What Is a Cuban Coffee? Cafecito, Cortadito, Colada & Café Con Leche Explained

Cuban coffee is not a single drink. It is a family of four small, sweet, espumita-topped espresso drinks built on the same sugar-whipped technique: the cafecito (the 1.5 oz pure shot), the colada (the 3-4 oz shareable version), the cortadito (the milk-cut version), and Cuban café con leche (the breakfast milk version). All four are everyday drinks in Cuba, Miami, Tampa, Ybor City, and Cuban-American communities across the United States and Latin America. All four share the same Spanish-American medium-dark espresso roast, the same sugar-and-coffee espumita foam, and the same 60-to-90-second preparation rhythm.

When most people say “a Cuban coffee,” they mean the cafecito — the small, dense, sugar-whipped espresso with espumita. But the broader category includes drinks for every part of the day: cafecito as the all-day pick-me-up, colada for sharing at the office, cortadito for a softer mid-morning, and café con leche for breakfast with toasted Cuban bread.

This guide covers exactly what Cuban coffee is, where the drinks come from, how cafecito differs from cortadito and colada and café con leche, the espumita technique, the brand and roast standards, caffeine and calorie math, and how to order at a Miami or Tampa ventanita.

The Short Answer

A Cuban coffee is a sugar-whipped espresso drink from the Cuban café tradition. The prototypical version is the cafecito (also called café cubano) — a 1.5 oz shot of strong, medium-dark espresso whipped with raw sugar to produce a tan foam called espumita on top. Variations include the colada (shareable), cortadito (with steamed milk), and Cuban café con leche (with hot scalded milk for breakfast).

Where Cuban Coffee Comes From

Cuban coffee culture is older than most Americans realize. Coffee was first planted in Cuba in 1748 in the Sierra Maestra mountains of eastern Cuba, brought by French colonists fleeing the Haitian Revolution who carried arabica seedlings and the small-cup café tradition of the French Caribbean. By the early 1800s Cuba was one of the world’s largest coffee exporters, and a dense domestic café culture developed in Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Camagüey, and every provincial town — small, sweetened espresso drinks served at the bar of every pulpería (corner store-bar) and cafetería.

The cafecito and the espumita technique as they exist today seem to have crystallized in Havana cafés in the early-to-mid 20th century, once imported Italian espresso machines became standard equipment. Faema and La Pavoni lever machines were the dominant brands in pre-1959 Havana, and the espumita technique (whipping the first drops of brewing coffee with sugar to create a sweet foam) appears to have developed alongside them as a way to extract the most concentrated, syrupy part of the shot and emulsify it with the sugar that Cubans had always added to their coffee. By the 1940s and 1950s, the cafecito was the default order at Havana cafés.

The 1959 Cuban Revolution and the Cuban-American diaspora carried the cafecito out of Cuba and into Miami, Tampa (specifically Ybor City and West Tampa, which had been Cuban-cigar-industry centers since the 1880s and already had Cuban café traditions), Hudson County New Jersey, Union City, Queens, and eventually Latin American Cuban communities in Mexico City, Caracas, and Madrid. The diaspora preserved the drink more strictly than Cuba did — coffee shortages and ration-card coffee in post-Revolution Cuba meant that the classic cafecito at its full strength became a rare drink at home for decades, while the diaspora kept making it the way it had been made before 1959.

The brand staples of Cuban-American coffee were established in the diaspora, not in Cuba. Café Bustelo was founded in 1928 in East Harlem, New York, by Spanish immigrant Gregorio Bustelo, who originally sold to Spanish and Italian neighborhoods; the brand pivoted to serve the growing Cuban community in NYC and Miami in the 1960s and 1970s and remains the most widely available pre-ground Cuban-style espresso in U.S. supermarkets. Café Pilon (founded 1949 in Cuba, relocated to Miami after the Revolution) and Café La Llave (founded by the Souto family who fled Cuba in 1960 and re-established their roastery in Miami) became the other two pillars of Cuban-American coffee. All three are now owned by larger holding companies (Bustelo by Smucker, Pilon and La Llave by Rowland Coffee) but the recipes have not meaningfully changed.

