Cafe de Olla

coffee cup cafe de olla ingredients cinnamon cloves coffee beans

Hola, welcome! If you found your way here, it’s because you’re curious about Cafe de Olla - what it is, where it’s from, and importantly, how to make it! I hate scrolling for recipes myself, so if you’re all business, click below to jump to the recipe for this warming brew.

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Composition and Origins

Cafe de Olla is a style of coffee brewing from Mexico with many variations depending on tradition and preference. Ingredients typically include a combination of coffee, spices, and sugar brewed together in a clay pot (the olla). The result is a sweet, spiced, aromatic cup of coffee (a cafecito) guaranteed to warm the soul and provide a morning or afternoon pick-me-up. Cafe de Olla has humble beginnings, originally prepared by Mexican women (soldaderas or adelitas) to support soldier’s stamina as they fought through the Mexican revolution in the early 1900’s. From there, the drink sprawled across Mexico, with each region and household developing their own unique combination of spices, sugar, and coffee to support their morning ritual.

While titled cafe, the spices are the real star of the show as they give this style of coffee it’s unique flavor. Spices can include cinnamon, clove, star anise, roasted cocoa, or truly whatever your heart desires in a warm cup of coffee. The sugar added is traditionally piloncillo, a molasses-flavored unrefined cane sugar from Mexico, though any sugar can substitute (white, brown, coconut, etc.). Coffee type can be to preference as well, though the bolder flavors of a medium-dark roast will compliment the spices and sugar nicely; if you have access to a grinder and freshly roasted beans, you’re looking for a coarse grind for steeping, though most commercially available ground coffees produce a fine Cafe de Olla (my mom’s go-to is Nespresso). Last but not least is the pot, which is traditionally a clay pot for all the ingredients to steep and fuse together for your delicious cup. If you don’t have access to an old fashioned clay pot, no worries (it’d be impressive if you did!), a metal pot big enough for a few cups of water will suffice. If you’re curious about what a traditional Cafe de Olla tastes like, check out your local Mexican restaurants or panaderias (bakeries) that do breakfast to try to get your hands on a cup brewed from a clay pot. You’ll find the flavor differences are noticeable - there’s more spice and complexity, which I can only guess comes from a combination of love, minerals in the clay pot, and layers of spices that have been infused into the clay from countless brews before.

Cultural Importance

Cafe de Olla was my first introduction to coffee, and if you grew up in a Mexican household, it likely made a regular appearance on your stovetop, always at the ready for a morning or afternoon pick-me-up. My mom would make her cafecito every day before work and on weekends when she needed something nice and warm. To many native Chicanos (Americans of Mexican descent) or Mexican immigrants, the spiced brew is a callback to comfort – the same way a family recipe or smell (e.g. grandma’s apple pie or perfume) can revive fond memories.

As a kid, I remember the intoxicating aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting in from the kitchen. One day, my curiosity finally got the better of me, and I asked for a sip of my mom’s cafecito. I sipped and felt instantly betrayed by the burnt-bitter flavors invading my mouth — my chocolate milk and Caprisun laden pallet was no match for an adult drink. With more sips and time, I eventually tasted the dark chocolate and spices present and gained an appreciation for my mom’s morning ritual.

Where to Get It

Below are a few places in NorCal and SoCal that you can check out for some great Cafe de Olla, but by no means is this list exhaustive. You’re just as well off going to a Mexican market that sells food and pastries and asking if they have any on the stovetop. Bonus suggestion - grab a pan dulce and/or food option to pair and you’ve got a full meal with a range of flavors.

Orange County: Playa Mesa in Costa Mesa, Mas Cafecito in La Puente, Casita Cordova (pop-up)
Los Angeles: Gusto Bread in Long Beach, La Casita Mexicana in Bell, La Monarcha Bakery in Hollywood, and many more here
San Diego: Cocina 35 in Downtown, Breakfast Republic in Ocean Beach, Xula Coffee (delivery; weekly on Mondays)
San Francisco: Cafe De Olla (restaurant) in Mission District, Fluid Cooperative Cafe inside La Cocina Municipal Market Place in Mid-Market

How to Make It

Recipe #1 (Mom’s Way)

Ingredients

Serving Size: 2 cups of coffee

2 tablespoons of ground coffee (10g) - my mom’s go-to is the classic Nescafe
2 cups of water (472g) - filtered water if available
1-2 cinnamon sticks - broken into smaller pieces
2 tablespoons of piloncillo or brown sugar (25g)
Optional: A few ounces of 2% or evaporated milk for a creamier cafe con leche

Equipment

Pot (clay or metal) with lid
Mesh strainer
Stovetop or heat source

Instructions

Add cinnamon, sugar, and water into pot, bring to a low boil
Simmer/low boil for 2 minutes
Add coffee, cover pot, turn off heat, and let brew for 5-8 minutes; 5 minutes for a lighter coffee flavor, 8 minutes for a stronger coffee
Strain and serve!

Recipe #2 (Jessy’s Spin)