Spiced Mexican clay-pot coffee (Café de olla)

1. Pour the water into a saucepan (traditionally in Mexico a clay pot, an "olla"), and add the cinnamon stick, cloves and chopped piloncillo. If you have no piloncillo, dark cane sugar stands in.

2. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes until the piloncillo dissolves and the water takes on the scent of the spices.

3. Take off the heat and stir in the medium-coarse ground coffee.

4. Cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes so the coffee steeps.

5. Strain into mugs through a fine sieve (or a paper filter).

6. Serve hot, without milk – with conchas, pan dulce or for breakfast.

Tip: Don't boil the coffee, just steep it – boiling makes it bitter. If you have some, a strip of orange peel can go in with the spices.