Espresso Cuban style

Much more than a jolt of caffeine, this coffee is a way of life

BY JENNIFER MILLER
STAFF WRITER-Ocala (FL) Star Banner

In places such as Miami, drinking espresso coffee Cuban style is as ritualistic as having a glass of water on a humid day.

Open-air cafeterias can be found on almost any street corner, where hundreds of thousands of mouths open daily to voice a familiar request, "un cafecito, por favor."

Their requests are not met with a 12-ounce mixture of whip cream, milk and the latest exotic-sounding brand of coffee. Rather, they usually get a plastic shot cup, a small, sweet dose of caffeine that'll keep 'em going for hours.

And while in Ocala, what has come to be known as Cuban coffee can mostly be found either by knowing a Cuban or at Chicken Time Cuban restaurant in Belleview, this "social" drink is relatively easy to make at home.

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