The ventanita — the walk-up café window where most cafecitos are sold — became a cultural institution in Miami in the 1960s and 1970s. The most famous ventanitas (Versailles on Calle Ocho, La Carreta, Casa Larios, Sergio’s, El Pub) have served generations of Cuban-Americans and are now Miami landmarks. The ventanita format spread to Tampa, Union City, Houston, and any U.S. city with a meaningful Cuban-American population.

The contemporary scene spans both authenticity poles. Traditionalist ventanitas in Miami still pull cafecitos exactly as they were pulled in 1965, with Bustelo or La Llave through a moka pot or a 1970s-era La Pavoni. Third-wave Miami cafés (All Day, Vice City Bean, Threefold) have begun pulling specialty-grade Cuban-style cafecitos with single-origin Latin American beans roasted to order, often re-introducing the espumita technique to coffee customers who had never seen it. Both versions are recognizably Cuban coffee — what unites them is the espumita and the sugar, not the bean.

What’s Actually in a Cuban Coffee

The Cuban coffee family is built on three core ingredients, with milk added or omitted depending on which drink you’re making.

Espresso (medium-dark Spanish-American roast). The standard is a 1.5 oz pull of strong espresso from a moka pot or espresso machine. The Spanish-American brands — Café Bustelo, Café Pilon, Café La Llave, Café Caribe, Café El Pico, Café Yaucono (Puerto Rican but commonly used in Cuban kitchens) — are pre-ground for moka pot and espresso machine, blend arabica with 10 to 30 percent robusta, and produce a darker, more crema-heavy shot than typical Italian espresso. Any medium-dark Italian-style espresso roast will work, but the result will read as “Cuban-inspired” rather than authentically Cuban.

Demerara or raw cane sugar (for the espumita). One teaspoon of unrefined cane sugar per espresso shot is the standard. The sugar must be coarse enough to create the texture for whipping — granulated white sugar works but produces a slightly less rich espumita; dark muscovado or panela works but produces a darker, slightly less stable foam. Most ventanitas use demerara (large amber crystals) because it whips to a paler tan and integrates evenly with the coffee. Sugar is non-negotiable for the espumita technique — a sugar-free cafecito is an espresso, not a cafecito.

Steamed or scalded whole milk (for cortadito and café con leche). When milk is added, it is whole milk by default — Cuban coffee tradition is firmly anti-skim. For cortadito, the milk is steamed or warmed in a small pitcher (no foam needed; this is not a microfoam drink). For Cuban café con leche, the milk is scalded — heated to just below boiling so it has a slightly cooked, almost custardy character. Non-dairy milks (oat, almond, coconut) are increasingly common in third-wave Miami cafés and at home; oat works best because it has enough body to stand up to the sweet espresso.

The cafecito uses only espresso and sugar. The cortadito adds steamed whole milk. The colada is a multiplied cafecito (3-4 shots brewed and whipped as a single batch). Cuban café con leche pours a single cafecito into a tall glass of scalded milk.

The Espumita Technique

Espumita (“little foam”) is the technique that defines Cuban coffee. It is what every Cuban grandmother teaches every Cuban grandchild, and it is the single thing that distinguishes a real cafecito from a sweetened espresso shot.

Step 1: Start the brew. Begin pulling the espresso shot — through a moka pot on the stove, a manual espresso machine, an automatic espresso machine, or even a strong AeroPress.

Step 2: Catch the first drops. As soon as the very first drops of coffee start to come out (literally the first 5 to 10 milliliters), redirect them into a small metal espumita cup or a heatproof glass that already contains a teaspoon of demerara sugar per intended shot. For a single cafecito, you want about 5 mL of these first concentrated drops on top of 1 teaspoon of sugar.

Step 3: Whip vigorously. Take a small spoon and whip the sugar-and-coffee mixture in tight circles for 30 to 60 seconds. The mixture will start as a wet sandy paste, then turn glossy, then thicken and lighten in color as the sugar dissolves and the coffee oils emulsify with the sugar crystals. The finished espumita is pale tan, thick like loose buttercream, and holds its shape briefly when the spoon is lifted.

Step 4: Pour the rest of the espresso on top. When the rest of the shot finishes brewing, pour it directly over the whipped espumita. The espumita will float to the top as the espresso fills in underneath, creating the signature two-layer cafecito with brown coffee on the bottom and tan foam on top.

