Café de Olla (Aromatic Sweet Coffee)

Winter is here.. again, and for these cold days there is nothing better to warm up than a "Cafecito de Olla" or Aromatic Sweet Coffee. This specialty Mexican hot drink is made from freshly ground dark roast coffee which has to be toasted in ceramic plates and ground afterwards in metates which are stone tools use to grind seeds; at least, that was the way it used to be in the old days before roasters existed. Small towns in Mexico still prefer to hand grind their beans, which I find awesome, but for me the easiest thing is just to go buy it. The exact translation for this Coffee would be Clay Pot Coffee, as it is typically prepared in a big clay pot with a narrow neck which helps cook the coffee beans, cinnamon stick and piloncillo the proper way to achieve its particular flavour. Unfortunately, I don't have one at home, which by the way I am dying to buy, but still I used a stainless steel pot and it worked OK.

Drink it hot with some "Garabatos" Scribble cookies and enjoy a warm cozy afternoon on any winter day!

Café de Olla (Aromatic Sweet Coffee)

Ingredients:

3 cups of water
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/2 ounces of piloncillo or... 2 1/2 tbsp of firmly packed dark brown sugar + 1/2 tsp of molasses
1 little strip of orange zest (avoid cutting the white stuff, you want only the orange skin)
2 tbsp of freshly ground dark roast coffee

Directions:

Combine the water, cinnamon stick, piloncillo, cloves & orange zest in a clay pot or stainless steel pot and cook over medium heat until the piloncillo is dissolved. Add the coffee and stir. Continue to simmer for about 5 mins more, strain and serve hot.