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Café chorreado
Cloth-filtered coffee
Café chorreado: Costa Rican coffee dripped slowly through a cloth bag hung on a wooden stand, clean, bright and smooth
Every Costa Rican grandmother has a chorreador: a small wooden stand holding a cloth bag, the bolsita, over a cup or jug. Hot water is poured through the grounds by hand, a little at a time, and the result is the coffee drunk at breakfast with gallo pinto and again at the afternoon cafecito around three, with a tamal, a slice of pan casero or a rosquilla. The cloth catches the oils and fine grounds, so the cup is clean, bright and smooth, with the soft acidity and caramel sweetness of Tarrazú and Central Valley beans. In the countryside the water is sometimes sweetened with tapa de dulce before it goes through. It is strong coffee, so mind the caffeine late in the day. The common mistake is pouring all the water in at once, which floods the bag and leaves weak, uneven coffee; pour in slow circles, in four or five goes. It is ready when the drips slow to a trickle and the coffee is dark reddish-brown and smells of toasted caramel. Never wash the bag with soap; rinse it in hot water and hang it to dry. Chef's tip: boil a new bag once with a spoonful of coffee before using it, to season the cloth.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the coffee
- 1 ⅜ oz medium-ground Costa Rican coffeeabout 4 heaped tbsp, a little coarser than for filter
- 2 ½ cups water
To serve
- 4 tsp sugar or grated tapa de dulce (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring the 2 ½ cups water to the boil, then leave it for about 1 minute so it settles just off the boil, around 199°F.
4 minStep 2: Pour a little of the hot water through the empty cloth bag into the jug or cups to rinse the bag and warm them; pour that water away.
1 minStep 3: Put the 1 ⅜ oz medium-ground Costa Rican coffee in the bag and pour over just enough water to wet it all. Wait 30 seconds while it puffs up and smells of caramel.
1 minStep 4: Pour the rest of the water slowly in small circles, in four or five additions, letting each drain partly before the next.
4 minStep 5: When the drips slow to a trickle, lift away the bag. Serve black, or with 4 tsp sugar or grated tapa de dulce and a splash of hot milk (not vegan then) as you like. Rinse the bag in hot water only and hang it to dry.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 5 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 1 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does café chorreado take?
- About 10 minutes in total: 3 minutes to prepare and 7 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
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