The chemistry. The first drops of an espresso shot are the most concentrated — 30 to 50 percent of the total dissolved solids of the entire shot are extracted in the first 5 mL. Whipping these high-solid drops with sugar emulsifies the coffee oils with the sucrose, creating a stable foam that does not collapse the way crema does. The sugar is also partially caramelized by the residual heat of the brewing chamber, deepening the flavor. The espumita is essentially a Cuban-style coffee meringue — a hot-process foam built on caramel chemistry rather than egg-white protein chemistry.

Common mistakes. Using too little sugar (less than 1 teaspoon per shot) produces a thin, runny espumita that collapses immediately. Using too few of the first drops (less than 5 mL) does not give enough coffee oil to emulsify. Whipping too gently or too briefly leaves the sugar undissolved. Whipping after the entire shot has finished brewing does not work — the espresso is too dilute by then to produce the emulsion. The espumita has to be made at the start of the brew, not at the end.

Cuban Coffee vs Other Coffee Drinks

Cuban Coffee vs Italian Espresso

The two are first cousins. Both are 1-to-1.5 oz pours of concentrated espresso. The differences are the sugar (built into Cuban coffee via espumita; added at the table or omitted in Italian espresso), the bean blend (Cuban uses 10-30% robusta and Spanish-American medium-dark roast; Italian varies regionally but is typically 0-20% robusta and lighter medium roast), and the foam (espumita on Cuban, crema on Italian). Caffeine is roughly equivalent. Cultural rhythm is similar — both are 60-second drinks, both are consumed at a counter or window rather than a table, both are part of multiple-times-per-day rituals.

Cuban Coffee vs Spanish Café con Leche

Both are descended from the Spanish café tradition that the colonial period carried to Cuba in the 1700s and 1800s, and both involve espresso and hot milk. But the proportions and the espresso preparation diverged after Cuban independence. Spanish café con leche is a balanced 1:1 espresso-to-milk drink (4 oz espresso + 4 oz scalded milk) served in a small 6-8 oz cup, with sugar added at the table. Cuban café con leche is a milkier 1:3 to 1:4 ratio (1.5 oz cafecito + 8-10 oz scalded milk) served in a tall 10-12 oz glass, with the sugar already built into the cafecito via espumita. The Spanish version emphasizes balance; the Cuban version emphasizes a luxurious milky base with a sweet espresso accent.

Cuban Coffee vs Cuban Cortado / Spanish Cortado

A Spanish cortado is roughly 50/50 espresso to steamed milk in a 4 oz glass — a balanced milk-cut espresso with the milk lightly foamed. A Cuban cortadito is similar in proportions but smaller (3 oz instead of 4 oz), sweeter (because the cafecito espumita is built into the espresso half), and the milk is steamed without aggressive foaming. The Spanish cortado is found across Spain and has spread to third-wave U.S. cafés as the “cortado” you see on most contemporary menus; the Cuban cortadito is specific to Cuban and Cuban-American cafés. See our Spanish cortado guide for the standard Spanish version.

Cafecito vs Cortadito

These two are paired drinks in any Cuban café — most ventanita customers order one or the other depending on time of day. A cafecito is the morning and afternoon pure shot, taken straight, finished in 30 seconds. A cortadito is the mid-morning or after-lunch milk-softened version, taken when the customer wants the espumita and the sweet espresso character but with a creamier finish. The cortadito is also the standard order for someone who wants a quick coffee with a friend at a sit-down table — the milk lets the drink last 5 minutes instead of 30 seconds. Both drinks have identical caffeine (60-90 mg) since the milk doesn’t change the underlying espresso.

Cafecito vs Colada

A colada is the same drink as a cafecito, multiplied by three or four shots and brewed-and-whipped as a single larger batch. It is a format difference, not a drink difference. The cafecito is for one person; the colada is for the office or family. A colada is poured into 4 to 6 small plastic shot cups (tacitas) at the table — each tacita is essentially a half-cafecito with the same espumita. The colada itself is not stronger per ounce than a cafecito; it is just a packaging and sharing convention that grew out of Cuban workplace culture in Miami and Tampa. If you order a colada and drink the entire styrofoam cup yourself, you are drinking 3 to 4 cafecitos, which is a reasonable single sitting only if you have built up tolerance.

