Cafe con Leche (Cuban Coffee with Milk) is a morning beverage made with strong, brewed Cuban espresso, steamed whole milk, and sugar to taste. This coffee drink is usually served with buttered Cuban toast or can be enjoyed by itself.
Fill your espresso maker with water and ground espresso according to the manufacturer's directions. Place on the stove at medium-high heat and brew the espresso. Set aside.
In a saucepan, heat the milk until very hot (close to boiling). Remove it from the heat and transfer to a coffee mug. If you’re using a microwave, pour the milk in a coffee mug and heat up on HIGH for 1 minute or until very hot. Stir in the sugar.
Once you’ve heated the milk and coffee is ready, start with 1/4 cup of coffee. Pour coffee into the mug and stir until light brown/beige color.
Taste adjust as necessary. If you want more coffee flavor, add more coffee. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar. If you wanted to elevate the flavor, you can add a very small pinch of salt to the cafe con leche. Enjoy!
Notes
To make Cuban toast, cut the loaf of Cuban bread into a smaller piece, roughly 7-8-inch long. Slice it lengthwise and butter both sides and the outside as well. On a sandwich press or in a hot skillet, toast the bread until golden brown on both sides then cut diagonally. Dip the toast into your cafe con leche and get ready to fall in love!