Café de olla: the Mexican tradition winning over Spanish coffee shops

In Mexico, coffee is not just a drink: it is a ritual. And among all the ways of preparing it, café de olla holds a special place in the hearts of millions of Mexicans. This ancestral preparation, which combines coffee with cinnamon, piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar) and sometimes spices such as clove and anise, has become one of the most surprising trends in Spain's speciality coffee shops.

What was once a humble drink of rural kitchens and street stalls is today served in handmade clay cups in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Seville. How did café de olla come to win over the European palate? We tell you the whole story and, of course, show you how to make it at home.

The history of café de olla: from the haciendas to the world

Coffee arrived in Mexico in the 18th century, brought by Spanish settlers who cultivated it in the tropical regions of Veracruz, Chiapas and Oaxaca. But the way Mexicans adopted this drink was completely different from the European approach. On the coffee haciendas and in rural homes, coffee was prepared in clay pots over a wood fire, sweetened with piloncillo because refined sugar was an unattainable luxury.

The clay pot is not a decorative detail: it is functional. The porous clay absorbs flavours over time, and a well-seasoned pot lends earthy nuances to the coffee that cannot be achieved with any other material. Cinnamon, an ever-present ingredient in Mexican cooking since colonial times, was added both for flavour and for its digestive properties.

During the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), café de olla became the drink of the revolutionary troops. The adelitas (women soldiers) prepared it in large pots to feed the armies of Villa and Zapata. This association with popular resistance gave café de olla an almost symbolic status of Mexican identity.

What makes café de olla different?

Unlike Italian espresso or American filter coffee, café de olla has unique characteristics:

• Natural sweetener: It uses piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar), which lends notes of caramel, molasses and earth that white sugar does not have.
• Integrated spices: Cinnamon is essential, but many recipes add clove, star anise, allspice or even orange peel.
• Cooking method: Everything is boiled together; it is not filtered under pressure. It is similar to Turkish coffee in concept but completely different in flavour.
• Clay vessel: The clay pot lends minerality and softens the coffee's acidity.
• Coarsely ground coffee: A coarse grind is used, similar to that for a French press.

The authentic café de olla recipe

Making café de olla at home is simple, and you do not need a clay pot (although it is better if you have one). This is the traditional recipe for 4 cups:

Ingredients:

• 1 litre of water
• 80g coarsely ground coffee (preferably Mexican: Chiapas, Veracruz or Oaxaca)
• 100g piloncillo, grated or in small pieces - you can find it in Mexican shops
• 2 cinnamon sticks (Ceylon cinnamon, not cassia)
• 3 cloves
• 1 star anise (optional)
• Peel of 1 orange (optional)

Step-by-step preparation:

1. Heat the water in a pot (clay if you have one, otherwise any pot will do) over medium heat.
2. Add the piloncillo and stir until it dissolves completely. This takes about 5-8 minutes.
3. Add the spices: cinnamon, clove, anise and orange peel. Let them simmer gently for 5 minutes so they release their essential oils.
4. Stir in the ground coffee. Raise the heat until it comes to the boil, then immediately lower it to low heat.
5. Cook for 5 minutes over low heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally.
6. Remove from the heat and let it rest for 3-4 minutes so the grounds settle.
7. Strain through a fine sieve or muslin (cheesecloth) directly into the cups.
8. Serve hot in little clay mugs if you have them, or in wide cups.

Pro tip: Café de olla is best made with a medium-roast coffee. A very dark roast (Italian espresso style) overpowers the notes of piloncillo and cinnamon. Look for high-altitude Mexican coffee in speciality shops.

Modern variations of café de olla

The versatility of café de olla has inspired baristas around the world to create contemporary versions:

Cold café de olla (Café de Olla Cold Brew)

Mix 100g of coarsely ground coffee with 1 litre of cold water, 80g of dissolved piloncillo and 2 cinnamon sticks. Leave to steep in the fridge for 12-18 hours. Strain and serve over ice. It is spectacular in summer and has less acidity than traditional cold brew.

Café de olla latte

Make a double espresso and mix it with hot steamed milk and a piloncillo-and-cinnamon syrup. It is the version that does best in speciality coffee shops because it combines the creamy texture of a latte with Mexican flavours.

Café de olla with chocolate

Add 30g of Mexican chocolate (Abuelita or Ibarra style) to the base recipe. The result is a hybrid between café de olla and champurrado that is pure winter comfort.

Café de olla with mezcal

For the adventurous: add 30ml of young mezcal to a cup of hot café de olla. The smokiness of the mezcal with the sweetness of the piloncillo creates a cocktail that is perfect for after dinner.

Café de olla in Spanish coffee shops

Over the past two years, café de olla has gone from being an exotic curiosity to appearing on the menus of speciality coffee shops across Spain. Why? Several factors converge:

The speciality coffee wave: Spain is experiencing a boom in coffee shops looking to differentiate themselves from traditional espresso. Café de olla offers something completely new to the Spanish palate: natural sweetness, spices and an artisanal preparation method that fits the slow-coffee trend.

The Mexican community: With more than 40,000 Mexicans living in Spain, demand for authentic Mexican products and experiences has grown. Many Mexican entrepreneurs have opened coffee shops that feature café de olla as their flagship product.

Sustainability: Piloncillo is a more sustainable sweetener than refined sugar (it requires less processing). This resonates with coffee shops committed to responsible consumption.

Where to buy the ingredients in the UK

The most specific ingredient is piloncillo. You can find it as:

• Piloncillo or panela: In Latin American shops, on Amazon, and increasingly in large supermarkets. Look in the international products section.
• Mexican coffee: Brands of speciality coffee from Chiapas, Veracruz or Oaxaca. Available online and in specialist Mexican shops.
• Ceylon cinnamon: This is the mild, aromatic cinnamon (the kind usually found in shops is cassia, which is stronger). Look for Ceylon cinnamon in health-food shops or gourmet shops.
• Clay pots: In online Mexican craft shops or at artisan markets.

Mexican coffee: beyond café de olla

Mexico is one of the world's 10 largest coffee producers, and the regions of Chiapas, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Puebla and Guerrero produce extremely high-quality beans that compete with the best coffees from Colombia and Ethiopia.

High-altitude Mexican coffees (1,200-1,800 metres) have flavour profiles with notes of chocolate, nut, caramel and tropical fruit that make them ideal for café de olla. If you want to delve deeper into Mexican gastronomy, explore our authentic Mexican recipes and discover other culinary treasures.

Café de olla is much more than a drink: it is a bridge between two cultures that share a passion for good coffee. Making it at home is simple, affordable and will transport you straight to a Mexican kitchen scented with cinnamon and piloncillo. Enjoy!