Caffeine in Cuban Coffee

The Cuban coffee family is concentrated by volume but moderate per drink. Three cafecitos across a day (morning, post-lunch, late afternoon) is the Cuban-American norm and adds up to about 200 to 270 mg — similar to a single Starbucks venti drip but spread across three small social moments instead of one large to-go cup. The robusta content of Spanish-American brands (Bustelo, Pilon, La Llave) pushes individual cafecitos toward the high end of the 60-90 mg range; cafecitos pulled from 100% arabica beans land toward the low end.

Calories in Cuban Coffee

The cafecito itself is a low-calorie drink (25-40 calories) despite the sugar — the small volume keeps the total impact modest. Cuban café con leche is the highest-calorie Cuban drink at 180-240 calories with whole milk, comparable to a 16 oz American latte. Switching to oat or low-fat milk drops Cuban café con leche by 40 to 80 calories. The colada appears high-calorie at 80-120 but is divided among 4 to 6 people, so the per-person caloric load is similar to a cafecito.

Variations on Cuban Coffee

Cafecito doble. A double-strength cafecito made with two espresso shots and two teaspoons of sugar — about 120 to 180 mg of caffeine. Less common at ventanitas but standard for someone needing a strong morning shot.

Cafecito con leche evaporada. A cafecito made with evaporated milk (Carnation, La Lechera) instead of fresh whole milk for the espumita — common in Cuban kitchens during the post-1959 ration era when fresh milk was limited. The evaporated milk gives a richer, slightly caramelized character.

Iced cafecito (cafecito frío). A cafecito poured over a tall glass of ice — popular in Miami summer. The espumita partially dissolves into the cold drink rather than floating, but the sweet espresso character holds. Often served with a splash of evaporated milk for a richer iced drink.

Cubano con espuma extra. A cafecito with extra espumita built using two teaspoons of sugar and 10 mL of first-drops espresso instead of the standard 1 tsp / 5 mL. Extra-thick foam, slightly sweeter. A common request among Cuban-American kids who grew up loving the foam.

Café con leche con tostada. Not a drink variation — the standard Cuban-American breakfast pairing. Cuban café con leche is served with a 6-inch length of toasted, buttered Cuban bread (similar to French bread but slightly softer, with lard worked into the dough), often pressed flat in a plancha (hot grill press). The tostada is dunked into the café con leche.

Café Bombón. Originally a Spanish (Valencia/Murcia) drink that has been adopted in some Cuban-American cafés — a layered cafecito with sweetened condensed milk on the bottom and espresso poured slowly over the back of a spoon to keep the layers separate. Popular as an Instagram-friendly variation.

Cortadito con leche evaporada. A cortadito with evaporated milk instead of fresh — denser, richer, sweeter. Common in older Miami restaurants.

Cubano con cinnamon. A cafecito with a pinch of ground cinnamon dusted on top of the espumita — a regional variant from Tampa Ybor City Cuban-Italian-Spanish blended communities.

Cold-brew Cuban-style. A specialty-third-wave variation: cold brew concentrate sweetened with demerara sugar and whipped to create a cold espumita-like foam, served over ice. Not traditional but increasingly available at third-wave Miami cafés (Vice City Bean, All Day, Threefold).

Café con miel cubano. A cafecito sweetened with honey instead of sugar in the espumita whip — produces a darker, less stable foam but a more complex flavor. Rare in traditional Cuban kitchens (sugar is the standard) but found in some boutique Miami cafés.

Misconceptions About Cuban Coffee

“Cuban coffee is the same as Italian espresso.” No — it’s a parallel tradition with shared espresso-machine roots but different sugar handling, different bean blends (Cuban uses meaningful robusta), and different cultural rhythm. The espumita technique is unique to Cuban coffee.

“Cuban coffee is only cafecito.” No — cafecito is the most famous, but the Cuban coffee family includes cortadito, colada, and Cuban café con leche, all built on the same espumita base.

“Cuban coffee is much higher in caffeine than regular espresso.” No — the per-shot caffeine is about the same as Italian espresso (60-90 mg vs 60-80 mg). Cuban coffee tastes stronger because of the medium-dark roast, the robusta content, and the sugar concentration, not because of meaningfully higher caffeine.

