Cortadito is a dark, strong, and sweet Cuban coffee that is gaining popularity in America. It may be a new coffee, but it is worth a try. You will find it a strong and tasty drink. Cortadito is made with an espresso shot, steamed milk, and espuma.
Cuban coffee has a history of producing high-quality, highly sweet coffee flavors. This Cuban drink is wiwidelyde consumed in Latin America.
What is Cortadito coffee?
We may call it as a Cuban espresso coffee. It is somewhat similar to Macchiato. It is the short version of Café con Leche or coffee with milk.
In Cuba, Cortadito coffee is a daily part of the Cuban people’s life. This amazing drink adds one part coffee and one part milk with espuma.
The Cuban word Cortadito means “short cut.” The milk cuts the strong taste of espresso. This flavor adds a shot of Cuban espresso and steamed milk. And it has light brown topping with whipped sugar and espresso.
You should also try the Americano Misto recipe at home.
How to make a Cortadito Coffee at home?
The process of making this flavor is simple and easy at home. To make Cortadito coffee you need espresso machine or any coffee maker. You can even use Aero press for Cortadito.
To make traditional espuma on Cortadito coffee, whip sugar with espresso. Add espuma before adding the milk.
Ingredients
- Two espresso shots
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 ounces of warmed milk or evaporated milk
Instructions
- The first step is to prepare two espresso shots. Use Moka pot or espresso machines.
- Now, warm the milk or evaporate the milk.
- Pick a small bowl and add 2 tablespoon of sugar,
- Pour a slight volume of espresso over the sugar and return it to the pot.
- Whisk the sugar and espresso until the sugar dissolves and light brown foam on the top appears.
- Pour two espresso shots into a coffee cup
- Add milk to the espresso. An ideal Cortadito adds an equal volume of milk to espresso.
- Lastly, add espuma to the coffee.
Taste
The trademark of Cuban coffee is the espuma, a highly sweetened thick material that makes coffee sweet and creamy.
Cortadito has a robust and sweetened flavor with a creamy texture. Unlike a traditional espresso or black coffee, this drink is highly sweetened and slightly intense.
Don’t forget to make dirty coffee at home.
Calories
Adding espuma means a lot of sugar and a lot of calories. A cup has around 370 calories.
How to make Espuma for coffee?
Espuma is the key ingredient of Cuban coffee. However, you can make espuma at home by following these steps.
- Add two tablespoon of sugar in the cup.
- pour few drops of espresso to the cup.
- Now, whip vigorously until it forms a foam.
- A kind of sweet creamy foam is called Espuma.
Cortadito coffee A Cuban coffee
Ingredients
- 2 shots espresso
- 2 tbsp espuma
- 2 ounces milk
Instructions
- Brew two shots of espresso
- warm the milk
- Add milk to the cup of espresso shots
- add two tablespoon of espuma to the cup
- Whisk gently with a tablespoon
- A cup of Cortadito is ready to serve
Notes
Cortadito coffee with condensed milk
This flavor is flexible you can make it with different variations. Also, you can make Cortadito leche y leche, a condensed milk version.
Condensed milk makes coffee thick and sweet. Cortadito with condensed milk is a highly consumed drink in some parts of Spain. However, it doesn’t require espuma if you add condensed milk.
Adding condensed milk to your coffee makes it heavier and sweeter and adds a lot of calories to your drink.
How to drink Cortadito coffee
A sweet and tasty coffee, you can make it at home and enjoy it throughout the day. However, this coffee is traditionally perfect for the early morning.
You can also customize your drink if you dislike the flavor. Add less espuma or to get a less sweet flavor or add one espresso shot to make it a less intense drink.
Colada vs Cortadito
The two high-class Cuban coffees. Colada is a sweeter version of espresso. Cortadito is a milk-based drink, and colada adds no milk.
Colada is a strong, sweet coffee served in a Styrofoam cup. Colada brews with Arabica beans from Cuba. Also, like Cortadito, the Colada adds espuma.
Cortadito vs Cafecito
Cafecito has no added flavors, it has a simple brewing method. Also, the Cafecito is usually served in a small cup. In contrast, Cortadito is made with an equal amount of milk and coffee. You can serve Cortadito in a large glass.
Cortado vs Cortadio
Cortadito may be new coffee to you, but Cortado is a highly consumed drink worldwide. In reality, Cortado and Cortadito are almost the same drinks. Cuban calls Cortado as Cortadito.
Cortado and Cortadito have an equal volume of milk and coffee. In Cortado, steam the milk and add an espresso shot to it. There is no milk foam or froth in it.
Cortadito and cortado have the same brewing process. So you can order Cortado when you crave Cortadito. Also, you can customize both drinks if you are at home.
Cortadito vs Flat white
Flat white uses more milk than Cortadito coffee. Even though both drinks are sweet and intense, the amount of milk differentiates the two beverages.
Flat white, a popular flavor, has 2/3 of milk and one espresso shot. Flat white also comes with latte art at the top. In contrast, for Cortadito, you don’t need foam milk.
You can also brew Spanish latte at home.
Cortadito vs Gibraltar
It is interesting to note that Gibraltar brews with a similar volume of milk and espresso.
A Gibraltar coffee has two shots of espresso and one ounce of steamed milk. It can also be made with two ounces of steamed milk. It serves in a Tumbler (a Gibraltar glass). However, Cortadito is brewed with the same ratio of milk and coffee.
In contrast to Cortadito, the Gibraltar coffee drink can be more intense because it uses less milk.
Neither drinks don’t come with milk foam. Also, Cortadito and Gibraltar don’t use sugar or other flavors.
Check the recipe of Piccolo latte.
Conclusion
If you are a fan of Cuban coffee flavors, Cortadito right up there with the finest taste and texture. Most of the Cuban coffees add espuma, a trademark sweet flavor. A great flavor that you can brew at home.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why is it called Cortadito?
The word Cortadito comes from Cuba. The word Cortado comes from Spain. Both words have the same meaning.
Is Cortadito available at Starbucks?
Starbucks serves a drink of two ristretto shots with warm milk. It serves in a 6 oz. Size cup. This drink is quite similar to Cortadito. So if you want Cortadito, you can order this drink.
Why are Cuban coffees strong?
Cuban coffee is robust because it is made of dark, espresso-roasted beans. These beans are strong.