Cafe de Olla: How to Make Mexico's Spiced Clay-Pot Coffee

Café de olla smells like a Mexican kitchen on a cold morning: dark coffee, warm cinnamon and the molasses sweetness of piloncillo, all simmered together in an earthenware pot. The name simply means “pot coffee.” If you want to make cafe de olla at home, you need just four ingredients, a saucepan and about 15 minutes. A clay pot is lovely, but not essential.

Below you will find a reliable recipe for four mugs, the classic spice variations, how to swap ingredients you cannot find, and the stories people tell about where the drink comes from.

At a glance

Ingredients

The coffee amount works out to about 55 g per liter of water, a classic brewing strength. Because the grounds steep directly in the pot, they absorb some water, so you end up with roughly 3 1/2 cups (about 850 ml) to serve.

How to make café de olla

1. Dissolve the piloncillo. Put the water, piloncillo and cinnamon (plus orange peel and cloves if using) in a clay pot or saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring now and then, until the piloncillo has completely dissolved, about 5–8 minutes. Breaking the cone into pieces first speeds this up.
2. Turn off the heat and add the coffee. Stir the grounds into the hot spiced water. Do not keep boiling the coffee, which pulls out harsh, bitter flavors.
3. Steep. Cover and let it stand for 5 minutes. Taste; if you like it stronger, give it 2–3 minutes more.
4. Strain. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a paper filter or a clean cloth into a warm pitcher. Many cooks let the grounds settle for a minute first, then pour slowly.
5. Serve. Pour into small mugs, traditionally clay jarritos, and garnish with a piece of cinnamon stick.

Tips for the best cup

• Taste the sweetness before adding coffee. The spiced water should taste pleasantly sweet; the coffee will balance it.
• Use a medium or dark roast with chocolate notes. Bright, light coffees can taste thin next to piloncillo.
• Watch the cloves. Two are enough to perfume four mugs. More can taste medicinal.
• Keep it warm, not boiling. If you need to hold it, set the pot on the lowest heat for no more than about 20 minutes.
• Make the spiced water ahead. Simmer the piloncillo and spices, cool and refrigerate. Reheat and add fresh coffee when guests arrive.

The ingredients, explained

Piloncillo

Piloncillo is unrefined cane sugar pressed into a cone. It tastes of caramel and molasses and gives café de olla its deep, rounded sweetness. You can find it in Latin American grocery stores, sometimes labeled panela. Substitute: dark brown sugar, with a teaspoon of molasses if you have it.

Canela

Mexican cooks usually use soft, layered Ceylon-type cinnamon sticks, which break easily and taste gentler and more floral than the hard, spicy cassia sold in many supermarkets. Cassia works too; just use a slightly smaller piece.

The olla

An olla de barro is an unglazed or glazed earthenware pot. Many people say it adds an earthy note, though a regular saucepan makes an excellent café de olla. If you buy a clay pot, choose one carefully (see the safety note below).

Variations

• Café de olla con leche: replace one cup of the water with whole milk or oat milk, added after straining and warmed gently.
• Chocolate: melt 1 oz (28 g) of Mexican table chocolate into the spiced water for a mocha-style version.
• Less sweet: use 2 oz (55 g) of piloncillo, or serve the sweetened base on the side so everyone adds their own.
• Iced café de olla: make it a little stronger (about 65 g coffee for the same water), let it cool, then pour over ice with a splash of milk.
• Single mug: 1 cup (240 ml) water, about 3/4 oz (20 g) piloncillo, a small piece of cinnamon and 13 g coffee.

Where café de olla comes from

Coffee spread through Mexico from the late 18th century onward, first as a drink of the well-off. Café de olla, sweetened with the cheap local sugar and spiced with cinnamon, made it a drink for everyone.

The most popular story links it to the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920). It says the soldaderas or Adelitas, the women who followed and fought alongside revolutionary troops, brewed coffee with piloncillo and cinnamon in clay pots to give soldiers warmth and energy on cold nights. It is a beautiful and widely repeated tale, but it is told as tradition rather than documented history. What is certain is that café de olla became a fixture of Mexican home cooking, markets and roadside stalls, and today it is served at breakfast, at family gatherings and on cold evenings.

A safety note on clay pots

Some traditional glazed pottery can release lead into food and drinks. The US Food and Drug Administration warns that even pieces labeled “lead free” have sometimes tested positive, especially handmade, antique, damaged or brightly decorated pieces bought from street vendors or unknown makers. Washing or boiling does not remove lead.

If you want a clay pot, buy from a reputable maker, test it with a lead-testing swab kit, or simply cook in stainless steel and serve in your favorite mug. The flavor difference is small; the peace of mind is not.

Which coffee to use

Café de olla tastes best with a smooth, chocolatey coffee. Our Mexico single origin, grown in the mountains of Chiapas and Oaxaca, has notes of chocolate, cinnamon and green apple that feel made for this recipe. Order it in Coarse grind for easy straining. For an extra-spiced shortcut, brew our Cinnamon Hazelnut flavored coffee with piloncillo alone, or mix the two half and half. Explore more origins in our single origins collection.

Café de olla FAQ

What does café de olla taste like?

Sweet, warm and spiced: like strong coffee with cinnamon and a caramel-molasses sweetness, with a hint of citrus or clove if you add them.

Do I need a clay pot to make café de olla?

No. A regular saucepan works perfectly. If you use a clay pot, make sure it is lead-safe.

What can I use instead of piloncillo?

Dark brown sugar, ideally with a teaspoon of molasses, gives the closest flavor. Panela is the same type of sugar under another name.

Is café de olla served with milk?

Traditionally it is served black and sweet, but many families add a splash of milk, especially as a weekend treat.

Sources

1. US Food and Drug Administration, “Questions and Answers on Lead-Glazed Traditional Pottery”. Link
2. UnoTV, “¿El café de olla nació en la Revolución Mexicana?” Link

Facts checked in October 2026.

Keep reading: The history of coffee · Single origin vs blend coffee · Shop single origins