🇲🇽 Cinco de Mayo Meets Taco Tuesday — May 5th
Mexican Coffee Recipes Worth Celebrating Year-Round
Bold coffee, warm spice, and the kind of flavors that make a regular Tuesday feel like a fiesta. These Mexican-inspired coffee recipes are built for Cinco de Mayo, Taco Tuesday, and honestly any morning that could use a little more personality.
What Is Cinco de Mayo?
Cinco de Mayo — the fifth of May — commemorates the Mexican army's 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. While it's a relatively minor holiday in Mexico itself, in the US it's become a spirited celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, especially in areas with vibrant Mexican-American communities.
The best way to mark it? Bold flavors, good coffee, and maybe a taco or two alongside.
A note on Mexican coffee: Mexico's coffee is grown primarily in southern regions like Chiapas, Oaxaca, Pluma, and Veracruz — all known for lush mountain climates and nutrient-rich soils. These beans tend to be smooth, slightly sweet, and often chocolatey, which makes them ideal for spiced and flavored coffee drinks. Java Momma carries both a Mexico Medium Roast and a Mexico Dark Roast — either is the right call for any of these recipes.
The Lineup
Eight Mexican-inspired coffee drinks — from an authentic clay pot Café de Olla to a Paloma Cold Brew that uses the grapefruit juice you bought and forgot about. All of them are worth making on May 5th. Most of them are worth making on any Tuesday.
1. Authentic Café de Olla
The one that started it all. Traditional Mexican spiced coffee brewed with cinnamon, clove, and piloncillo.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups water
- 3 oz piloncillo or ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2–3 whole cloves
- Optional: orange peel
- 4 Tbsp ground Mexican coffee — Mexico Medium Roast or Mexico Dark Roast are the authentic choice here
The Build:
Simmer the spices and sugar in water until dissolved. Add coffee grounds, simmer briefly, then strain and serve hot. The longer the spices steep, the more complex it gets.
Cold Brew Twist:
Make a spiced syrup with half the water and the spices and sugar. Add cold water and steep with coarse ground coffee for 12–16 hours. Strain and pour over ice. Add milk or cream if you like it rich.
2. Horchata Latte
Use the horchata as your milk. Thank us later.
The Build:
Prepare one Horchata packet according to instructions. Use it as your milk base instead of regular milk. Brew 4 oz of any Java Momma medium roast strong over ice. Pour horchata over ice first, then layer coffee on top. Stir gently or don't — the layers look good either way. Cinnamon dusted on top, optional but correct.
Products:
Horchata Drink Mix · any Java Momma medium roast · ice · cinnamon
3. Café de Fiesta
The rim makes it a party.
The Build:
Dampen the rim of your glass and dip in cinnamon sugar. Fill with ice. Brew 6 oz Mexican Flan Coffee strong and pour over ice. Add a splash of cream. That's it. The rim does most of the work — it makes a simple iced coffee feel like a whole event.
Products:
Mexican Flan Coffee · cream · ice · cinnamon sugar
4. Cinnamon Toast Iced Coffee
Yes, there is cereal on top. Yes, it works.
The Build:
Brew 6 oz Churro Coffee strong over ice. Add 1–2 Tbsp cinnamon simple syrup. Pour over ice in a tall glass. Top with oat milk or milk of choice. Finish with a small handful of crushed cinnamon toast cereal on top. Looks like a $9 coffee shop drink. Costs about $1.50 at home.
Products:
Churro Coffee · cinnamon simple syrup · oat milk · ice · cinnamon toast cereal
5. Paloma Cold Brew
For the grapefruit juice you bought and forgot about.
The Build:
Steep one cold brew pod in 5 cups cold water for 12–24 hours. Remove pod. Fill a glass with ice. Pour 6 oz cold brew over ice. Add 4 oz grapefruit juice. Drizzle of honey stirred in. Splash of cream or skip it entirely — this one is refreshing either way. Light, citrusy, not your average iced coffee.
Products:
Cold Brew Variety Pack · store-bought grapefruit juice · honey · ice · cream (optional)
6. Mexican Mocha
Chocolate, cinnamon, a little heat. Classic for a reason.
The Build:
Brew a double shot of espresso or 4 oz strong coffee. Whisk in 1 Tbsp MoCafe Mexican Spiced Chocolate, a pinch of cayenne, and ½ tsp cinnamon. Steam or warm milk of choice and pour over. Top with whipped cream and a dusting of chili powder or extra cinnamon. Rich, warming, and genuinely complex.
