Coffee Drink
Café de Olla Recipe: Mexican Coffee with Piloncillo
Café de olla is Mexican coffee flavored with cinnamon and piloncillo. This measured home version makes two sweet, spiced cups in a saucepan, with the sweetener added after filtering for easy portion control.
Drink Snapshot
- Caffeine
- Unmeasured home brewComparator only: 80 mg / 200 g (7.1 oz) generic brewed coffeeUSDA FDC 171890 supplies the separate generic brewed-coffee comparator.
- Calories
- About 45 kcal212 g (7.5 oz) serving; El Guapo label and coffee energy proxyNamed piloncillo label plus a coffee-energy proxy; dissolved cinnamon contribution is unquantified.
Serving, sugar and sources
- Serving
- 212 g (7.5 oz): 200 g (7.1 oz) strained cinnamon coffee + 12 g (0.42 oz) piloncillo
- Made with
- Coffee + cinnamon + piloncillo
- Sugar
- About 10.5 g total. El Guapo label: 7 g total sugar per 8 g piloncillo. Each serving contains 12 g piloncillo; no milk included.
- Preparation
- About 20 minutes
Primary sources and named nutrient references checked 27 September 2026. Calculations use the named piloncillo label and USDA ingredient references. See the full calculation or label comparison.
Key Takeaways
- 1Cinnamon and piloncillo define the flavor; orange, cloves, chocolate and milk are optional variations.
- 2This home adaptation sweetens 400 g (14.1 oz) strained coffee with 24 g (0.85 oz) piloncillo, making two 212 g (7.5 oz) servings.
- 3Each serving is about 45 kcal and 10.5 g total sugar with the named label. The caffeine section explains a separate generic comparator.
On This Page11 Sections
What Is Café de Olla?
Café de olla is Mexican coffee flavored with cinnamon and piloncillo, an unrefined cane sugar. Olla refers to a cooking pot. A clay pot is associated with the drink, but a saucepan can make the recipe below.
Larousse Cocina publishes a three-ingredient flavor base with water; a Coahuila cultural cookbook includes clove as an option.
Flavor and Tasting Notes
Expect cinnamon aroma and the darker, caramel-like sweetness of piloncillo alongside brewed coffee.
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| Ingredient | What it changes | Useful starting choice |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee | Roast flavor and strength | Medium roast, ground medium-coarse |
| Cinnamon | The main spice aroma | One 5 cm (2 in) piece of cinnamon stick |
| Piloncillo | Sweetness and cane-sugar flavor | Weigh it after grating; cone sizes vary |
| Optional orange peel or clove | Adds another aroma | Try one addition at a time |
How to Make Café de Olla
Recipe
Café de Olla
- Makes:
- 2 servings
- Time:
- About 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 500 g (16.9 US fl oz) water, plus a little hot water if needed
- 25 g medium-coarse ground coffee
- One 5 cm (2 in) piece of cinnamon stick
- 24 g (0.85 oz) piloncillo, finely grated
Equipment
- Saucepan, scale, timer, strainer and heat-safe server
Method
- Bring 500 g (16.9 US fl oz) water and the cinnamon to a gentle simmer in a saucepan. Simmer for 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in 25 g coffee, cover and steep for 8 minutes.
- Strain into a heat-safe server, removing the grounds and cinnamon.
- Tare a clean server and weigh in 400 g (14.1 oz) strained coffee. Save extra; if short, top up with hot water to 400 g (14.1 oz).
- Stir in 24 g (0.85 oz) grated piloncillo until dissolved.
- Divide the 424 g (15 oz) batch into two 212 g (7.5 oz) servings.
Estimated nutrition per serving: 45 calories; total sugar 10.5 g. Serving: 1 of 2 equal 212 g (7.5 oz) servings.
Recipe notes
Sweetening after filtering is this home adaptation.
About 45 kcal and 10.5 g sugar per serving use a named label and coffee proxy.
This is a measured home adaptation for two cups. Published versions commonly dissolve piloncillo before adding coffee. Here it goes into the measured, strained brew, so grounds do not retain an unknown share of the sweetener.
