sosha wrote:I put dark Muscovado sugar on top of the tamped puck and pull. Was taught that method by a barista at Chromatic Coffee in San Jose. Been using an E61 at home for a few years, and it hasn't caused any problems with the machine. At work, I use the Robot; shots are stellar with the same technique.

HTH.

Nunas wrote:I beg to disagree. The video calls this café Cubano; this may be similar (but I doubt it), it may be what some espresso shops do, and it may be a nice drink if you like sweet coffee beverages, but it isn't café Cubano as most Cuban people would define it. This discussion came up about five years ago here Need advice on machine for Cuban espresso Please read my post in the reference thread. That said, you can make a close approximation of café Cubano with your espresso maker, without the danger of sucking caramelized sugar back up into the group. Put your sugar into a foaming jug. Pull the first bit of really strong coffee into the jug, the quickly switch the jug for a separate container for the rest. Whisk the crap out of the sugar/coffee in the jug until you get a golden, thick, aerated mixture. This is the key to true café Cubano, and it's the missing step in the video. Whisking a bit of really strong coffee into the sugar, is what creates the espumita (Cuban for foam), that characterizes true Cuban coffee; you can't get this by simply chucking some sugar into your portafilter. To finish the drink, add hot water to the coffee in the other container to your liking (i.e., make a strong Americano out of it). Then pour the resultant coffee into the espumita. Call me a purist (or snob if you wish), but I maintain that true Cuban coffee should be made in a moka pot