Te de Pelo de Elote (Corn Hair Tea?)

Yeah I know it sounds odd, it's the silky looking hair part of the corn, we only use the clean looking one's that look beautiful (discard any brownish dirty stuff)

It's suppose to be "bueno pa'los riñones" (good for the kidney's) I don't know I'm not a doctor and currently it's finals week in school for me and I don't feel like researching it ( If your curious google around :)

Regardless of medical benefits or not, it's refreshing especially served cold in this summer heat.


So since corn is in season and there's all this wonderful fresh sweet corn don't waste and throw away the beautiful corn silk give this tea a try. It has a subtle light corn taste.

Ingredients:
-water (I don't know I just added water to the pot until it looked right maybe 9-12 cups)
-corn silk (from about 6-8 fresh corn cobs)
-sugar to taste (optional we didn't use it this time and it doesn't really need it but to each his own)

Directions:
(1)Bring water in pot to a boil with corn silk, and boil together for about 10-15 minutes. Turn off, you can drink it now or let it cool, sweeten with sugar to taste if desired and keep cooled in the fridge.
P.S.
This tea apparently is consumed by both Cubans, Mexicans and other cultures so I'm labeling as both.

Malta Con Leche Condensada (Malt Sugar Drink with Sweetened Condensed Milk)

The name say's it all. This is a favorite drink among Cuban's of all ages. It is made by combining a fermented malt sugar drink called "Malta" (the brand "Hatuey" is the one most Cuban's consume) with sweetened condensed milk until you get a creamy light golden brown color, it's like drinking a rich, creamy, dense cold bubbly soda that has a very light molasses/ caramel flavor? Hard to describe one must try it.

It's a very sinful, calorie laden, concoction so drink it slowly and savor every second you enjoy of this delicious drink.

My Spanish/ Cuban grandmother loved this concoction she use to drink it "pa'engodar" (meaning to get fat), my grandmother always wanted to gain weight, she said, "Si engordo se me quitan las arrugas po'que se estira la piel unas 20-30 libras me ase bien" translates to "If I gain 20-30 pounds maybe my wrinkles will go away" because the skin would stretch out more ha ha. Though she never gained weight from anything through out her life even now that she's in her 80's.

Ingredients:
-1 Malta Hatuey
-1/4- 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk (depends how sweet and creamy you want it)
-ice (in cubes or crushed to make this cold and refreshing)
Directions:
(1)Get a big tall glass, add the condensed milk you wanna use to the glass, pop open your bottle of Malta and pour it in as you stir to combine. Taste it if you want add more condensed milk. Add some ice and your done simple (or you can add it at the beginning)! There's really no right way to do it.
NOTE: The Malta Hatuey bottles I have are pretty big like 12 oz. you can probably split it between 2 people. I drink the whole thing though, and then the leftover condensed milk in the can I eat it by the spoonfuls ha ha.

INTERESTING STUFF: The Indian "Hatuey" on the Malta bottles was actually a real person he was a Taino Indian who resisted the Spanish rule, and warned the Taino's of Spanish people arriving to Cuba, most thought he was crazy, some joined him and he was able to confine the Spanish conquering Cuba in "Baracoa, Cuba" eventually though he was captured and burned alive on a stake in Yara, Cuba.

Pretty sad story but alt east he still lives on every bottle of Malta ha ha just kidding.

Te Frio de Yerba Buena (Cold Mint Tea)

In my home when the weather get's hot we always have a variety of homemade drinks to stave of the heat and refresh, water is nice but sometimes I want something more. We have a variety of fruit drinks my mother makes and my grandmother (when she lived with us) liked making herbal tea's and chilling them to refresh. Also you can do the same cold tea drink using "Tila" (in english it is called Linden) instead of Mint. My mother would make "Te de Tila" and chill it when my father was stressed from work so he would feel better.

I don't know if this is Cuban or Spanish or what, I'm sure other cultures do things like this to. Mexicans make these types of tea but always serve it hot, I've never seen Mexicans chill any herbal tea's ONLY WITH THE EXCEPTION OF HIBISCUS TEA. So I'm labeling it as Cuban for navigation purposes and because my grandma cooks mostly Cuban.

