Coffee brewed with aguapanela instead of water, which is how a great many Colombian households drink it. Two cups in five minutes, and it comes out sweet without adding sugar.
There is no water in it
That is the whole recipe and the old title never said so.
Colombian coffee, in a great many homes, is not brewed with water. It is brewed with aguapanela: panela, the block of unrefined whole cane sugar, dissolved in hot water. The coffee goes into that.
What comes out is sweet without anything being added to the cup, with a molasses depth underneath the coffee that sugar does not reproduce. It is closer to a café con panela than to anything an American kitchen would call coffee.
Once you know that, the two ingredients on this list make sense. Without it, the page reads as instructions for making instant coffee.
Two methods, two coffees
The recipe splits into instant and granulated, and they are not the same drink.
Instant dissolves. The aguapanela only has to be hot, not boiling, and the coffee goes in and stirs through. It takes about a minute and there is nothing to go wrong.
Granulated is boiled in the aguapanela for three minutes. It extracts more, tastes stronger and rougher, and it has to settle afterwards so the grounds sink before pouring. It is the older way.
Watch the granulated one
The recipe warns that it can spill over the stove and it is right to.
Coffee grounds boiling in a sweet liquid foam and climb the sides of the pot with very little warning, and sugar makes the mess considerably worse than plain coffee would.
Three minutes, standing over it, and off the heat the moment it rises. Then a minute standing still so the grounds fall to the bottom.
The chocolatera
The pot the recipe names is a chocolatera: tall, narrow, with a long handle, made for hot chocolate and for whisking it with a molinillo.
It is in almost every Colombian kitchen and it is what most people use for this as well, because the shape suits heating two cups of liquid. Any small saucepan does the same job.
More Colombian drinks
- Colombian hot chocolate — the other thing the chocolatera is for.
- Coffee dessert — where the coffee goes next.
- Coffee granizado — the same coffee, frozen.
- Coffee cake — for the afternoon.
Colombian Coffee FAQ
Panela, unrefined whole cane sugar, dissolved in hot water. It is drunk on its own, with lime, with cheese in it, and here as the liquid the coffee is made with instead of plain water.
Because it arrives sweet, with a molasses note behind the coffee, and no sugar needs adding. It is an everyday habit in a great many Colombian households rather than a special preparation.
No. The aguapanela is already sweet. Adding sugar on top is what people do when they have not realised the panela is doing that job.
The tall narrow jug Colombian kitchens use for hot chocolate. It is what most households reach for here as well. Any small pot works.
Because coffee grounds boiling in a sweet liquid foam up and climb the pot fast. Stay with it for the three minutes and take it off the moment it rises.
Instant coffee only needs the aguapanela hot and dissolves straight in. Granulated coffee is boiled in it for three minutes and then left to settle so the grounds sink.
One teaspoon to two cups, and the recipe says to add more if you want it darker. With the panela in it, a stronger brew is easier to take than it would be with water.
📖 Recipe
Colombian Coffee with Aguapanela (Café con Panela)
Imprimir Pin ComentarIngredients
Instant Coffee
- 2 cups aguapanela (panela dissolved in hot water)
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee (more if you like it stronger)
Granulated Coffee
- 2 cups aguapanela (panela dissolved in hot water)
- 1 teaspoon granulated coffee
Notas
Instructions
Instant Coffee
- Put the two cups of aguapanela in a chocolatera or a small pot over medium heat until it is hot, then add the teaspoon of instant coffee. Add more if you prefer it stronger and darker.
- Stir until it has dissolved, and serve.
Granulated Coffee
- Put the two cups of aguapanela in a chocolatera or a small pot over medium heat, add the granulated coffee and let it boil for 3 minutes, or until it rises. Watch it closely: it climbs the pot quickly and will boil over.
- Take it off the heat the moment it rises, let it settle for a minute so the grounds sink, and pour it out.
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