For choosing a cooking pot, preparing cinnamon, controlling sediment or changing filters, use the companion café de olla brewing guide. It covers the technique behind this drink.
Piloncillo Substitutes and Optional Milk
Dark brown sugar is a workable substitute, with a different flavor. Start with the same weighed amount and adjust your next batch; nutrition depends on the actual product. Piloncillo, panela and similar cane-sugar products vary in moisture and composition, so a cone or spoonful is not a reliable fixed dose.
For a less-sweet cup, use 16 g (0.56 oz) piloncillo for the whole 400 g (14.1 oz) coffee batch instead of 24 g (0.85 oz). This gives two 208 g (7.3 oz) portions with 8 g (0.28 oz) piloncillo each. Do not make the coffee stronger just to hide excess sugar.
Milk is optional in this home recipe. A Nuevo León cultural recipe even documents a version finished with nata, the cream formed on heated milk.
Café de Olla Caffeine, Calories and Sugar
The defined serving is 200 g (7.1 oz) strained cinnamon coffee plus 12 g (0.42 oz) piloncillo: 212 g (7.5 oz) total. The water used to brew the pot is not the finished serving volume.
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| Per serving | This home adaptation | Reference basis |
|---|---|---|
| Caffeine | Unmeasured | 80 mg is a separate comparator for 200 g (7.1 oz) generic brewed coffee |
| Calories | About 45 kcal | Named piloncillo label plus a generic coffee energy proxy |
| Total sugar | About 10.5 g | El Guapo label scaled to 12 g (0.42 oz) piloncillo |
| Milk | None | Any milk or cream changes the estimate |
Piloncillo calculation and caffeine comparator
McCormick's El Guapo label gives 30 kcal and 7 g total sugar per 8 g piloncillo. At 12 g, that is 45 kcal and 10.5 g sugar. USDA FDC 171890 adds 2 kcal for 200 g generic black coffee: 47 kcal, rounded to about 45. Cinnamon is removed; its dissolved contribution is unquantified.
For caffeine, the same USDA record contains 40 mg per 100 g brewed coffee, giving the 80 mg comparator.
Use decaf beans if you want to reduce caffeine; decaf coffee still contains some caffeine.
Café de Olla Troubleshooting
| What you notice | Change next time |
|---|---|
| Too sweet | Reduce piloncillo to 16 g (0.56 oz) per measured batch |
| Coffee tastes harsh | Keep coffee off the heat during the steep; try a coarser grind or lighter roast |
| Cinnamon dominates | Use a shorter piece and omit extra spices |
| Grit in the cup | Strain carefully; use a paper filter after removing large solids if you prefer a cleaner cup |
| Coffee feels weak | Increase coffee modestly on the next batch; keep the finished measured portion and sweetener separate |
History and Culture
Mexican cultural recipe collections document multiple household and regional versions. The Coahuila recipe uses a sweetened cinnamon base and an off-heat rest; the Nuevo León example strains coffee before adding piloncillo and cinnamon, then serves it with nata.
Popular origin stories connect the drink with the Mexican Revolution. The sources used here do not establish a precise invention date, so this guide does not present that story as settled history.
Café de Olla vs. Other Sweet Coffees
| Drink | Main distinction |
|---|---|
| Café de olla | Coffee with cinnamon and piloncillo |
| Tinto | Colombian black coffee; sugar and spices are choices, not the definition |
| Café con miel | Our brewed-coffee version combines honey, milk and cinnamon |
| Café Touba | Senegalese coffee flavored with djar rather than cinnamon |
Common Questions
Do I need a clay pot for café de olla?
Can I use instant coffee?
Does café de olla contain milk?
Is piloncillo healthier than sugar?
Can I serve it iced?
Editor's Take
Sources and Further Reading
5 references
External links open in a new tab
Drink context
- Coahuila cultural cookbookCocina tradicional de Gral. Cepeda, page 147Regional recipe: cinnamon, piloncillo, optional clove and off-heat steeping(opens in a new tab)
- Mexican popular-culture recipe collectionCafé de olla de rancho, page 291Nuevo León example strains coffee before adding piloncillo and cinnamon and serves with nata; evidence of variation(opens in a new tab)