How to Make a Cortadito: Cuban Recipe and Espuma
A cortadito is the Cuban take on the cortado: a sweetened espresso, whose first drops are whipped with sugar into a caramel foam called espuma, then cut with a near-equal part of warm milk. It is served short, in a 90 to 120 ml demitasse, on the coffee-forward side. What sets it apart from the Spanish cortado is the worked-in sugar espuma; what sets it apart from a cafecito is the milk.
- Coffee base: sweetened Cuban coffee (dark-roast espresso), about 60 ml
- Sugar: 1 to 2 teaspoons, whipped into espuma with the first drops
- Milk: 45 to 60 ml of warm milk, near-equal part to the coffee
- Coffee-to-milk ratio: 50/50 to 75/25, coffee-forward
- Serving volume: 90 to 120 ml in a demitasse
- Milk temperature: 60 to 65 degrees Celsius
What a cortadito is
The cortadito is a hallmark of Cuban coffee culture, both on the island and in Cuban-American communities in Miami and Tampa. The name already tells you a lot: cortadito means little cortado, the diminutive suffix ito pointing to its small size. But it is not simply a scaled-down cortado. Over generations Cuba adapted the Spanish cortado to its own taste, and sugar, plentiful thanks to the island's sugarcane industry, became an ingredient in its own right.
What makes a cortadito is, first, its base: a cafecito, which is to say an already-sweetened Cuban espresso. The Cuban innovation lies in the espuma, sometimes called espumita. You whip the very first drops of espresso, the most concentrated ones, with sugar until you build a thick, caramel-coloured foam. That foam softens the bitterness of the dark-roasted beans and tops the drink with a light, sweet layer. The cortadito is that sweetened Cuban coffee cut with a near-equal part of warm milk.
The result is a small, creamy drink served in a 90 to 120 ml demitasse. The coffee-to-milk balance stays on the coffee-forward side, from 50/50 up to 75/25, where the Spanish cortado aims for an even split. It is that double signature, the sugar worked into espuma and the coffee lead, that sets the cortadito apart from its neighbours.
Ingredients and equipment
A good cortadito comes down to two things: a strong Cuban coffee and an espuma whipped properly. The list is short.
- 16 to 18 g of freshly ground coffee, dark roast, fine grind
- 1 to 2 teaspoons of white sugar for the espuma
- 45 to 60 ml of warm whole milk (evaporated milk, richer, is common outside Cuba but is not the island's traditional version)
- Filtered water for the moka pot or machine
- A moka pot or espresso machine, a small cup for whipping, a spoon and a 90 to 120 ml demitasse
The step-by-step method
The move that matters is the espuma: it is what sweetens, lightens and signs the cortadito. Take a few seconds to whip it well before adding the rest of the coffee.
- Brew the Cuban coffee. Brew about 60 ml of strong Cuban coffee with a fine grind of dark-roasted beans. A moka pot works perfectly, as does an espresso machine. The coffee should be intense and bold: it is what carries the sugar.
- Whip the sugar espuma. Put 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar in a small cup. Add only the very first drops of espresso, the most concentrated, and whip vigorously with a spoon. The mix starts as a thick, grainy paste, then loosens and foams as the sugar dissolves. Keep going until you have a frothy, caramel-coloured cream.
- Stir in the rest of the coffee. Pour the rest of the espresso into the espuma a little at a time, stirring. You now have a sweetened Cuban coffee topped with a light foam. That is your cafecito: the base of the cortadito.
- Cut with milk. Warm 45 to 60 ml of milk to 60 to 65 degrees Celsius without boiling it, dragging in very little air. Pour it over the sweet coffee to a near-equal part, keeping the coffee-forward profile. Serve at once in a demitasse, with the foam risen to the top.
Cortadito vs cortado vs cafecito: the table
All three drinks revolve around espresso, but differ in sugar, milk and origin. The references below follow common specialty coffee and Cuban tradition.
| Drink | Origin | Sugar | Milk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cortadito | Cuba | sweetened espresso, sugar espuma | near-equal part, coffee-forward |
| Cortado | Spain | unsweetened | equal parts, plain milk 1:1 |
| Cafecito | Cuba | sweetened espresso, sugar espuma | none |
In short: the cafecito is the sweetened Cuban espresso served without milk; the cortadito is that same cafecito cut with milk; the cortado is the Spanish version, unsweetened and with equal parts plain milk. The cortadito sits between the cafecito and the cortado: as sweet as the first, milkier, but always more coffee-led than the second.
Common mistakes
- Adding all the sugar at once. The espuma only builds with the first concentrated drops of espresso. Pour all the coffee in before whipping and the sugar simply dissolves without foaming.
- Drowning the coffee in milk. A cortadito stays coffee-forward. Go past a near-equal part and you slide into café con leche, which is far milkier.
- Mistaking it for a cortado. Without sugar whipped into espuma it is not a cortadito but a cortado. In Miami, ordering a cortado may even land you a sweeter Cuban-style drink.
- Boiling the milk. Aim for 60 to 65 degrees Celsius. Milk that is too hot flattens the espuma and hardens the sugar.
Frequently asked questions about the cortadito
What is the difference between a cortadito and a cortado?
The Spanish cortado is an unsweetened espresso cut with equal parts plain steamed milk. The Cuban cortadito starts from a sweetened espresso, whose first drops are whipped with sugar into a caramel espuma, then cut with warm milk, usually in a coffee-forward 50/50 to 75/25 ratio. The cortado is about coffee and milk balance; the cortadito is about sugar and the texture of the espuma.
What is the espuma in a cortadito?
The espuma, or espumita, is the signature sweet foam of Cuban coffee. You pour the very first, strongest drops of espresso onto the sugar and whip vigorously until you get a thick, caramel-coloured foam. The rest of the espresso is then stirred in. This espuma softens the bitterness of dark-roasted beans and gives the cortadito its creamy top layer.
Are a cortadito and a cafecito the same thing?
No. A cafecito, also called café Cubano, is the sweetened Cuban espresso with its espuma, served with no milk. A cortadito is that same cafecito cut with a near-equal part of warm milk. So the cafecito is the base of a cortadito: add milk to a cafecito and you get a cortadito.
What milk should you use for a cortadito?
In Cuba it is most often fresh, warmed milk. Outside Cuba, many Cuban-American cafes use evaporated milk for a richer, sweeter drink, but that version is not the traditional island preparation. Whole milk gives a creamy result; aim for warm milk around 60 to 65 degrees Celsius, barely textured.
Sources
- Cortadito, Wikipedia, accessed June 2026: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortadito
- Misunderstood Drinks: Meet the Café Cubano, Barista Magazine, 2022.
- How to Make Cuban Coffee (Café Cubano), My Big Fat Cuban Family.
Go further: How to make a cortado · Specialty coffee FAQ · Coffee glossary · All guides