You'd think that my most memorable Mexican coffee experience would be from one of my visits to Mexico. But, no! It's from Kensington Market, here in Toronto.

Joe and I had brunch at a lovely Mexican spot in Kensington Market and the cinnamon-spice-sweet cafe de olla was a delicious change from my usual basic black coffee.

This inspired me to figure out how to make cafe de olla at home. The original recipes were WAY too sweet for me and I've reduced the sugar by half compared to traditional recipes.

Sparkplug Coffee's Cafe De Olla Recipe

Makes: 2 servings     Takes: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups / 700 ml water

• 3 TBSP / 75 ml packed brown sugar

• 2" / 5cm cinnamon stick

• 40 g coarse ground coffee (about 6 TBSP or 80ml) - ideally a darker roast Mexican bean

OPTIONAL ingredients:

• 1 or 2 cloves

• a few anise seeds

• 1 TBSP / 25 ml molasses

• peel of 1 orange

Directions:

1. Combine water, sugar, cinnamon stick and any or all of the optional ingredients in a pot.

2. Heat on high, bring to a boil, stir, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Remove from heat, stir in coffee, cover and leave it to brew for 5 minutes.

4. Strain into cups.

5. Enjoy!

Tips:

• This recipe is most delicious with a darker roast coffee - we recommend the Sparkplug Coffee Globetrotter

• If you don't have a fine mesh strainer, you can line a regular strainer with a paper towel or coffee filter.

• In Mexico, this is often just ladled out without straining, leaving the grinds and spices at the bottom of the pot.

Cafe De Olla On Ice!

Directions for Cold Brew Cafe De Olla:

1. Combine 4 cups water, 4 TBSP of brown sugar, a cinnamon stick and any or all of the optional ingredients listed above in a pot.

2. Heat on high, bring to a boil, stir, reduce heat and simmer for at least 2 minutes to make sure sugar is completely dissolved.

3. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

4. Combine the spiced water with 1 cup of ground coffee (you can keep it simple and stir the coffee into the saucepan or combine in a French press, mason jar or other carafe).

5. Cover and let sit on the counter or in the refrigerator for 14 - 18 hours.

6. Filter out the coffee grinds.

7. Add ice, additional water or milk to dilute to taste. Enjoy!

Cold Brew Cafe De Olla can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Our full guide to cold brew coffee is here: Cold Brew Coffee Guide.

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