By popular demand, here is how I make my Cuban coffee and cortadito using a traditional stovetop espresso maker, which many have said is the best they have had.
Ingredients:
Cuban Espresso (Preferably "La Llave" brand)
Sugar
Water
Powdered Cardamom (optional)
Instructions:
1. Fill the stovetop espresso maker's boiler chamber (bottom) with water up to or just below the pressure release valve.
2. Place coffee funnel filter into the filled boiler chamber and add ground coffee, being sure to pack the grounds firmly.
3. (Optional Step) Add roughly 1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom over the coffee grounds (this is not part of the Cuban coffee recipe; I do this because it adds a nice spicy flavor)
4. Tightly screw the espresso maker's serving chamber (top) onto the filled boiler chamber (bottom) and place assembled unit onto the stove top on high heat.
5. Keep lid open initially to watch for when coffee begins to slowly percolate up and out of central column.
6. Add sugar (4 teaspoons, on average, depending on size of the espresso maker) to a separate container (i.e., cup, mug, or metal creamer).
7. When coffee has begun to percolate up through the espresso maker, slowly add one to two teaspoons worth of that initially brewed coffee to the sugar, and place the espresso maker back onto the stove with its lid shut until it brews completely.
8. While the coffee is still brewing, vigorously stir the sugar-coffee mixture with a metal teaspoon until it forms a smooth, light-brown frothy sugary mixture.
9. When the coffee is done brewing, add it to the sugary mixture, stir, and serve while hot.
10. For Cortadito, simply warm milk to desired temperature (canned evaporated preferred) and add the Cuban coffee to it (roughly a 1-to-1 ratio, but can be made lighter or darker depending on one's taste).