A cortadito is a cafecito "cut" with steamed milk — strong, sweet Cuban-style coffee with a creamy finish. This is how we make it at home on an espresso machine: a proper shot, sugar whipped with the first drops of espresso into a pale, thick espumita, then about an equal amount of steamed milk.
The coffee we use is our Brazil & Colombia Blend. It's the same medium-dark roast we pull for the cortaditos on our Cuban coffee cart.
Why this is the best coffee for cortaditos, in our experience
We're not handing out a trophy. This is the bag we'd give you because it's the coffee we actually use.
It's the coffee we serve at events. We've used this Brazil & Colombia Blend for our espresso drinks and cold brew since we started in 2023, including the cortaditos, cafecitos, coladas, and café con leche on our Cuban coffee cart. That's more than 380 events across Florida, so this recipe is the one we already stand behind.
It's a medium-dark roast that holds up under sugar and milk. That's what Cuban-style coffee asks of a bean. This roast is bold without being bitter, with a smooth, syrupy body and notes of dark cocoa and caramel, so the shot still tastes like coffee after you whip in the sugar and cut it with milk.
It's our Classic Cuban-Style Roast, made for this kind of drink. The beans are a dual-origin blend — single-origin Brazil from Fazenda Bom Jesus, and Colombia from Huila (Santa Maria). They are not Cuban-grown. The style is Cuban, and this is the roast we use for Cuban-style drinks at home and at the cart.
It's fresh and roasted here in Tampa Bay — the same locally roasted coffee we brew behind the carts.
And you can buy it ready for this recipe. Choose Fine Ground (Espresso/Moka Pot), or buy whole bean and grind it fine just before you brew. The 16 oz bag ships from Tampa Bay across the United States and internationally.
Shop the Brazil & Colombia Blend
Cortadito recipe
Makes 1 cortadito.
Ingredients
Fine-ground Brazil & Colombia Blend — choose Fine Ground (Espresso/Moka Pot), or grind whole beans fine
A double shot of espresso, about 2 oz
1–2 teaspoons sugar (use up to 3 if you like it sweeter; if you're used to grocery-store coffee, you may want less)
About 2 oz steamed whole milk
Equipment
Espresso machine
A small pitcher or cup for whipping the espumita
A milk pitcher, or the steamer on your machine
A small cup
Steps
Use Fine Ground (Espresso/Moka Pot), or grind whole beans fine.
Put 1–2 teaspoons of sugar in a small pitcher or cup.
Pull a double shot, about 2 oz. As soon as the first few drops come out, pour them onto the sugar.
Whip the sugar and those first drops hard until the mixture turns into a pale, thick paste — the espumita (also called espuma). This is the step that makes it a Cuban-style cortadito, not just espresso with milk.
Stir in the rest of the espresso gently. The foam rises to the top.
Steam about 2 oz of whole milk, then pour it over the coffee so you have about as much milk as espresso.
Serve in a small cup.
A note if you use a moka pot
You can brew a strong coffee in a moka pot (stovetop cafetera) instead, then follow the same sugar, espumita, and milk steps. An espresso machine is the method we use at events, and it's the one this recipe is written for.
Tips
Grind. Fine, as you would for espresso. If the grind is too coarse, the shot will run thin and the espumita will be harder to whip.
Sugar. Start with 1–2 teaspoons and adjust to taste. If you're used to making Cuban-style coffee with grocery-store coffee, you can use less sugar than you typically would.
Milk ratio. About equal parts steamed milk and espresso is the simple home method we use. Keep it small and coffee-forward so it stays a cortadito, not a latte.
Troubleshooting the espumita. If it stays dark and loose, you probably added too much coffee at the start, or it needs more whipping. Use only the first few drops, then whip hard until the paste is pale and thick before you stir in the rest. Whip it while the shot is still hot; once the coffee cools, the foam does not come together as well.
FAQ
What's the difference between a cortadito and a cafecito? A cafecito is a short, sweet Cuban-style espresso topped with whipped espumita. A cortadito is that same cafecito "cut" with about an equal amount of steamed milk, so it's a little softer and creamier.
What's the difference between a cortadito and a cortado? A cortado is a Spanish drink: espresso cut with a little warm milk, usually without sugar. A cortadito starts as a Cuban-style cafecito, with sugar whipped into espumita, and is then cut with steamed milk.
What coffee should I use? Is this a good coffee for cortaditos? We use our Brazil & Colombia Blend — our Classic Cuban-Style Roast, and the coffee we use for the cortaditos we serve at events. The medium-dark roast stays bold under sugar and steamed milk. Choose Fine Ground (Espresso/Moka Pot), or grind whole beans fine just before brewing.
Make one at home, or have us pour it at your event
Shop the 16 oz Brazil & Colombia Blend and brew this cortadito at home. If you'd rather have cortaditos and cafecitos made to order, our Cuban coffee cart brings them to events across Tampa Bay. For more on the cafecito this drink starts from, read The Cuban Cafecito We Serve at Tampa Events (and How to Make It at Home).
Watch one made
We loved this short from Golden Brown Coffee (@Goldenbrown.coffee). He nails the most important part: only the first, most intense drops of espresso go on the sugar, then you beat it hard. Add too much and the espuma goes watery.
Here’s what we’d add to his recipe:
Whip it while it’s hot, until it turns pale. Color is your cue. When the paste goes from dark brown to a light caramel and holds its shape, it’s ready. Once the shot cools, the foam won’t come together the same way.
Pick a coffee that holds up. Sugar and milk can drown a light roast. A medium-dark roast like our Brazil & Colombia Blend still tastes like coffee after both go in.
Steam the milk, and keep it small. He’s right that it’s one to one. We use about 2 oz of steamed whole milk for a double shot, served in a small cup so it stays a cortadito and doesn’t turn into a latte.
Have the pastry ready. He says it pairs perfectly with one, and we agree. In Tampa, that means a pastelito or a piece of Cuban toast.