What Is A Colada Coffee? (A Delicious Cuban Brew!)

If you’ve ever visited Miami, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Cafe con Leche or Cuban espresso, but have you ever heard of Colada Coffee?

A Colada is a cup of Cuban-style espresso that typically contains around six to eight ounces of coffee. Colada’s are known for being sweet and robust with a layer of frothed sugar on top. These coffees are also considered social drinks as a single Colada is meant to be shared among several people.

While you can buy a Colada from any Cuban cafe, you can also make it right at home! If you’d like to learn more, keep reading!

What Is A Colada Coffee?

A Colada is a type of Cuban coffee that’s meant to be split among several people. When you order it in a cafe, the Colada will typically be served in a styrofoam cup and come with several disposable espresso cups to make it easier to share.

These coffees are as strong and robust as a cup of espresso and are packed with caffeine. This is why people don’t typically drink a Colada by themselves, and a single serving is normally between 1 and 2 ounces.

So, are you ready to make your own Colada coffee? Let’s take a look at how to do it next!

How To Make Colada Coffee?

To make a Colada at home, you’ll need the following:

a Moka Pot (we recommend) Bialetti which you can find on Amazon)
Cuban-style coffee beans
white sugar
a stainless steel bell creamer or other cup to prepare the Colada (link goes to Amazon)
several demitasse cups to share the Colada
a spoon

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Step 1 – Brew the coffee in your Moka Pot

Start by brewing coffee in your Moka Pot. Fill the Moka Pot’s funnel basket with ground coffee beans, and fill the bottom chamber with water up to the safety valve.

Step 2 – Prepare the Espumita

While your Moka Pot is heating up, add a few spoonfuls of white sugar to your stainless steel bell creamer. When it begins to brew, take a spoonful of coffee and add it to the sugar.

Stir the coffee and sugar vigorously with a spoon until it makes a paste. (We like to use white sugar because it makes a better paste, but you can also use demerara sugar.

Step 3 – Add the rest of the coffee to the Espumita

After it’s done brewing, pour the remaining coffee into the bell creamer. The espumita or froth should rise to the top. You may need to use the spoon to gently whisk the sugar from the bottom of the bell creamer until it dissolves.

From there, you can pour the coffee into the individual espresso cups.

Cafe Cubano - Cuban Coffee - Miami Espresso — **Volcanica’s Cafe Cubano-Miami Espresso**

Pro Tip: Using a stainless steel bell creamer is ideal for three reasons. (1) Its curvature makes it easier to whip the sugar, (2) it’s made of metal, so it can keep your coffee hot while you prepare it, and (3) the lip on the pitcher makes it easier to serve the Colada.

What’s The Difference Between A Colada And Other Cuban Coffees?

If you’re new to Cuban-style espresso you might not know that there are similarities between the Colada and other types of Cuban coffee. Let’s quickly discuss each one.

Difference Between A Colada And A Cafecito

The only difference between a Cafecito and a Colada is the size. A Colada is a Cuban espresso served in a 4-6 oz cup. By comparison, a Cafecito is a Cuban espresso served in a 1-2 oz cup.

In fact, when you pour your Colada into smaller cups, each of those small cups could be called a Cafecito.

Difference Between A Colada And A Cortadito

While a Colada is around 6 oz of Cuban-style espresso. A cortadito contains only 2 oz of Cuban-style espresso with a bit of steamed or frothed milk added. The milk can be regular or evaporated milk, and it’s added to cut the strength of the coffee.

If you want, you could make a Cortadito from a Colada, by pouring a few ounces in a small cup and adding a shot of milk to it.

Difference Between A Colada And A Cafe Con Leche

A Colada and Cafe Con Leche are both around 6 oz in size. However, a Colada is pure Cuban espresso.

On the other hand, a Cafe Con Leche is literally coffee with milk added. The coffee-to-milk ratio is typically 1:1, but you can adjust this ratio to add more or less milk depending on your tastes.

Which Coffee Should I Use To Make A Colada?

If you want an authentic-tasting Colada coffee, we’d recommend you choose one of three brands:

These brands are the three most popular for making Cuban coffee, and you can find any of them on Amazon or in your local store.

Our personal favorite is Pilon because we find that it has chocolaty notes that the other two don’t have.

However, all three are extremely popular. La Llave is very smooth and Cafe Bustelo makes great coffee as well, so you really can’t go wrong.

If you want more than these three options, check out our post on the best Cuban coffee brands where you can find our opinion on several different choices!

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Why Is Colada Coffee So Sweet?

Coladas, and other types of Cuban coffee, have a lot of sugar added to offset the coffee’s bitterness. Cuba’s traditional espresso-style roast and classic Moka Pot brewing method make the coffee naturally bitter.

But in addition, Cuba historically added peas to the coffee as a filler, which made the coffee extra bitter. This is why Cubans sweetened their coffee so much. Even though Cuban coffees can now be made with better quality beans, the sweetness is still customary.

Is A Colada Coffee An Espresso?

A Colada is often called a Cuban-style espresso. It’s just as strong and robust as an espresso, but if you asked a coffee connoisseur they would say it’s not a true espresso.

According to the Specialty Coffee Association (link goes to their site) an espresso has a very specific definition.

Their definition specifies the size of the beverage prepared, the amount of coffee beans to be used, the water’s temperature, the brewing time, and even the amount of pressure used. Under this definition, a Colada isn’t an espresso in the true sense.

Besides the Association’s definition, there are some real differences between a Colada and espresso.

A Colada is prepared in a Moka Pot and has a lot of sugar added, so it’s difficult to taste the bean’s unique flavors. By comparison, an espresso is designed for optimal extraction and brings out as much of the bean’s flavor as possible.

How Much Coffee Is In A Colada?

Generally, a Colada will hold between 6 and 8 oz of coffee. However, this can vary based on two factors.

First, it will depend on the size of the coffee pot used to make the Colada. Moka Pots come in several sizes and the amount of Colada coffee you get will depend on the size of the brewer.

(If you want to learn more about Moka Pot sizes, we’ve got a whole post on it!)

Second, the size of your Colada will depend on the cup sizes the cafe offers. This may seem like a simple thing, but some cafes may have 6 oz cups while others may have 8 oz cups. And even if you get a 6 oz cup, the server may have poured only 5 oz of coffee.

So, basically, all this is to say – it depends.

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How Much Caffeine Is In A Colada?

A Colada can have anywhere from 340 to 455mg of caffeine.

How did we come up with this range?

According to the USDA, 3.5 oz of Cuban coffee has 199mg of caffeine (link goes to USDA). So, the caffeine content of a 6 to 8 oz Colada would be between 340mg and 455mg.

The amount of caffeine is one of the main reasons a Colada is meant for sharing.