What Cuban Coffee Really Is

Cuban coffee is not simply strong moka coffee with sugar stirred into it.

The defining feature is the sweet foam—often called espuma—made by whipping the first concentrated drops of coffee with sugar. The remaining coffee is then added, producing a small, intense, sweet drink.

The moka pot connection

In many Cuban and Cuban-American homes, the moka pot is the everyday tool used to make the concentrated coffee base. The method turns a familiar stovetop brewer into part of a larger social ritual.

More than a recipe

Cafecito is served in small portions, often shared. The sweetness, intensity, and communal habit are inseparable from the drink itself.