Products:
MoCafe Mexican Spiced Chocolate · espresso or strong coffee · milk of choice · cayenne · cinnamon
7. Horchata Cold Brew
Fifty-fifty. The easiest drink on the list.
The Build:
Prepare one Horchata packet according to instructions. Combine 50/50 with cold brew over ice. Add a swirl of sweetened condensed milk if you want it richer. Serve with a cinnamon stick stirrer. Smooth, creamy, and impossible to drink slowly.
Products:
Horchata Drink Mix · cold brew · ice · optional condensed milk swirl
8. Dulce de Leche Iced Coffee
Rich, sweet, and gone faster than you planned.
The Build:
Fill a tall glass with ice. Add 1 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk and drizzle caramel syrup around the inside of the glass. Pour 6 oz strong brewed coffee over the top. Add a splash of milk or cream and a pinch of salt. Stir and serve. For the full churro treatment, try this with Churro Coffee and check out our full Churros in Dulce de Leche recipe.
Products:
Strong brewed coffee · sweetened condensed milk · caramel syrup · cream · pinch of salt
Coffee + Tacos = Always Yes
These drinks were made for more than special occasions — they're perfect pairings for Taco Tuesdays all year long:
- Mexican Mocha + chicken mole tacos
- Horchata Cold Brew + carnitas
- Paloma Cold Brew + fish tacos with citrus slaw
- Dulce de Leche Iced Coffee + churros (obviously)
Watch: Café de Olla Recipe Variations
Three more Café de Olla variations and the full process for making authentic Mexican coffee — worth watching before you brew your first pot.
Whether you're raising a mug on May 5th, anchoring your next Taco Tuesday, or just want a coffee that tastes like it has somewhere to be — these Mexican coffee recipes have you covered. Bookmark this one. You'll use it more than once a year.
See What Else Is on the May Menu
These recipes are part of this month's full drink lineup — May the 4th, Cinco de Mayo, and a Frozen Mexican Hot Cocoa that's already thinking about summer.
View the May Menu →Frequently Asked Questions
What is Café de Olla?
Café de Olla is a traditional Mexican coffee brewed with cinnamon, cloves, piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar), and sometimes orange peel — traditionally in a clay pot, which subtly enhances the flavor over time. It's one of Mexico's most iconic coffee preparations and the foundation that most Mexican-inspired coffee drinks are built around. The spiced sweetness of the brew makes it equally good hot or as a cold brew base.
What is piloncillo and can I substitute it?
Piloncillo is an unrefined cane sugar common in Mexican cooking — it comes in hard cone-shaped blocks and has a deeper, more molasses-forward flavor than regular white sugar. Brown sugar is the closest easy substitute and works well in Café de Olla. Dark brown sugar is closer to the flavor profile than light brown. Piloncillo is available in most Latin grocery stores and many larger supermarkets.
What coffee is best for Mexican coffee recipes?
Mexican coffee beans from regions like Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Veracruz tend to be smooth, slightly sweet, and often chocolatey — characteristics that pair naturally with cinnamon, spice, and caramel flavors. For flavored drinks like the Café de Fiesta, Mexican Mocha, or Cinnamon Toast Iced Coffee, a medium to dark roast with warm notes is the right call. Java Momma's Mexico Medium Roast and Mexico Dark Roast are the most authentic starting point for Café de Olla and spiced preparations. Mexican Flan Coffee and Churro Coffee are built for the flavored drink recipes.
Can I make a Horchata Latte without a horchata mix?
Yes — traditional horchata is made from soaked and blended rice, cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar, strained until smooth. It takes about 30 minutes plus soaking time. For a quicker version, blend 1 cup cooked white rice with 4 cups water, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tsp vanilla, and 3 Tbsp sugar until smooth, then strain through a fine mesh or cheesecloth. Java Momma's Horchata Drink Mix is a significantly faster option that works just as well in the latte.
What makes a Paloma Cold Brew different from regular iced coffee?
The Paloma Cold Brew takes its inspiration from the Paloma cocktail — a Mexican drink made with tequila and grapefruit soda. This non-alcoholic coffee version uses cold brew and fresh grapefruit juice instead, with honey as the sweetener. The grapefruit adds a bright, citrusy note that makes cold brew taste lighter and more refreshing than a standard iced coffee. It's particularly good on warm days when you want caffeine without heaviness.
