Cuba & Miami
A cortadito is Cuban espresso, whipped with sugar into a sweet foam called espuma, then cut with an equal volume of steamed milk. How to make it at home.
A cortadito is Cuban espresso cut with an equal amount of steamed milk. What separates it from a Spanish cortado is the sugar, and specifically when the sugar goes in.
The defining Cuban technique. A spoonful of sugar goes into a cup, the first few drops of the espresso are poured onto it, and the two are beaten vigorously with a spoon until they form a pale, thick, caramel-colored foam called espuma.
The rest of the shot is then poured through it, and the espuma rises to the top as a sweet crema.
Café cubano (cafecito): the espresso with espuma, alone, in a tiny cup.
Cortadito: that, cut with an equal volume of steamed or evaporated milk.
Colada: a large serving of café cubano with several small plastic cups, meant to be shared — a workplace institution in Miami.
Traditionally dark-roasted, often with robusta, brewed in a moka pot at home and on an espresso machine in a cafe. It is not subtle and it is not meant to be.
Whip a teaspoon of sugar with the first drops of a double espresso until pale and thick. Pour the rest through. Add an equal volume of steamed milk.
Use plain white sugar and only the first teaspoon or two of coffee: too much liquid and the sugar dissolves instead of whipping. Beat hard for thirty seconds to a minute, until the paste turns light tan and holds its shape. Dark-roast Cuban-style coffee, such as the espresso blends sold in brick packs in US supermarkets, gives the expected taste, and a moka pot works as well as a machine.
The equipment this actually requires — not a shopping list, the shortest route to doing it properly.
Aluminum · 130 ml · not induction
Over ninety years old, sold by the million, and misused by almost everyone who owns one. Brewed properly — low heat, pre-boiled water, off the heat at the first gurgle — it is one of the great cheap coffees.
Best for: One or two strong cups on a gas or electric cooktop, at almost no cost.
51 mm (2.01 in) portafilter · 15 cm (5.9 in) wide · pressurized baskets
About six inches wide, heats in forty seconds, and makes a decent drink at an entry price. It ships with pressurized baskets that fake crema from any grind — which is exactly why it works for beginners and why it stalls after a year.
Best for: A tiny kitchen, a first espresso machine, or a second machine for an office.
