How we drink coffee in Puerto Rico:
Café expreso (from the Italian ‘espresso') denotes both a preparation process and when prepared correctly, a particular grind of coffee. Using an espresso machine, hot (but not boiling) water is streamed under very high-pressure through extremely-finely ground coffee to create a potent and highly-flavorable brew. Purists insist upon drinking it black. In Puerto Rico, an expreso is also referred to as a ‘pocillo' referring to the tiny cup in which it is served.
Cortadito (from the Spanish, meaning ‘slightly cut') is the name given to a serving of café expreso laced with a few drops of hot milk.
Café con leche refers to traditionally-brewed black coffee to which steamed milk has been added before serving. Similar to the French café au lait, café con leche is served in a full-sized cup. In more traditional settings, the coffee is brewed using a coffee ‘sock', although the practice is rapidly becoming obsolete.