“You need a special Cuban espresso machine.” No — any espresso machine, moka pot, or AeroPress capable of producing strong concentrated coffee will work. The brand of bean and the espumita technique are what make the drink Cuban, not the machine.

“Cuban coffee was invented in Miami.” No — the cafecito and espumita technique developed in Cuba in the early 20th century. Miami is where the diaspora preserved and elevated the drink after 1959, but the tradition is Cuban, not Cuban-American. That said, the classic Spanish-American brands (Bustelo, Pilon, La Llave) and the ventanita format were established in or relocated to the U.S., so the contemporary infrastructure of Cuban coffee culture is mostly American.

How to Order Cuban Coffee

Miami / Tampa / Hudson County NJ / Union City / any U.S. Cuban community. Walk up to a ventanita (the walk-up café window). Order in Spanish or English: “un cafecito” (one cafecito), “un cortadito” (one cortadito), “una colada” (one colada to share), “un café con leche” (Cuban café con leche). Cafecitos are $1.50 to $2.50; cortaditos $2.00 to $3.00; coladas $3.50 to $5.00 with a stack of plastic tacitas; café con leche $3.00 to $5.00 (often paired with tostada cubana for breakfast). The drink arrives in 60 to 90 seconds. For less sweet, ask for “menos azúcar” (less sugar) — but note that “sin azúcar” (no sugar) is unusual since the espumita requires sugar to form.

Cuba (Havana, Santiago, Camagüey). Cafecito is universally available at any restaurant, café, or paladar. Order “un cafecito” or “un café cubano.” Quality varies — pre-1959 grand cafés (still operating in Old Havana) serve cafecitos closer to the diaspora standard; smaller neighborhood cafés sometimes have weaker coffee due to ingredient availability. Café con leche is the standard breakfast at any casa particular (private guesthouse). Coladas are less common in Cuba than in Miami — the workplace-sharing format is more of a Cuban-American tradition.

United States outside Cuban communities. Most non-Cuban U.S. cafés do not serve cafecito. Some specialty cafés will pull a “Cuban-style espresso” with sugar whipped into espumita if you ask politely and explain the technique — but quality varies wildly, and many baristas have never been taught the technique. Café Bustelo and Café La Llave are sold in most U.S. supermarkets and are easy to make at home (see below).

Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia). Cafecito and the espumita technique are not standard in Spain — Spanish café con leche is the closest equivalent and is on every menu. Order “un café con leche” (Spanish version, smaller and unsweetened) or “un cortado” (small espresso with a dash of milk). Some Spanish-Cuban diaspora cafés in Madrid (around Plaza de España, Lavapiés) serve cafecito and Cuban café con leche.

Latin America (Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia). Mexican coffee culture has its own traditions (café de olla, sweetened with piloncillo and cinnamon — see our Mexican coffee guide). Venezuelan and Colombian cafés serve a guayoyo or tinto (small unsweetened black coffee) plus their own milk-coffee variations. Cafecito is rare outside specifically Cuban-themed cafés in Mexico City, Caracas, or Bogotá.

How to Make Cuban Coffee at Home

A home cafecito takes about 5 minutes if you have a moka pot or espresso machine. Build it in three steps:

Step 1: Brew the espresso. Fill a 3-cup or 6-cup moka pot with water to the safety valve, add Café Bustelo (or Pilon, La Llave) ground for moka pot, and assemble. Heat on medium until the coffee starts to chuga out. Alternatively, pull a single shot from an espresso machine using any medium-dark Italian-style espresso roast. Aim for a 1.5 oz pull.

Step 2: Whip the espumita. As soon as the very first 5 mL of coffee start coming out, redirect them into a small heatproof glass that already contains 1 teaspoon of demerara or raw cane sugar. Whip vigorously with a small spoon for 30 to 60 seconds until the mixture turns thick, glossy, and pale tan.

Step 3: Pour the rest of the espresso on top. When the rest of the shot finishes brewing, pour it directly over the espumita. The foam will float to the top. Serve immediately in a 1.5 oz demitasse or small espresso cup.

