Supreme Bustelo Espresso Roast

Miami is always buzzing - and the reason is because of one South Florida family, exiled from Cuba, founding the Rowland Coffee Roasters. They brew up both of the worlds most sold Cuban coffee brands, Pilon and Bustelo. Today I am trying the king of all Cuban Coffees, Supreme Bustelo Roast. This black package is simply the best coffee you can get for making he sweet molasses crack that is Cafe Cubano. It comes in 1 lb. bag of whole coffee beans, 10 oz. ground bricks or cans.

While you could really use any coffee for Cuban coffee, The secret to the real thing, or a "cafecito," is the finely ground, dark roasted coffee beans used in the brew. Cafe Bustelo makes a number of varieties of coffee, but the Supreme is the pinnacle of the Bustelo line, being a rich, dark coffee ground for up just for espresso. Even if you have not been blown away by their regular yellow packaged line, the Supreme version is much less harsh and bitter than regular Cafe Bustelo, and a much finer ground as well.

Making Cuban Coffee:
Cuban Coffee is made by adding sugar to the container into which the espresso will drip, allowing the espresso to mix with the sugar as it is brewed. By adding it to the brew, it makes a smooth, sweet espresso. You add only the first few drops of espresso to the sugar and mix up very well. This results in a creamy, light brown paste. The remaining espresso is then added to this paste and mixed, creating a light brown foam layer, on top of the coffee.

Another more interesting way is to pack brown sugar on top of the coffee grounds in the espresso machine cooking up with the coffee. This is also a good way to ruin your espresso machine - I am told. I do know of a few Starbucks employees near me, when no one is around, making these for themselves through their industrial strength machines. If you have a barista friend and works for a huge chain - try this way next time you go in to buy your morning espresso for a real treat.

This stuff should be STRONG and Sweet - and you can make enough to share by making it a Colada. This is what you make when you want to wire all your friends. It typically comes in a large cup, with a stack of other small cups. Take this back to your office to really get your productivity moving.

I have tried making Cafe Cubano dozens of dozens of times, using all sorts of equipment and coffee roasts. I can say out of all those different times and combinations, there is almost nothing that compares to Supreme Bustelo, the lighter roast and stronger flavor being an instant hit with friends and family.