Mayan coffee is a sweet coffee beverage enjoyed all over the world. Check out the origins and how to make your Mayan coffee at home!
Mayan Coffee Overview
Mayan coffee may seem unfamiliar, but it is famous for those seeking a unique caffeine experience.
This flavorful mix includes Kahlúa and Xtabentun, giving it its dark brown hue, orange peels, and sugar to sweeten the flavor.
Kahlúa is a sweet, rum-based liqueur that has been around since 1936 and produced in Mexico City.
It has an aroma of chocolate, vanilla, and caramel with notes of roasted coffee beans, making it perfect for mixing into coffee drinks.
Xtabentun, on the other hand, is made from fermented honey, anise seed, and rum, which gives it its distinct licorice-like taste.
Mixing these two spirits with fresh orange peels and sugar creates a delicious blend of flavors perfect for taking your morning cup of joe to new heights.
How to Make Mayan Coffee
Making Mayan coffee is easy and fun. This delicious espresso drink elevates your bland everyday coffee to the next level.
You visit your local specialty supermarket for ingredients like Kalua and Xtabentun Liqueur. After you secure your specialty ingredients, you are ready to begin!
You need the following ingredients to make Mayan coffee at home:
- 12 ounces of freshly brewed coffee
- 1-ounce Xtabentun
- 1 ounce Kalua
- 1 cup vanilla ice cream
- 1-orange
- ¼ cup sugar
Grab a couple of specialty glasses and sugar the rims with the ¼ cup of sugar and orange juice.
Caramelize the sugared rim with a flame and partially melt the sugar. This caramelization completes the preparation of the glasses.
Add the Xtabentun and Kahlua to a metal pitcher of your choice. Slightly heat liqueurs so they might vaporize when served.
Pour coffee into prepared glasses with enough room for spirits and ice cream.
Light the spirits and pour them into prepared coffee glasses. Finish the Mayan coffee with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and serve.
Origin of Mayan Coffee
The history of Mayan coffee begins with ancient liquors. Xtabentun is a Mayan liquor that originated in Mexico. The name derives from the legend of a woman named Xtabey.
She was a virtuous courtesan who freely loved and cared for the poor. Small white flowers called xtabentun were planted on her grave when she died.
Bees make honey from the xtabentun flower nectar. The honey from this nectar is fermented and combined with anise seed to make a liquor.
Rum is added to complete the mixture. Xtaemtim is a sweet liquor with a strong anise flavor.
This sweet liquor was then combined with Kahlua, another coffee liquor. Kahlua contains rum, sugar, and arabica coffee for a nice bite.
The two liquors are set on fire before being added to brewed coffee for an authentic Mayan experience!
Mayan Coffee Today
Today, Mayan coffee is a popular espresso drink in coffee shops worldwide. The exotic drink grew from its Mayan origins to take the hearts of many coffee lovers around the globe.
The exciting flame-filled experience leaves every drinker in awe!
Mayan coffee is enjoyed as an exciting morning cup of coffee, a dessert, or during cocktail hour!
This versatile drink combines caffeine, alcohol, and cooling ice cream to qualify it to enjoy any time of the day.
High-class Mexican cuisine restaurants feature this drink. Some coffee shops specializing in South American coffee drinks will have this drink on the menu.
Many resorts and restaurants in Mexico showcase their history and culture by creating an authentic Mayan experience for the tourists that visit their country.
Flavor Profiles of Mayan Coffee
Mayan coffee combines various ingredients and flavors for a party in your mouth! This drink is excellent in the morning, as a dessert, or as a cocktail.
The versatility of this drink brings many flavors to the table.
The xtabentun liquor brings the drink a chocolaty, warm, and minty flavor. The fermented honey gets a punch of sweetness, with the anise seed bringing an unmistakable licorice flavor.
A slight burn from the alcohol brings that cocktail flavor to the table. Kahlua brings more liquor flavor, with hints of black coffee, sweet butter, and roasted chestnut.
The caramelized sugar and orange on the rim of the glass bring the drink a delightfully sweet and citrus flavor.
This sweetness gives you a break from the alcohol and bitterness of black coffee. The vanilla ice cream ties everything together with a creamy, cooling effect to the beverage.
Equipment Needed to Make Mayan Coffee
Most specialty coffee drinks require special equipment along with the beverage’s ingredients.
Mayan coffee is not hard to make but requires equipment and knowledge to make it correctly.
An open flame is required to make Mayan coffee. A flambeau flame or an open gas stove work to make Mayan coffee.
A flambeau flame works best to caramelize the sugar and light the liquor on fire. Without a flambeau flame, the caramelization takes a long time and is uneven.
A metal pitcher is required to slightly warm the liquor before setting it ablaze. Specialty glasses are unnecessary, but a cup made of glass must be used to caramelize the sugar accordingly.
A coffee maker or some way to get brewed coffee is required to make a Mayan coffee beverage.
Conclusion
Mayan coffee is not only a delicious beverage but also an exciting experience. Seeing the flames billowing as the liquor is poured into the brewed coffee leaves you mesmerized before you taste the cocktail.
Ancient Mayan liquor brings an essence of pride to Mayan coffee. A celebration of a woman who showed unwavering love is brought to this beverage.
The sweet honey liquor allows for a delicious way to remember the Mayan legend.
Today, Mayan coffee is enjoyed across the globe in specialty restaurants and resorts. If you cannot find any Mayan coffee near you, make a Mayan coffee beverage at home!
This article’s necessary steps and ingredients allow you to experience the culture and delicious Mayan flavors from the comfort of your home.
Try this recipe and let others know how you liked it!