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The Pumpkin Spice Cafe de Olla for the Day of the Dead Feast has a Homemade PSL creamer, piloncillo, and cinnamon coffee.
The Pumpkin Spice Cafe de Olla is a perfect hot beverage for celebrating the beginning of fall and serving at the Day of the Dead feast. This pumpkin spice cafe de olla recipe with a homemade PSL coffee creamer. And using a french pressed for making Mexican coffee with cinnamon.
This Mexican coffee recipe inspiration comes from the trendy pumpkin spice latte but added a Mexican touch for this special celebration.
Pumpkin Spice has been a trend for centuries.
Before the pumpkin spice craze started with the Pumpkin Spiced Latte as a seasonal drink by Starbucks, the pumpkin spice had been a thing for centuries and was brought from Indonesia by the Europeans.
Pumpkin spice is a mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and all spices that pair well with pumpkin. Thus European cooks started calling it pumpkin spice. But it is a spice, and it doesn’t have a pumpkin flavor!
We have to thank Starbucks Peter Dukes and the Starbucks research team for the confusion as they tested espresso coffee mixed in with pumpkin pie, and that is how the Starbucks PSL was born. The PSL creamer they created has pumpkin puree in the mix.
Dukes also created other seasonal flavors, such as the eggnog latte, peppermint mocha, and apple crisp macchiato.
Inspired by the Pumpkin Spice Latte, we made a delightful Pumpkin Spice Cafe de Olla with a homemade PSL creamer sweetened with piloncillo.
This pumpkin spice cafe de olla recipe is a yummy coffee option to prepare at home. We invite you to try this comforting drink and follow these tips for the best results.
Choose high-quality Mexican ground coffee. It could be a medium roast, and for more flavor, use the whole bean and grind before use.
Cinnamon overwhelms the Mexican coffee flavor, and adding more than half of a cinnamon stick could result in a flavorless coffee.
Cafe de Olla in Mexico cooks in a clay pot. This tradition comes from the Mexican revolution times when the adelitas or soldaderas would prepare coffee using firewood to comfort the soldiers.
But we are recommending using a French press. This gadget helps extract all the coffee flavors, and the coffee quality turns out superb.
Allow the coffee to steep enough time before pressing it. Use hot water and add it slowly for the coffee grounds to blossom.
For the homemade PSL creamer, we are using a standard creamer from the supermarket. You can use half and half coconut creamer, full-fat oat creamer, or any other option of your choice.
Combine the creamer with the piloncillo syrup. Typically is a 1-1 ratio. One cup of creamer will mix with one cup of syrup.
Add ground pumpkin spice to the PSL creamer mix and stir. We do not add pumpkin puree, but you can incorporate one or two teaspoons and shake vigorously if that is your taste.
Serve the Mexican coffee in your favorite mug. Pour some of the homemade PSL creamer, top with whipped cream of your choice (optional), and sprinkle more pumpkin spice.
Pair the Pumpkin Spice Cafe with pan de dulce, donuts, or any other pastry of your choice.
How to prepare the piloncillo syrup?
The preparation of the syrup is simple, and you will need star anise, cinnamon sticks, and piloncillo.
Add all the ingredients to a saucepan or a clay pot and incorporate one cup of water.
Cook the piloncillo with the spices at medium heat for about 15 minutes. Stir constantly until the piloncillo dissolves.
Use small piloncillo cones or cut the piloncillo into chunks helping the raw sugar to dissolve faster.
The syrup will be ready in about 20-30 minutes. Allow it to cool and store it in a mason jar or a bottle. It will keep fresh for about a week inside the fridge.
The Day of the Dead is a legendary tradition surviving time.
Celebrating our beloved that has passed is a beautiful Mexican tradition. The celebration gains importance as the particular date approaches because, in my Mexican culture, we never forget our departed and the legacy of our Aztec ancestors.
The commemoration of the Day of the Dead coincides with the Catholic celebration of All Saints Day, which goes back hundreds of years ago. The Aztec civilization paid tribute to the goddess Mictecacihuatl, which is how Day of the Dead started.
November 2 is an important date in my Mexican culture as we remember members of our family who have passed to enjoy a better life. By visiting them at the cemetery, bringing them flowers, and paying tribute at home, mounting an offering where we include all the favorite dishes of those that are no longer with us.
The Mexican coffee, Pan de Muerto, calaveritas, and calabaza en tacha or candied pumpkin never fail to show up in the offering. In addition to the flowers of cempasúchil, colored papel picado, and candles. Since this celebration takes place at night, coffee becomes an essential beverage to offer as we spend the whole night waiting for the arrival of our beloved with a cafeteada.
An ingrained tradition that we also put into practice during funerals. Adding a coffee beverage like the pumpkin spice cafe de olla is a good choice, and because who does not enjoy a hot cafecito to comfort our spirit during those long hours while we wait to meet again?
My Mamá Grande enjoyed cafecito time with a cup of coffee every day. I have fond memories of her sipping and storytelling her life as a youngster in Chihuahua, how she met my great grandfather, and family stories.
Pumpkin Spice Cafe de Olla
Equipment
- Saucepan
- French Press
- Spoon
Ingredients
For the PSL homemade creamer
- 1 cup creamer
- 1 cup piloncillo syrup
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 2 tablespoons whipped cream
- 1 pinch pumpkin spice
For the Cafe de Olla
- 4 tablespoons ground coffee
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 4 cups hot water
For the piloncillo syrup
- 1 cones piloncillo
- 1 star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 cup water
Instructions
For the cafe de olla
- Choose high-quality Mexican ground coffee. It could be a medium roast and for more flavor use the whole bean and grind before use.
- Utilize half of a cinnamon stick only. Cinnamon overwhelms the coffee flavor. Adding more cinnamon could result in a flavorless coffee.
- Use a French Press. Allow the coffee to steep enough time before pressing it. Use hot water and add it slowly for the coffee grounds to blossom.
For the PSL homemade creamer
- Mix the creamer with the piloncillo syrup.
- Add the pumpkin spice and shake.
For the piloncillo syrup
- Add all the ingredients of the list to a saucepan or a clay pot and add the water.
- Cook the piloncillo with the spices at medium heat for about 15 minutes.
- Stir constantly until the piloncillo is dissolved.
For making the pumpkin spice cafe de olla
- Pour the hot coffee into a mug.
- Add the homemade PSL creamer.
- Garnish with whipped cream and a pinch of pumpkin spice.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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