Cafe de Olla: How to Make Mexico's Spiced Coffee Pot Tradition at Home

By PURE EARTH COFFEE  ·  May 13, 2026  ·  Coffee Recipes

In 2026, as coffee culture increasingly looks beyond European tradition for inspiration, cafe de olla is having a moment. If you have not made it yet, this weekend is a good time to start.

What Is Cafe de Olla?

"Olla" means pot in Spanish — specifically, the clay cooking pot (olla de barro) traditionally used to brew this coffee. The real flavor comes from cinnamon and piloncillo simmered into the water before the coffee is added. It is rustic, comforting, and unlike any pour-over you have ever had.

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 1 Mexican cinnamon stick (Ceylon cinnamon — softer and more floral than cassia)
• 2–3 tablespoons piloncillo (or dark brown sugar)
• 4 tablespoons coarsely ground coffee (medium-dark roast, ideally Mexican or Central American)
• Optional: 2 whole cloves, 1 star anise

Shop our medium roast coffees

How to Make Cafe de Olla

Step 1 — Simmer the Spices and Sugar

Add water, cinnamon stick, piloncillo (broken into pieces), and optional spices to your pot. Bring to a medium simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the piloncillo. Simmer for 5 minutes. Your kitchen will smell extraordinary.

Step 2 — Add the Coffee

Remove from heat and add the coarsely ground coffee. Stir to combine. Return to low heat and simmer gently for another 5–7 minutes. Do not let it boil hard — you will extract bitterness. A gentle, barely-there simmer is what you want.

Step 3 — Strain and Serve

Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into mugs. Serve immediately while it is hot — cafe de olla is a morning drink, meant to be consumed fresh.

Adjusting to Your Taste

Sweeter: Add more piloncillo. Traditional cafe de olla skews sweet by Western specialty coffee standards — do not be shy. Spicier: Add a small piece of dried chile ancho to the simmering water — unusual and incredible. Iced version: Make it double-strength, strain, let cool, pour over ice. The spiced sweetness works just as well cold.

What Coffee to Use

Medium-dark roast coffees from Mexico (Chiapas, Veracruz, Oaxaca) or Guatemala are the most traditional choice. They have the body to stand up to the spices without the fruity brightness of a light roast. Any medium-dark or dark roast you enjoy will work well.

The Cultural Context

Cafe de olla has been a staple of Mexican home cooking for over a century. It is the coffee of markets, kitchens, and long family mornings. In many parts of Mexico, the clay pot is treated almost like an heirloom — seasoned over years, passed down in families, adding a subtle minerality that no stainless steel pot can replicate. Making it at home is a small act of culinary travel.