The Coffee I Make To Feel Like I'm Home in Miami

As someone who was born and raised in Miami, coffee is very important to me. Lovingly referred to as cafecito, coffee is essential to everyday life back home. From the mandatory 3 p.m. cafecito break that every workplace abides by, to an evening cafe con leche after a late night out, I am yet to live in a place where coffee is more culturally important. There are many different ways to prepare a proper Cuban coffee, but there is one rendition that is my absolute favorite. The cure for my homesickness: the Cuban cortadito.

A cortado is a coffee drink that is equal parts espresso to equal parts milk. It's the stereotypical order of a hipster or very chic Brooklynite (or a very chic hipster Brooklynite). Because it has less milk than the more modest latte, the espresso is less diluted, and the flavor of the coffee comes through more. It’s usually served in a cute little glass or paper cup and, for me, it’s far more satisfying in flavor than a latte because I can actually taste the espresso.

A Cuban cortadito is basically a cortado made with Cuban coffee (which is a frothy, sugary espresso, see this video for my more in depth explanation of this) and evaporated milk. Yes, evaporated milk. When you order it at a coffee window in Miami, you say you want a “cortadito evaporada,” or else they’ll give it to you with whole milk. The evaporated milk adds a subtle, rich, sweet, and smooth taste to the bitter espresso and rounds out the intoxicating sugar of the froth. There’s also versions of Cuban coffee that use sweetened condensed milk, like the cafe bonbon and some places sneak in a little bit of sweetened condensed milk to their cortaditos for an extra caramel-flavored kick.

So, when it’s way too cold in New York and I wish I was at a scorching hot coffee window ordering a guava pastry and a coffee (all for the price of $5), I grab a can of evaporated milk and make a cortadito at home. I don’t have a whole barista style setup at home, so I put my moka pot (cafetera) to brew, make my espuma, and warm up a shot or two of evaporated milk in the microwave. Combine it, sip, and it’s like I’m at home in Miami. Extra points if I serve it in a little tiny demitasse cup for the full experience.

Evaporated milk is usually cheaper than whole milk and comes in a can so you can always have some in the back of your pantry for a rainy day. My family also uses it for the base of hot chocolate when using the traditional Puerto Rican Cortes bars. There’s nothing like the real deal, but for now, a cortadito evaporada at home will have to do.

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Have more questions about Cuban coffee? More ideas on how to upgrade my everyday cup of joe? Let me know below!