Cafe con Leche?

[madscientist01.livejournal.com]

I saw a similar post on chowhound, but I thought I'd ask locally: Does anyone know a good place to get cafe con leche around these parts? I haven't had any since I've been back from Spain, and I really miss it! American coffee just won't do, and Starbucks isn't the same either.

Thanks!

Comments

[wellstar.livejournal.com]

You might try Café Pamplona (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caf%C3%A9_Pamplona) on Bow Street, near Harvard Square.

[desiringsubject.livejournal.com]

How do *you* define the difference between Café con leche and cafe au lait. The only difference I was raised to was that the French steam their milk and hispanophones heat scald milk in a pot. Perhaps it's pedestrian of me, but I find the difference minimal. In any event, my favorite coffee around is True Grounds in Ball Square. That is, after I've left my own kitchen!

[cityofbeige.livejournal.com]

When I had cafe con leche in Spain, it seemed like it was espresso with warmed milk/cream... basically not that much different than a latte. The problem with Starbucks is they tend to overcook their beans to the point of burning them, thus making them bitter. On top of that, they tend to dump a lot of sugar/syrup in quite a few of their drinks to overcome the bitterness.

"Mom & pop" type coffee houses have less of a chance of not overcooking the beans, but quality will vary from place to place. Unfortunately, I'm not as much of a coffee fiend as I used to be, and being that I moved here two years ago, I haven't looked around much for a decent coffee house.

[madscientist01.livejournal.com]

Thanks for articulating that...I have found it hard to qualify the difference between what I find in starbucks vs. cafe con leche. It seems that when you get a latte (for example) at starbucks, the coffee is very bitter tasting and not as strong as I remember cafe con leche, even when I get the non-advertised "short" size. Maybe I just need to find a place that makes better espresso!

[moria923.livejournal.com]

I take it you're saying they overcook the beans in the *roasting* process? Thanks for the analysis!

make it yourself?

[toastygw.livejournal.com]

At home (I'm originally from venezuela) we make this at home using a stovetop espresso maker to brew the coffee. We heat milk on the stove or microwave (almost always microwave). Some people like it darker than others...

You can get an espresso maker at sessa's in the square for cheap.

I use Pilon which is cheap and sold at market basket and many other places.

here's a howto for cafe con leche.
http://spanishfood.about.com/od/discoverspanishfood/qt/qtcafeconlech.htm

this is pilon.
http://store.cubanfoodguy.com/product_info.php?products_id=53

Re: make it yourself?

[takeapicaresque.livejournal.com]

I second this. I've been a barista in a bunch of different places for a long time, and almost everywhere in the states uses italian style espresso for drinks. from what I've had back home (in florida) it's just the coffee that's different for cafe con leche, something about the latin roasts...earthier...hearty, a little siltier. the little stove-top boilers are killer for that. also, the coffee is usually whipped with raw sugar right away before you add the milk so it's sweet already...at least that's how it was at the cuban places at home.

also, never drink starbucks coffee. it's terrible. it will convince you that you hate coffee or that it needs to have 14 packs of sugar or half a cup of caramel in it to taste decent. just avoid.

[el-cubano-15.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, the only place to get a decent Cafe con Leche in the general area is Oriental De Cuba in JP. It calls itself a Cuban restaurant and looks the part, but it's actually much more of a Puerto Rican restaurant.

Another option is to wait until my Mom visits.

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

Have you tried Vietnamese coffee? I don't think it's exactly the same because it's made with sweetened condensed milk, but it sure is good. It's my understanding that the French introduced this style of coffee to the Vietnamese, so the coffee's origins are from the same part of the world as Spain. It's easy to find. I think most every Vietnamese restaurant has this style of coffee.