We moved to Mexico to meet Café de Olla
In different parts of the world, the way of enjoying coffee is almost always different. This is the case of Mexico, where they do it in an unconventional way, since they usually add a series of species until the result is: pot coffee. This is served in a clay cup, from which its name comes. It is a drink with a lot of history and one that we recommend trying at some point.
This drink emerged a few decades ago, thanks to the soldiers who participated in the Mexican Revolution, at the beginning of the 20th century. They took a clay pot and mixed coffee with some spices to keep warm during the long, cold nights on the battlefields.
Currently, café de roca continues to be one of the favorite options of Mexicans. Well, how can you not be if this marks a before and after in the history of your country. So, if you want to know more about this drink with personality, we invite you to continue reading and discover if it will be your new goal as a consumer.
There are those who say that the adelitas, who were the women of the revolution, used to prepare coffee for the soldiers. They added spices and some sugar to the drink, with the aim of keeping the militiamen warm and alert at night. It is said that they probably consumed old and rancid coffee, so they made these mixtures to improve its flavor. However, it is something that cannot be confirmed, since there is no information about it.
Where does its name come from?
It doesn't have many turns. When prepared in a clay pot, they decided to name it this way.
It was the perfect utensil, since being made of a material like clay allowed the drink to stay hot for longer. Another quality is that, because it is porous, it gave the coffee that earthy flavor that is very pleasant in the mouth.
Pot coffee is 100% Mexican
It is a preparation that has a fairly strong historical and cultural load. For Mexicans, café de roca goes beyond a simple drink with caffeine and spices, since they consider it represents family unity, tradition and comfort.
For centuries, coffee cultivation has always been present in Mexican culture. According to historical data, the matriarch of each family unit was in charge of supervising the crops, from the moment of planting to the harvest and sale of the grains. A tradition that continues throughout the country, where coffee-growing families carry out production with few resources. This is hard work that pays off, after offering excellent quality coffees.
In fact, there are coffee growers who adopt different modalities to stand out from the rest. For example, there are those who roast and then grind the coffee with a stone utensil, which they called matate or corn mill. Then, they consume the coffee in a more traditional way: In a pot.
Consumption decreased among the new generations
Mexicans are characterized by being regionalist citizens, rooted in their culture. Although typical dishes such as tacos, pozole, enchiladas or mole continue to be favorites, the same does not happen with café de roca. This is because more and more people are leaving traditions aside and leaning towards new things such as varieties (arabica, robusta, liberica, to name a few), the origin and the score within the scale of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). These aspects show the arrival of the third wave.
According to Jorge Rodríguez Reyna, Mexican chef, researcher, and coffee roaster says this is quite valid. Since it reflects that consumers have a greater interest in everything related to the coffee world. But still, consider that this would be much better if you balance this with traditions.
Some cafes have stopped serving café de roca with the same frequency as years ago. The idea is to try to preserve this preparation, and be able to share it with future generations. Even coffee consumption among young Mexicans has decreased considerably as they have opted for drinks with high levels of sugar that are unhealthy at the end of the day.
Many of these kids take a dim view of café de roca, labeling it as old and not at all provocative. But what they don't know is that it is a preparation with good gastronomic value.
How do you prepare pot coffee?
According to Jorge Rodríguez Reyna, assures that there is no specific recipe for how to prepare it. As it is a traditional drink, each family gives it their personal touch, which generally varies depending on the region.
The also co-founder of MUMO, a research platform where Mexico's cultural heritage is studied and promoted, highlights that grandmothers usually have their own pot coffee preparations, which they subsequently transmit to the next generation along with other recipes.
Although all the preparations are different, many agree on adding cinnamon, cloves, unrefined sugar cane (piloncillo) and the star ingredient, coffee. While in the south of the country, they usually add lemon or orange peel, and anise, which gives a very peculiar touch to the drink.
Now, the traditional way of doing it is to boil water with a cinnamon stick and other spices before putting in the coffee. But there are recipes in which the steps are different. For example, in the city of Veracruz, they proceed to wrap the sugar, ground coffee and spices in a cloth, and then immerse it in boiling water until the drink is extracted as if it were tea. At the end of the preparation, the citrus peels are added.
When the drink is ready, let it rest for a few minutes before putting it in the pot.
Just because something is traditional, doesn't mean it should be consumed or served in any special way. What really matters is delighting and enjoying the qualities of our cups, in this case, pot coffee. So, if your next vacation is destined for Mexico, do not hesitate for a second to try this wonderful drink, connect 100% with its culture and traditions, we can assure you that it will be one of the best things you will do during your visit.
