How to Make a Cuban Cortadito at Home
A cortadito is sweetened Cuban coffee cut with warm milk. The sugar is whipped into the coffee as espumita, which is what separates a cortadito from a plain cortado.
Quick Answer
To make a cortadito, brew dark-roast coffee in a moka pot, whip the first drops with fine white sugar, to taste, into a pale espumita, stir in the rest of the coffee, then add roughly equal parts warm milk. Serve it hot in a 3 to 4 oz cup. Want the unsweetened version? See how to make a cortado without an espresso machine.
What a Cuban Cortadito Is
A Cuban cortadito is a shot of sweetened café Cubano "cut" with steamed milk, usually in equal parts. The name comes from the Spanish word for "cut," and the diminutive ending points to its small size. Café Cubano, often called cafecito, is the same sweetened coffee served without milk, so the cortadito is essentially cafecito with milk. To drink the same sweetened coffee without milk, follow our guide to making cafecito with Cuban sugar foam. Deciding between a small sweet cup and a big breakfast mug? See our cortadito vs café con leche comparison.
The cortadito is a fixture of Cuban-American coffee culture, especially in Miami's Little Havana and at the walk-up coffee windows known as ventanitas, according to the Wikipedia entry on the cortadito.
Cuban Cortadito vs Spanish Cortado
The Spanish cortado is espresso mixed with a roughly equal amount of warm milk and contains no sugar. The Cuban cortadito keeps the milk but adds sugar whipped into the coffee, which produces a sweeter, bolder cup.
| Attribute | Cuban cortadito | Spanish cortado |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | Yes, whipped as espumita | None by default |
| Coffee | Café Cubano, usually from a moka pot | Espresso |
| Milk | Steamed whole milk; evaporated milk in many U.S. cafés | Warm steamed milk, little foam |
| Ratio | About 1:1, sometimes coffee-heavy | About 1:1 |
For the unsweetened drink made without an espresso machine, the parent guide on making a cortado without a machine covers moka pot, AeroPress, and French press methods.
Cortadito Ingredients and Equipment
A home cortadito needs only a few items, drawn from the recipe published by Café Real and the Wikipedia cortadito entry:
- Coffee: espresso-grind coffee; Cuban coffee traditionally uses dark-roasted beans.
- Sugar: fine white sugar, to taste.
- Milk: steamed whole milk or evaporated milk, in roughly equal volume to the coffee.
- Water: cold water for the moka pot.
- Equipment: a stovetop moka pot (cafetera), a small cup for whipping the espumita, a spoon, and a small saucepan or frother for the milk.
Cortadito Recipe: Step by Step
1. Load the moka pot
Fill the moka pot's bottom chamber with cold water to just below the safety valve. Fill the basket with ground coffee without tamping it the way you would for an espresso machine, then screw the top on snugly (Café Real). Set it on medium heat. Our moka pot guide covers the brewer in more depth.
2. Whip the espumita
Put the sugar in a small cup. As soon as the first few drops of coffee reach the top chamber, pour them onto the sugar and stir hard until you get a thick, pale paste. These first drops are the most concentrated, and whipping them with sugar creates the caramel-like foam that defines Cuban coffee. Use only a small splash; too much liquid leaves the sugar dissolved instead of foamy.
3. Finish brewing the coffee
Let the rest of the coffee brew into the top chamber. When the moka pot starts to gurgle, lower the heat so the coffee does not scorch.
4. Combine coffee and espumita
Pour the brewed coffee over the espumita and stir. A light tan foam should rise to the top of the sweetened coffee.
5. Cut the coffee with warm milk
Warm the milk while the coffee brews, then add it in roughly equal proportion to the sweetened coffee. Use less milk for a stronger cortadito. For texturing milk without a steam wand, see how to froth milk without a steam wand.
6. Serve right away
Serve the cortadito hot in a small demitasse-size cup of about 3 to 4 oz.
Choosing Milk for a Cortadito
Milk choice changes a cortadito more than any other variable, and published sources disagree on which is traditional: Wikipedia treats fresh milk as traditional, while Café Real treats evaporated milk as traditional.
- Fresh steamed whole milk: described as the traditional preparation in Cuba by the cortadito article on Wikipedia.
- Evaporated milk: unsweetened and richer. Café Real calls evaporated milk traditional, and Wikipedia notes it is common in cafés outside Cuba.
- Sweetened condensed milk: the cortado article on Wikipedia ties it to Cuban versions made when fresh milk was scarce. Condensed milk is already sweet, so cut back or skip the espumita sugar when you use it.
For how the two canned milks differ in sweetness and body across other drinks, see evaporated milk vs condensed milk in coffee.
Common Cortadito Mistakes
- Runny espumita: too much coffee was added to the sugar. Start with only the first few drops and whip longer.
- Burnt-tasting coffee: the moka pot stayed on high heat after it began to gurgle. Lower the heat at that point.
- Cloyingly sweet cortadito: sweetened condensed milk plus full espumita sugar. Use evaporated or fresh milk, or reduce the sugar.
- Weak, milky cortadito: too much milk or too large a cup. Keep the milk near equal to the coffee and serve in a 3 to 4 oz cup.
Cortadito FAQ
What is the difference between a cortadito and a cortado?
A Cuban cortadito is sweetened café Cubano cut with warm milk, with the sugar whipped into an espumita foam. A Spanish cortado is espresso with a roughly equal amount of warm milk and no sugar.
How much sugar goes in a cortadito?
Published recipes leave the amount to taste: use fine white sugar, whipped with the first drops of coffee into espumita, and adjust to how sweet you like the cup.
Can I make a cortadito with evaporated milk?
Yes. Evaporated milk is common in Cuban-American cafés and gives a cortadito a richer body. Wikipedia's cortadito entry describes fresh steamed milk as traditional, though its cortado entry notes that Cuba historically used sweetened condensed milk. Avoid sweetened condensed milk unless you cut back the sugar, because condensed milk is already sweet.
Do I need an espresso machine to make a cortadito?
No. A stovetop moka pot, called a cafetera in Cuban homes, is the standard way to brew the coffee for a cortadito at home.
What cup is a cortadito served in?
A cortadito is served in a small demitasse-size cup of about 3 to 4 ounces, and it is drunk hot, right away.
Related Cortado Guides
Sources
This cortadito guide was researched from published sources listed below.