Ingredients:
-1 big bunch of fresh mint leaves (washed and cleaned well)
-16 cups of water
-3/4 cups sugar (more or less to taste)

Directions:
(1)Bring water to a boil, add mint leaves, boil for 10 minutes uncovered (so your house can smell and minty and stuff ha ha).
(2)Now when it changes color, shock it with a cup of cold or room temperature water this will make the color deepen stronger when it comes back to boil for another 5 minutes.
(3)Turn of heat, let it cool a bit, put in large pitchers making sure to strain it to get the leaves out of the tea.
(4)Add sugar to taste, and chill in the fridge :)

Café Cubano (Cuban Coffee)

Cuban coffee, it pretty much is the Cuban version of espresso which is a very concentrated form of coffee drink that is sweet and infused with sugar. It is usually done in an Italian Stove Top Espresso Maker.

The Cuban Coffee is done with either "Bustelo", "Pilon", or "La Llave" brands of espresso other wise it won't taste the same. In my household we have always used "Bustelo" and it may sound concieted and biased but I think Cuban coffee is the best coffee! Haha!

In the mornings it is usually served as "Cafe Con Leche" in which you dilute 1 shot into 1 cup of hot whole milk and have with some buttered and sugared bread or any pastry.

Cuban coffee just shoots me with a jolt of energy and really wakes me up, it makes me jolly and happy and I get all wierd and laugh tons (must be the caffiene running through my veins). In a Cuban household the Cuban coffee is not something just for adults we give it to little kids to, I remember drinking this stuff since I was small, my mother (who isn't Cuban and wasn't used to this would forbid me from coffee, but my lovely grandmother whom I call "Tata" would always sneak me my shots of espresso then I would get all jolly and hyper)

My grandmother always said that the reason Cubans talk so fast, and have vibrant in your face personalities is because they drink this so often she said (being sarcastic) in Spanish, "Quando llege a Cuba miraba tantos Gallego con los nervios de punta que quando se ajuntaban no solo se entendian entre ellos, y siempre corriendo pa'donde evan, porque en casda esquina se tomaban un cafe cubano" which translates to, "When I arrived at Cuba for the first time, I saw all these Galicians (she reffered to Spanish immigrants to Cuba or those of Spanish descent) running around talking extremely fast they where wired from the Cuban coffee they drank at every corner)

My grandmother never made it with the fancy "espumita" (foam formed with the creamed sugar) she just dumped the sugar in before serving, she said, "Que espuma ni que nada, yo ago todo a lo Gallego (deciendo a lo bruto) a mi que me emporta la espuma chico sabe igual" transaltes to, "What foam? I do everything carefree, what do I care about the foam and what not, it still tastes the same boy" haha I love her.

Today I was feeling a little blue and 2 shots of these revived me, made me energized, and feel a bit jolly it gave me a boost to go and do exercise and relieve some stress, better than drinking some "Mojitos" right? haha.

Ingredients and things you will need:
-Italian Coffee Pot (you know the espresso maker that goes on top of stove)
-Cafe Bustelo or Pilon (the brands used for Cuban espresso)
-water (duh)
-sugar (this is suppose to be sweet)

Directions:
(1)Fill the bottom part up to the first part of the first line on the rim with drinking water.

(2)Fill the strainer with the Bustelo Coffee, pack it firmly in, then connect it back on to the bottom part.

(3)Put the really top part on. Put on stove on medium heat.

(4)Now put about 4 heaping tablespoons sugar (this is sweet remember) it's about 1/2 tablespoon per small tea cup or whatever it's called, mine makes about 8 servings, put the sugar into a small pitcher.
(5)When the coffee pot starts to fill with some coffee, turn of heat, and pour a small amount into the sugar, and whisk it with a spoon or fork to cream the sugar, meanwhile put the pot back and turn heat back on and wait for it to be done.
(6)Now when coffee is done pour it into the small pitcher carefully and the creamed sugar will make a sugary foam on top. Pour into the little cup and savor the moment.
Swirled it a bit so you can see the coffee under the foam blanket