Source
What is pot coffee?
How is this preparation born?
Coffee is not a new product in Mexico, because some coffee plantations have already existed since the end of the 18th century. Currently, occupies ninth position as one of the coffee producing countries worldwide. It is even one of the main importers in the United States. Returning to history, to date it is not known exactly how or when café de roca was born. But legend has it that this took place during the Mexican Revolution, in 1910, as we pointed out a few paragraphs above.
There are those who say that the adelitas, who were the women of the revolution, used to prepare coffee for the soldiers. They added spices and some sugar to the drink, with the aim of keeping the militiamen warm and alert at night. It is said that they probably consumed old and rancid coffee, so they made these mixtures to improve its flavor. However, it is something that cannot be confirmed, since there is no information about it.
Where does its name come from?
It doesn't have many turns. When prepared in a clay pot, they decided to name it this way.
It was the perfect utensil, since being made of a material like clay allowed the drink to stay hot for longer. Another quality is that, because it is porous, it gave the coffee that earthy flavor that is very pleasant in the mouth.
Pot coffee is 100% Mexican
It is a preparation that has a fairly strong historical and cultural load. For Mexicans, café de roca goes beyond a simple drink with caffeine and spices, since they consider it represents family unity, tradition and comfort.
For centuries, coffee cultivation has always been present in Mexican culture. According to historical data, the matriarch of each family unit was in charge of supervising the crops, from the moment of planting to the harvest and sale of the grains. A tradition that continues throughout the country, where coffee-growing families carry out production with few resources. This is hard work that pays off, after offering excellent quality coffees.
In fact, there are coffee growers who adopt different modalities to stand out from the rest. For example, there are those who roast and then grind the coffee with a stone utensil, which they called matate or corn mill. Then, they consume the coffee in a more traditional way: In a pot.
Consumption decreased among the new generations
Mexicans are characterized by being regionalist citizens, rooted in their culture. Although typical dishes such as tacos, pozole, enchiladas or mole continue to be favorites, the same does not happen with café de roca. This is because more and more people are leaving traditions aside and leaning towards new things such as varieties (arabica, robusta, liberica, to name a few), the origin and the score within the scale of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). These aspects show the arrival of the third wave.
According to Jorge Rodríguez Reyna, Mexican chef, researcher, and coffee roaster says this is quite valid. Since it reflects that consumers have a greater interest in everything related to the coffee world. But still, consider that this would be much better if you balance this with traditions.
Some cafes have stopped serving café de roca with the same frequency as years ago. The idea is to try to preserve this preparation, and be able to share it with future generations. Even coffee consumption among young Mexicans has decreased considerably as they have opted for drinks with high levels of sugar that are unhealthy at the end of the day.
Many of these kids take a dim view of café de roca, labeling it as old and not at all provocative. But what they don't know is that it is a preparation with good gastronomic value.
How do you prepare pot coffee?
According to Jorge Rodríguez Reyna, assures that there is no specific recipe for how to prepare it. As it is a traditional drink, each family gives it their personal touch, which generally varies depending on the region.
The also co-founder of MUMO, a research platform where Mexico's cultural heritage is studied and promoted, highlights that grandmothers usually have their own pot coffee preparations, which they subsequently transmit to the next generation along with other recipes.
Although all the preparations are different, many agree on adding cinnamon, cloves, unrefined sugar cane (piloncillo) and the star ingredient, coffee. While in the south of the country, they usually add lemon or orange peel, and anise, which gives a very peculiar touch to the drink.
Now, the traditional way of doing it is to boil water with a cinnamon stick and other spices before putting in the coffee. But there are recipes in which the steps are different. For example, in the city of Veracruz, they proceed to wrap the sugar, ground coffee and spices in a cloth, and then immerse it in boiling water until the drink is extracted as if it were tea. At the end of the preparation, the citrus peels are added.
When the drink is ready, let it rest for a few minutes before putting it in the pot.
Just because something is traditional, doesn't mean it should be consumed or served in any special way. What really matters is delighting and enjoying the qualities of our cups, in this case, pot coffee. So, if your next vacation is destined for Mexico, do not hesitate for a second to try this wonderful drink, connect 100% with its culture and traditions, we can assure you that it will be one of the best things you will do during your visit.
Source
What is pot coffee?
