Café de Olla

Café de olla is a traditional Mexican spiced coffee — coarsely ground coffee simmered in an earthenware pot (the olla de barro that gives it its name) with cinnamon and piloncillo, the dark, unrefined cone sugar of Mexico. The method is closer to a decoction than to filter or espresso brewing: the ground coffee, water, cinnamon bark and piloncillo are brought to a boil together, briefly steeped, then poured off, so the drink emerges already sweetened and spiced, dark brown, aromatic and served hot in a small clay mug or jarrito. It is a defining regional serve of central and southern Mexico, associated with rural kitchens, cool mornings, markets, festivals such as Día de Muertos, and family gatherings, and prized for the round, molasses-and-cinnamon warmth that the piloncillo and spice give the coffee.