Growing up in a Cuban home means drinking coffee. much coffee. and it means learning to make coffee at a young age.
For most of us Cuban children, our first words were: “mommy. Daddy. coffee.”
Reading: Cafe con leche y pan
We’re not just talking about any coffee here. we are talking about a super sweet and flavorful espresso. in fact, looking back on my early childhood, i think cuban parents would add coffee and sugar to our milk just so we kids would drink it every day. it totally worked. =d
One of the biggest cultural shocks when we landed on American soil was discovering that American kids didn’t drink espresso with their milk for breakfast. (I felt sorry for them. I know. Shut up.)
coffee with milk. warm milk with espresso. that was our breakfast of choice. with warm buttered Cuban bread (technically grilled!). Let’s just have a holy moment of silence here… oh my god.
could there be a better way to start the day?
Fast forward to the 90’s with the green-logo’d coffee houses (or Four-bucks as we affectionately called them) popping up on every corner. They were serving something they called “lattes” to caffeine-thirsty consumers for about $4 a serving. I remember reading the description and watched them make one. “Hey! That’s a Café con Leche! I’ve been drinking those since birth!” (Okay, so I never actually said that out loud because then there would be a grumbling in the line of people needing their caffeine fix and who needs that kind of grief?)
If you do the math, that’s like over $100 a month spent on something you can do for pennies at home! Besides, nobody makes a coffee with milk better than a Cuban mom (or aunt or grandmother…).
the lovely people of got milk? campaign are so on the ball here. they know what Cuban mothers have known for years: the combination of milk and coffee is an ideal way to get your portion of calcium every day. how cool is this mug?
See also: Hotel Mocawa Resort (Hotel), La Tebaida (Colombia) deals
this has become adam’s favorite morning ritual. “Mom, make me a coffee with milk.” I used to make these for my brother to wake him up every day (so I can pretty much make a latte in my sleep, probably because I was always barely awake when I made them, but that’s not important right now).
nothing says “good morning” like a sweet homemade latte in the morning.
coffee with milk
6 to 8 oz. milk3 oz. espresso1 or 2 tsp. sugar (to taste)
1) prepare your Cuban coffee (espresso). 2) Heat the milk in a saucepan over high heat (I guess you could also microwave your milk, but we’re talking “old school” here) until it just starts to foam. 3) Pour the espresso into the bottom of the cup. pour hot milk on top. 4) add a couple of teaspoons of sugar to taste.
serve with toasted bread…
toasted bread
1 to 6-inch piece of buttered Cuban bread
See also: Commune Café is closed driven by unforgiving landlord
Butter both sides of the bread and grill in a sandwich press, george form grill, or even on the stovetop in a skillet. the idea is that the bread is buttery, flat and toasted. the really amazing smell of grilled toast and hot milk with coffee will make you very popular. it’s easy to make friends if you’re willing to share. 😉
Serve the toasted bread with your latte. speak loudly and gesture a lot while eating to experience a truly Cuban breakfast. 😉
Then why did the genie get milk? people were so generous to send me an extra… i’m going to share the love. =d
Let’s do a comment giveaway. tell me about growing up drinking lattes. or the best place to get one if you were in miami. or just tell me how much you like Cuban coffee. (I’m easy that way. =d)
Leave me a comment and I’ll do a random drawing on Wednesday at 3pm. PT to pick a winner for this cool goody bag featuring the following:
- a fabulous do you have milk? cup.
- a great thing for frothing milk.
- a packet of caramel iced coffee mix.
- lots of great coffee and milk recipes.
so come on…let’s talk latte…
me on twitter: making coffee for the fourth time today. does this qualify me as a “barista?”
my friend srcohiba: it only makes you Cuban. :-)))
See also: 500 mẫu quầy bar cafe, quầy bar nhà hàng đẹp giá tại xưởng cực rẻ
