CORTADITO COFFEE RECIPE: HOW TO MAKE THE CUBAN TREAT AT HOME

A cortadito is the perfect sweet and energizing treat to start your day. Here’s how to make it!

The cortado coffee and the café Cubano are increasingly common cafe menu items, but cortaditos still await their time in the limelight. This dark, strong coffee cut with steamed milk and sugar is a favorite among Cubans – and anyone who loves a sweet coffee.

In this simple cortadito recipe, I’ll walk you through how to make this Cuban espresso drink at home. The delicious payoff is more than worth the effort.

What Is A Cortadito Coffee?

A cortadito is a Cuban coffee drink that’s made with espresso and steamed milk in equal parts. The espresso is heavily sweetened with sugar before the addition of the milk, which is what makes this cup of coffee unique. 

What’s The Difference Between A Cortado And A Cortadito?

The cortadito resembles, both in name and composition, several other popular coffee shop drinks. Here’s a quick rundown of how they differ:

• The Spanish cortado uses the same 1:1 ratio of espresso to milk, but you don’t add sugar when making a cortado. 
• A café con leche also features equal parts strong coffee and milk, but it is not necessarily sweetened. And the milk is often simply heated or scalded rather than steamed.
• A cafe Cubano, also known as a cafecito or Colada coffee, is another popular Cuban espresso drink (1). It uses the same sugar-sweetened espresso as the cortadito but skips the steamed milk.

How To Make A Cortadito

Now that you know what a cortadito is – and isn’t – let’s talk about how to make it. It’s not mandatory to have an espresso machine as long as you have something that can brew a strong shot of coffee. In most Cuban homes, and even in some cafes, the espresso-style coffee is made with a Moka pot coffee maker.

Step-By-Step Cortadito Coffee Recipe 

The Cuban cortadito is a fantastic espresso drink for anyone who loves bold flavors and a morning sweet treat, and I love how accessible it is to the home cook. Sure, an espresso machine makes it easy, but you can get away without any special gear or accessories.

Learn how by following this simple recipe, or watch Steven from Home Brews Coffee make a cortadito in this video:

Step 1: Prepare The Coffee Cup

Add the 2 teaspoons of sugar to the bottom of a pre-warmed serving glass. You can use granulated white sugar, raw sugar, or brown sugar, which adds a darker, more molasses-like flavor.

Step 2: Brew The Coffee

Prepare a 2-ounce serving of coffee using 16 grams of ground coffee beans. This can be a double shot of espresso or a Moka pot, Aeropress, or French press brew. It just needs to be a strong and full-bodied coffee.

I typically use a Moka pot. Fill the bottom chamber with filtered water up to the safety valve, add the filter basket packed with ground coffee, and set it on the stove over low to medium heat. Cut the heat immediately when you hear the gurgling sound to avoid overcooking the coffee.

Pro tip: A dark or medium-dark roast is traditional for this drink as its bitterness can properly balance the added sugar. For authenticity, try using freshly ground Cuban coffee (2).

Step 3: Create The Espuma

Espuma is a rich foam created by whipping a small amount of coffee and sugar. Pour a few teaspoons of the brewed coffee into the serving glass with the sugar and stir vigorously until it gets frothy. Then add the rest of the coffee and stir gently to combine.

Pro tip: When creating espuma, add just enough coffee to wet the sugar. It will be a thick, grainy paste at first but will loosen once the sugar dissolves.

Step 4: Froth The Milk

I like using whole milk or 2% milk to make cortadito coffee, but some variations use evaporated milk instead.

The best way to make steamed milk is with the steam wand of an espresso machine, but for this drink, you can use anything that will slightly aerate and heat the milk. Options include a milk frother, a microwave and French press, or a saucepan and whisk.

Once the milk hits about 140 ℉ and is lightly foamy, pour the steamed milk gently over the coffee.

Pro tip: Depending on your milk frothing method, it can be difficult to steam such a small volume of milk. You may need to make several servings or resign yourself to milk waste.

Final Thoughts

A cortadito is a Cuban espresso drink with a bold flavor and enticing sweetness that’s guaranteed to kick your morning off right. And with this recipe, it’s easy to make a cortadito at home, even if you don’t have an espresso machine. As long as you can combine strong coffee, sugar, and hot milk, you can enjoy this traditional Cuban coffee!