Online Coffee Guide

Coffee Drink

Café Con Miel: Honey Coffee Recipe, Calories and Variations

By Ali Can DoralarReviewed by Online Coffee Guide editorial teamPublished Updated 5 min read

Café con miel means coffee with honey. This home version combines brewed coffee, warm milk, honey and a small pinch of cinnamon, with no espresso machine needed. Other published café miel recipes use espresso, cream or different spices, so the name does not fix one recipe.

Milky coffee with a frothy top and golden drizzle in a ceramic mug, beside cinnamon sticks and a honey dipper.
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Drink Snapshot

Caffeine
About 70 mg (reference)180 g (6.3 oz) brewed coffeeGeneric reference; beans, dose and brewing method change the result.
Calories
About 100 kcalWhole milk, honey, brewed coffee and a small pinch of cinnamonGeneric ingredient composition, rounded. Optional vanilla, extra honey or cream are not included.
Serving, sugar and sources
Serving
1 mug; 180 g (6.3 oz) coffee plus measured milk, honey and cinnamon
Made with
Brewed filter coffee, warm milk, honey and cinnamon
Sugar
About 14.9 g total. About 9.9 g comes from the honey and counts as added sugar; most of the remainder is naturally occurring milk sugar.
Preparation
About 8 minutes, including brewing the coffee

USDA ingredient estimates for the defined home serving. Checked 25 September 2026. See the full calculation or label comparison.

Key Takeaways

  • 1Our brewed-coffee version uses 180 g (6.3 oz) coffee, 100 g (6½ US tbsp) milk, 12 g (1¾ US tsp) honey and 0.2 g (under ⅛ US tsp) cinnamon. Warm and stir the honey into the milk before combining.
  • 2The defined serving is about 100 kcal and 14.9 g total sugar. Honey contributes about 9.9 g of that sugar; it is not a sugar-free sweetener.
  • 3About 70 mg caffeine is a generic reference for the 180 g (6.3 oz) brewed-coffee portion.
On This Page10 Sections

Café Con Miel vs. Honey Latte

Whole Latte Love publishes both filter-coffee and espresso café miel versions. Monin's named café con miel uses espresso, its honey sweetener and steamed milk, without listing cinnamon as a required ingredient.

Café con Miel vs Honey Latte
Café con Miel vs Honey Latte
If you want…Choose this starting point
A larger brewed-coffee cup with a little spiceCafé con miel here
An espresso-based milk drink sweetened with honeyHoney latte
Milk and espresso with cinnamon but no added sweetenerCinnamon latte
Brewed coffee and warm milk without honeyCafé au lait
Café con miel home recipe using 180 g brewed coffee, 100 g whole milk, 12 g honey and 0.2 g (under ⅛ US tsp) cinnamon, with brewing, warming and combining steps.
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This brewed-coffee version uses honey, milk and cinnamon; warm the honey with the milk before combining.

Café Con Miel Recipe

Use the recipe mug with room to stir.

A scale reading tenths of a gram is useful for cinnamon; otherwise start with a small pinch under ⅛ US tsp.

Follow the drip-coffee brewing method for the base, then weigh the finished coffee.

Recipe

Café con miel with brewed coffee

Makes:
1 serving
Time:
About 8 minutes, including brewing

Ingredients

  • 180 g (6.3 oz) freshly brewed filter coffee
  • 100 g (6½ US tbsp) whole milk
  • 12 g (1¾ US tsp) honey
  • 0.2 g ground cinnamon, a small pinch under ⅛ US tsp

Equipment

  • Filter brewer, scale, small saucepan, spoon, thermometer, 350 ml (11.8 US fl oz) mug

Method

  1. Brew coffee by your usual filter method. Tare a 350 ml (11.8 US fl oz) heatproof mug on the scale, then pour in 180 g (6.3 oz) finished coffee.
  2. Combine 100 g (6½ US tbsp) milk, 12 g (1¾ US tsp) honey and 0.2 g (under ⅛ US tsp) cinnamon in a small saucepan. Warm gently to 60°C (140°F), stirring until the honey dissolves; do not boil.
  3. Pour all the warm honey milk into the coffee. Stir and serve; a few cinnamon specks may remain.

Estimated nutrition per serving: 100 calories; total sugar 14.9 g. Serving: 180 g (6.3 oz) coffee, 100 g (6½ US tbsp) milk, 12 g (1¾ US tsp) honey and 0.2 g (under ⅛ US tsp) cinnamon.

Recipe notes

Cinnamon disperses but may not dissolve. Estimates: 100 kcal, 14.9 g total sugar; caffeine estimate: 70 mg from the coffee.

The coffee amount is finished brewed coffee, not water poured into the brewer or the dry dose. Make coffee by a method you already use and weigh the portion afterward. The milk is warmed separately so the finished coffee does not need prolonged reheating.

Honey being poured into a small saucepan of milk beside prepared coffee.
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Mix honey into the warmed milk before combining it with coffee using the measured 12 g (1¾ US tsp) portion.

Vanilla, Nutmeg and Foam Are Optional

Some published versions add vanilla or nutmeg; our core recipe keeps just cinnamon. Add a drop of vanilla extract or a very small pinch of nutmeg if desired.