For a cortadito, pour the finished cafecito into a 3 oz glass and add 1.5 oz of warmed whole milk (do not foam aggressively). For Cuban café con leche, pour the cafecito into a tall 10-12 oz glass and top with 8-10 oz of scalded whole milk. For a colada, brew a 3-cup or 6-cup moka pot, whip 3 to 4 teaspoons of sugar with the first 15-20 mL of coffee for the espumita, pour the rest of the coffee on top, and serve in a styrofoam cup with a stack of plastic tacitas.

For the full step-by-step recipe with photos, see our authentic cafecito recipe and our Cuban café con leche recipe.

The Bottom Line

Cuban coffee is a four-drink family — cafecito, cortadito, colada, and Cuban café con leche — built on a single technique (whipping the first drops of espresso with raw sugar to create the espumita foam) and a single bean style (medium-dark Spanish-American espresso, often with 10-30% robusta). It is sweeter than Italian espresso, smaller than American espresso, and is the daily coffee of Cuba, Miami, Tampa, and Cuban-American communities worldwide. The cafecito is the prototype; the other three are variations for sharing, softening, and breakfast. All four are easy to make at home with a moka pot, a teaspoon of demerara sugar, and 5 minutes of attention.

If you want to make any of the four at home, start with the authentic cafecito recipe for the foundational espumita technique, then move to the Cuban café con leche recipe for the breakfast version. For the Spanish cortado that the Cuban cortadito is descended from, see our cortado coffee guide. For the Spanish café tradition that gave rise to all of these drinks, see our café au lait guide (the French parallel) and our Marocchino guide (the Italian small-cup tradition that influenced Cuban presentation).

For more on espresso fundamentals, see our what is espresso guide, and for the broader story of how concentrated espresso traditions spread around the world from Italy in the early 20th century, see the historical sections in our other “what is X” definitional guides.

What is a Cuban coffee?

A Cuban coffee is a sugar-whipped espresso drink from the Cuban café tradition. The prototypical version is the cafecito — a 1.5 oz shot of strong, medium-dark espresso whipped with raw cane or demerara sugar to create a tan, glossy foam called espumita on top. The broader family includes the cortadito (cafecito with steamed milk), the colada (a 3-4 oz shareable cafecito poured into small tacita cups), and Cuban café con leche (cafecito poured into a tall glass of scalded hot milk for breakfast). All four use Spanish-American medium-dark espresso roast (typically Café Bustelo, Pilon, or La Llave) and the same espumita whipping technique.

Why is it called Cuban coffee?

Cuban coffee is named for Cuba — the country where the cafecito and espumita technique developed in the early 20th century. The drink was preserved and globalized by the Cuban-American diaspora after 1959, with Miami, Tampa, and the Spanish-American brands (Bustelo, Pilon, La Llave) becoming the contemporary infrastructure of the tradition.

Where did Cuban coffee come from?

Coffee was first planted in Cuba in 1748 by French colonists fleeing Haiti. The cafecito and espumita technique crystallized in Havana cafés in the early-to-mid 20th century, after Italian espresso machines became standard equipment. The 1959 Cuban Revolution and the subsequent diaspora carried the drink to Miami, Tampa, and other U.S. cities, where it was preserved more strictly than in Cuba itself.

What is in a Cuban coffee?

A cafecito contains medium-dark Spanish-American espresso (typically Café Bustelo, Pilon, or La Llave) and demerara or raw cane sugar — about 1 teaspoon per shot — whipped with the first drops of brewing coffee to form espumita. Cortadito adds steamed whole milk; Cuban café con leche adds scalded whole milk; colada multiplies the shots and the sugar.

What does Cuban coffee taste like?

Sweet, dense, and slightly bitter all at once. The dominant flavor is caramelized sugar from the espumita, with the dark-roast coffee underneath providing bitterness, body, and a slightly chocolatey character. The robusta content of Spanish-American brands adds an earthy, almost grain-like depth that 100% arabica espresso lacks. Compared to Italian espresso, Cuban coffee tastes sweeter and more concentrated; compared to American espresso, it tastes smaller and more intense.

What is the difference between a cafecito and a cortadito?

A cafecito is straight espresso with espumita and no milk, served in a 1.5 oz demitasse. A cortadito is the same espresso with about 1.5 oz of steamed whole milk added, served in a 3 oz glass — the milk softens the strength while preserving the espumita and the sweet espresso character. Both have the same caffeine (60-90 mg) since the milk doesn’t change the underlying espresso.

