Preguntas
Asked in the cocina
The questions that come in most often, answered the way we would answer them across a counter.
There is sediment at the bottom of the jug.
That is the drink working properly. Horchata is ground rice and settles; the hibiscus and lime blends carry whole chia that swells and hangs in the water. Give the jug a stir before each pour rather than straining it out.
It went lumpy when I tipped it in.
Dry powder hitting a full jug always clumps. Work the scoop into a small amount of water first, stir it to a smooth slurry, then top the jug up. This is the fix for every pouch in the line, cold or hot.
Can I just add hot water to a cup of the coffee?
No. Cafe de la Olla is real ground coffee with cinnamon and clove milled through it, not an instant powder. Brew it as coffee, in a French press or a pot, then press or strain. Coarse grind, and do not let it boil.
It came out sweeter than I expected.
The sweetening is already in the grind, so there is nothing to leave out at the stove. Two things work: use less powder for the same amount of water, and for the coffee, cut it with plain grounds in the same press. The panel on the pouch has the exact figures.
How do I get from mole powder to a sauce?
The method most recipes use: work about three parts powder with one part warm broth and one part water into a thick paste in the pan, then loosen that paste with roughly three times its own volume of hot broth. Simmer around twenty minutes and keep the spoon moving, because ground seeds and cacao catch on the bottom. It tightens as it stands and tightens again in the fridge; hot broth opens it back up.
Horchata on water or on milk?
Water is the traditional way and the way this blend is built. Milk makes it heavier and rounder, which some people prefer. Either way it goes into cold liquid, never hot.
Do I strain the ponche?
Only if you want to. The fruit pieces are meant to end up in the cup, and fresh apple or cane can go into the pot alongside. Strain it when you are serving it in glasses and want a clear cup.
How long does an open pouch keep?
We do not print a shelf life on this page, because the one that counts is stamped on your pouch. Close it after each scoop, keep it dry and out of the sun, and use a dry spoon: damp is what turns a powder into a brick.
If yours is not here
The guides carry the long answers on ratios, ponche, olla coffee, mole, champurrado and horchata, and the yield table carries the arithmetic on how far a pouch goes. Between them they cover most of what arrives in the inbox.
Anything about an order in progress belongs with the store you bought from. They hold the record and can act on it.
Back to the pouches
Nine blends, three ways of making them, and a table that says how far each pouch goes.