUT!…it tastes just like it. What makes a coffee “café de olla?” Well, for starters, a traditional café de olla is boiled entirely in a Mexican clay pot above a fire. My method is a little different. Instead of a clay pot, I use a french press. Using a french press allows me to control the sugar content in my cup of coffee, and I don’t have to deal with straining everything out. I’ve been making my version of café de olla this way for a couple years now and I love it! Some of my relatives look at me funny when I bring out my french press to make coffee, but once they try it, they like it too.

Start by breaking one cinnamon stick into little pieces and adding it to a medium size pot.

Fill up your french press with as much water as you want for your coffee then pour it into the pot with the cinnamon stick.

Turn the heat on high and let it come to a boil.

Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium high. Allow the water to continue to boil for at least another three minutes or until the water has a copper color to it. Turn off the heat.

Pour as much ground coffee as you like into the french press. I usually use a maximum of 7 or 8 tablespoons in mine (if I’m filling it to the top).

Carefully pour the cinnamon water into the french press (don’t worry if some of the cinnamon sticks fall in). Stir the coffee and water, let it rest a few minutes. You can cover it, but don’t press it down yet. Let the coffee steep in the cinnamon water at least 3 minutes before pressing.

After about 3-5 minutes, press the coffee all the way to the bottom, pour some into a cup and add your grated piloncillo and milk.

The beauty of using a french press and having grated piloncillo readily available is that each person can have their café de olla however sweet they like it. That’s it! Easy peasy, right?! So how do you take your coffee??