If you prefer a honey drizzle, reserve a little from the same 12 g (1¾ US tsp) total rather than adding another uncounted spoonful. Whisking some warmed milk can make a light froth.

Flavor and Tasting Notes

I start with a mild honey when I want the coffee to stay prominent. A strongly floral honey can become the main aroma once the milk goes in, so I use it when I want that floral character rather than simply more sweetness.

Cinnamon adds a separate spice note. It disperses rather than dissolves fully, so small flecks are normal. Use less if the finish seems dusty.

Café Con Miel Troubleshooting

Café con Miel Troubleshooting
Café con Miel Troubleshooting
What you noticeUseful adjustment
Honey settles at the bottomStir it fully into the warm milk before combining
The finish feels dustyReduce cinnamon; do not add more honey to hide it
Too sweetTry 6 g (a scant 1 US tsp) honey while keeping coffee and milk unchanged
Not sweet enoughTry 18 g (2½ US tsp) next time; the table below shows the sugar change
Milk develops a cooked flavorWarm gently and stop at 60°C (140°F); do not boil
Coffee becomes hard to tasteReduce the milk portion or use your usual stronger brew recipe

Adjust honey first to control sweetness, then adjust the brew strength to taste.

Café Con Miel Calories, Sugar and Caffeine

The full recipe is about 100 kcal, 14.9 g total sugar and 70 mg reference caffeine. These are ingredient estimates for the measured coffee, whole milk, honey and cinnamon.

Serving calculation and sources

Estimates use USDA values for brewed coffee, whole milk, honey and ground cinnamon.

Café con Miel Calories, Sugar and CaffeineScrollable table
Café con Miel Calories, Sugar and Caffeine
IngredientEnergy contributionTotal-sugar contribution
180 g brewed coffee1.8 kcal0 g
100 g whole milk61 kcal5.05 g
12 g honey36.48 kcal9.85 g
0.2 g cinnamonAbout 0.5 kcalLess than 0.01 g

The unrounded total is about 99.8 kcal and 14.91 g sugar. Optional cream, vanilla syrup, extra honey and different milks need their own accounting.

The brewed-coffee reference gives 40 mg caffeine per 100 g; 180 × 40 ÷ 100 = 72 mg, displayed as about 70 mg. Beans, dose and extraction change the result.

What Changing the Honey Actually Changes

Hold the 180 g (6.3 oz) coffee, 100 g (6½ US tbsp) milk and 0.2 g (under ⅛ US tsp) cinnamon fixed:

What changing the honey actually changesScrollable table
What changing the honey actually changes
HoneyWhole-drink calories, roundedTotal sugarSugar contributed by honey
6 g (a scant 1 US tsp)About 80 kcal10.0 g4.9 g
12 g (1¾ US tsp)About 100 kcal14.9 g9.9 g
18 g (2½ US tsp)About 120 kcal19.8 g14.8 g

Honey contains water as well as sugar: 12 g (1¾ US tsp) honey contributes 9.9 g sugar. Nevertheless, FDA classifies sugars from honey used as a sweetener as added sugars. Calling the drink “without refined sugar” would not make it sugar-free or establish a health advantage.

Honey, cinnamon and milk do not remove caffeine. Decaf can lower it, but is not necessarily caffeine-free and needs its own reference.

What the Name Tells You

The Spanish words café con miel mean coffee with honey. The recipe sources above demonstrate present-day uses of the name, including both brewed-coffee and espresso approaches.

Iced, Espresso and Dairy-Free Variations

For an iced adaptation: dissolve the honey in a little warm coffee, combine with the remaining coffee and cold milk, then cool before serving over ice in a larger glass. Cooling time is additional. Ice changes concentration as it melts; the original ingredients still contain the same total sugar and caffeine if consumed in full.

For an espresso-based version, use the dedicated honey latte recipe for its smaller espresso portion and milk balance.

The core recipe contains dairy and honey. Plant milk changes texture and nutrition; check its label using matching units. Honey is not vegan. Maple syrup or another sweetener makes a reasonable adaptation, with a different aroma and calculation.

Common Questions

What is café con miel?
The phrase means coffee with honey. This home version uses brewed coffee, warm milk, honey and cinnamon; other published versions use espresso or different spices.
Is café con miel a honey latte?
It can be on some menus. Our café con miel recipe uses filter coffee; our separate honey latte is espresso-based. Ask about the actual ingredients when ordering.
Does honey make coffee sugar-free?
No. Our 12 g (1¾ US tsp) honey portion contributes about 9.9 g sugar in the generic reference, in addition to the milk sugar.
Can I make it without an espresso machine?
Yes. This recipe is designed for 180 g (6.3 oz) finished filter coffee. Brew by your usual method and weigh the serving.
Should cinnamon dissolve in coffee?
Not completely. Small flecks are normal; use a modest pinch and stir, or reduce the amount if the texture bothers you.
Can I use vanilla or nutmeg?
Yes, as optional additions.
Can I make it iced or decaf?
Yes. Allow extra cooling time for iced coffee, and use a separate caffeine reference for decaf rather than the regular-coffee figure shown here.

Editor's Take

Sources and Further Reading

7 references

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