Tinto

Ingredients

Coffee

• 15 gground Colombian coffee, medium-fine
• or to taste

Water

• 200 mlwater at 92 to 96°C

To sweeten

• sugar or panela, to taste, added while brewing or after

Equipment

• a greca or moka pot, a cloth filter, or a jug and a strainer
• small cups, tintos

To serve

• hot, small, and all day long

Directions

1. Use freshly ground coffee and grind it just before brewing. Ground coffee loses most of its aromatics within minutes, and this is the single biggest improvement available to anyone.
2. Heat it to between 92 and 96°C, or boil it and let it stand 30 to 45 seconds.
3. Bring the water to temperature, add the ground coffee directly to the pot, and take it off the heat.
4. Stir it once and let it steep for 4 minutes.
5. Add the panela or sugar to the water while it brews, rather than stirring it into the cup afterwards.
6. Pour it slowly through the cloth into a jug or thermos.
7. Rinse the cloth in plain hot water afterwards and never use soap. Soap soaks into the cloth and taints every subsequent cup, and this is worth saying because people do it once and never work out why the coffee tastes odd.

Technique

• Pasilla, the export rejects, were long what Colombians drank at home.
• The Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia was listed by UNESCO in 2011.
• Perico and café con leche are the milky versions and carry different names.

Substitutions

• Any medium or dark roast coffee.
• Panela in place of white sugar, which is more traditional.

Variations

• Tinto campesino, with panela and spices.
• Perico, with a little milk.
• Made in a greca, which is stronger.

History

Coffee arrived in the 18th century; the growers’ federation invented Juan Valdez in 1959, and UNESCO listed the Coffee Cultural Landscape in 2011.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tinto?

Tinto is a drink from Colombia: small cup of sweetened black coffee, poured from thermoses on every street. Coffee arrived in the 18th century; the growers’ federation invented Juan Valdez in 1959, and UNESCO listed the Coffee Cultural Landscape in 2011.

How long does Tinto take to make?

Tinto takes 5 min of preparation and 5 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 small cup. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Tinto?

Yes, within limits. Any medium or dark roast coffee. Panela in place of white sugar, which is more traditional.

What is the most important thing to get right in Tinto?

Add the panela or sugar to the water while it brews, rather than stirring it into the cup afterwards.