How Strong Is Café Bustelo?
The coffee industry is worth billions. It is one of the most loved and popular drinks in the world.
There are many different types of coffees available. Some are expensive, and some are cheap.
One of the many coffee company and products available in the market is a brand called Café Bustelo.
Cafe Bustelo is one of the most popular coffee chains in the United States – aside from the great flavor, the cheap cost of their products made this possible.
They offer a variety of coffee drinks in a variety of products such as coffee pod, decaffeinated version, espresso coffee, instant coffee, ready to drink coffee.
But their signature products are their Ground Espresso Coffee Can and Cafe Bustelo Espresso Ground Coffee Brick.
Café Bustelo coffee is more powerful coffee than others of its type.
By the way,
What Type Of Coffee Is Café Bustelo?
Café Bustelo makes authentic Latin-inspired coffee or Latin espresso-style coffee.
They use a finely ground “secret blend” of coffee beans that give a strong and rich flavor.
We mentioned that it is an “espresso-style coffee” – why not just call it an “espresso?”
That’s because Café Bustelo is not espresso.
Its grind size is as fine as an espresso grind, so it can be used in an espresso machine, but it can also be brewed in various brewing methods like regular coffee – in a coffee maker and even in a drip coffee maker.
Cafe Bustelo uses finely-ground dark roast coffee from Arabica and Robusta coffee beans.
How Strong Is Café Bustelo?
Many coffee lovers would say that Café Bustelo is basically an espresso.
But, we’ve learned that Café Bustelo is not actually an espresso but just a more intense coffee.
Café Bustelo coffee has more caffeine than other coffee.
A brewed coffee can have 10 to 12.5 mg of caffeine per fluid ounce.
Café Bustelo coffee can have 10 to 15 mg of caffeine per fluid ounce.
So how does the Café Bustelo caffeine content compare to espresso?
A shot of espresso contains about 60 – 65 mg of caffeine, which is approximately one fluid ounce cup, so it’s still much stronger than Café Bustelo coffee.
How To Make Perfect Coffee Using Café Bustelo
Café Bustelo has instant coffee options, so you can just add boiling water to it, let it steep for 30 seconds or so, and that’s it.
The only thing you have to keep in mind when making a Café Bustelo is the coffee to water ratio because it’s more of a dense coffee.
However, their website conveniently lists some recipes you can make with your Café Bustelo coffee.
Recipe #1 – Cafecito (Cuban Style Coffee)
Equipment:
Stove-top or electric Moka pot
2-cup liquid measuring cup or metal pitcher
Tablespoon
Cups
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups of water
1/3 cup Café Bustelo Espresso Coffee
1/4 to 1/3 cups sugar
Process:
1. Put 1 1/4 cups water and 1/3 cup Café Bustelo Espresso Coffee in their chambers and assemble the Moka pot.
2. Once assembled, you put the device in a heat source set in medium heat.
3. Prepare 1/4 to 1/3 cups sugar and put it in a metal pitcher or a 2-cup liquid measuring cup.
4. When at least 1/2 tablespoon of coffee comes out of the Moka pot, take that and pour it over the sugar you prepared. Put the Moka pot back into the heat source to continue brewing.
3. Mix and beat the espresso and sugar mixture for about 1 to 2 minutes or until it becomes creamy and lighter in color. The sugar should almost completely dissolve at this point.
4. When the flow is not steady anymore, and you hear a gurgling sound from the Moka pot, the brewing is done.
Take the espresso made and gently pour it atop the creamed sugar you prepared.
5. Stir the creamed sugar gently. There should be a thin layer of creamed sugar on top of your espresso.
6. Pour into espresso cups and immediately serve.
7. Enjoy!
Recipe #2 – Cafe Champurrado (Mexican Hot Chocolate with Coffee)
Equipment:
Heat source
Saucepan
Whisk
Knife and cutting board
Measuring cups
Ingredients:
1/3 cup of instant corn masa flour
1/2 cup of cold water
2 cups whole milk
1 tablet of authentic Mexican hot chocolate drink mix, pre-chopped
1/3 cup grated or chopped piloncillo or firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups hot brewed Café Bustelo Espresso Coffee
Ground cinnamon (optional)
Process:
1. Brew your Café Bustelo Espresso Coffee and prepare other ingredients. This recipe calls for constant whisking and mixing, so it’s best to have everything ready for adding. You can use any coffee maker, even a drip coffee maker, that you have.
2. Mix in water and masa flour in a saucepan and bring them to a boil. Whisk constantly.
3. To the boiling water and masa flour mixture, add some chopped chocolate and piloncillo – still whisking constantly.
4. Add in the brewed Café Bustelo Espresso Coffee. Continue whisking and boiling the mixture over medium heat.
5. When the coffee mix is well blended, switch to a lower heat level while still whisking constantly until you get a thick consistency.
6. Let it rest and cool for at least 5 minutes.
7. This is optional, but you can sprinkle some ground cinnamon.
8. Immediately serve, and enjoy!
Conclusion
The Café Bustelo coffee many know and love is a strong coffee.
It’s stronger and richer than other regular coffee but not quite as concentrated as espresso.
Their unique coffee in brick packaging is something every coffee lover must try – I mean, coffee bricks!
Still, it’s a delicious cup of coffee from one of the more affordable coffee brands.
Some even call it the “poor-mans specialty coffee” because it’s such a supreme coffee.
Café Bustelo coffee is proof that we don’t need expensive coffee shop drinks to get high-quality coffee.
In the end, it will come down to our coffee preferences and what coffee will fill our daily coffee routine.
Have a brew-tiful day!
Read Next: Does Blonde Espresso Have More Caffeine Than Dark Espresso?