What is a colada?

A colada is a 3-4 oz Cuban coffee meant for sharing — essentially a triple or quadruple cafecito brewed and whipped into a single batch of espumita, then served in a styrofoam cup with a stack of small plastic tacita cups for distribution. Coladas are a fixture of Cuban-American workplace and family culture: someone goes on the cafecito run and brings back a colada for the group to share. Each tacita pour is roughly equivalent to a half-cafecito.

What is Cuban café con leche?

Cuban café con leche is a tall glass of hot scalded whole milk with a single shot of cafecito (sugar-whipped espresso with espumita) poured in — typically a 1:3 to 1:4 ratio of espresso to milk, served in a 10-12 oz glass. It is the Cuban breakfast standard, traditionally paired with tostada cubana (toasted, buttered Cuban bread). It is sweeter and milkier than the Spanish version of café con leche.

How much caffeine is in a Cuban coffee?

A cafecito has 60-90 mg of caffeine — close to a single Italian espresso, slightly higher because of the robusta content of Spanish-American brands. A cortadito has the same 60-90 mg (the milk doesn’t change the caffeine). Cuban café con leche made with one cafecito shot also has 60-90 mg. A full colada (3-4 shots) has 200-320 mg total but is divided among 4-6 people.

How many calories are in a Cuban coffee?

A cafecito (1.5 oz, 1 tsp sugar) is 25-40 calories. A cortadito (3 oz with whole milk) is 50-70 calories. Cuban café con leche (10-12 oz with whole milk) is 180-240 calories — comparable to a 16 oz American latte. A colada (3-4 oz total, 3 tsp sugar) is 80-120 calories total, divided among the people sharing it.

Can you make Cuban coffee without a moka pot?

Yes. Any espresso machine, AeroPress (with fine grind, strong concentrate), or even a strong French press will produce coffee concentrated enough for the espumita technique. The moka pot is the most traditional and the easiest way to get a Cuban-style strong shot at home, but the technique works with any concentrated coffee source. The key is to have at least 5 mL of strong, hot first-drops to whip with the sugar.

Why does Cuban coffee have foam on top?

The foam is called espumita (“little foam”) and is made by whipping the very first drops of brewing espresso with raw cane or demerara sugar for 30-60 seconds. The whipping incorporates microbubbles and emulsifies the coffee oils with the sucrose, creating a stable foam that floats on top when the rest of the espresso is poured in. Espumita is the visual and flavor signature of every Cuban coffee drink and is the main thing that distinguishes Cuban coffee from Italian espresso.

Is Cuban coffee healthier than American coffee?

Roughly comparable, with different trade-offs. A cafecito is a low-calorie drink (25-40 calories) despite the sugar, because the volume is small. A 12 oz American drip coffee with a splash of milk is about 30 calories and has slightly more caffeine (120-180 mg vs 60-90 mg for a cafecito). Cuban café con leche has more calories than American drip (180-240 vs 30) because of the milk and sugar, but is comparable to an American latte (180 calories for 16 oz with whole milk). Neither tradition is meaningfully healthier — the Cuban drinks are sweeter and smaller, the American drinks are larger and less sweet.

How do you order a cafecito at Starbucks?

Starbucks does not serve cafecito. The closest you can get at Starbucks is to order a single espresso shot (“solo espresso”) in a demitasse and ask for two raw sugar packets to stir in — but this is not a real cafecito because the sugar isn’t whipped with the first drops to form espumita. For an authentic cafecito, find a Cuban café (any ventanita in Miami, Tampa, or a U.S. city with a Cuban community) or make one at home with a moka pot.

Can I make a cafecito at home?

Yes — a home cafecito takes about 5 minutes with a moka pot. Brew Café Bustelo (or Pilon, La Llave) in a 3-cup moka pot, catch the first 5-10 mL of coffee in a small heatproof glass with a teaspoon of demerara sugar, whip the sugar and coffee together for 30-60 seconds until thick and pale tan, then pour the rest of the espresso over the espumita. Serve immediately in a 1.5 oz demitasse. For the full step-by-step recipe with photos, see our cafecito recipe.