What Is a Coquito Latte? The Viral Puerto Rican Coffee Drink Invented by 787 Coffee — And How to Make It at Home
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If you've walked into a 787 Coffee and seen someone holding a creamy, coconut-scented latte that smells like a Puerto Rican holiday — that's a Coquito Latte. And before you ask: yes, we invented it.
The Coquito Latte is a specialty espresso drink made with our handcrafted Coquito WOW Sauce — a rich, coconut-and-spice Mix Powder inspired by the beloved Puerto Rican holiday drink, coquito. Pull two shots of our farm-grown Supremo Roast espresso through it, add steamed milk, and what comes out is something no other coffee shop in the world serves — because no other coffee shop thought of it first.
This drink didn't come from a trend report or a menu consultant. It came from Puerto Rico — from the flavors our community grew up with, from the drink that appears at every Puerto Rican holiday table, and from a belief that specialty coffee should taste like something that actually means something to the people drinking it.
This is the full story of the Coquito Latte — what it is, where it came from, how we make it, and how you can make it at home with our WOW Sauce delivered straight to your door.
First: What Is Coquito?
Before we talk about the latte, you need to understand the drink that inspired it.
Coquito — pronounced koh-KEE-toh — is a traditional Puerto Rican holiday drink that translates literally to "little coconut." It is the island's answer to eggnog: thick, creamy, sweet, and deeply spiced — but built on a coconut milk and cream of coconut base instead of eggs.
A classic coquito is made with coconut milk, cream of coconut, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and white rum. It is blended smooth, chilled, and served cold in small glasses, typically from Thanksgiving through Three Kings Day — the stretch of the Puerto Rican holiday season.
In Puerto Rico, coquito is more than a drink. It is a tradition passed from grandmother to grandchild. Every family has their own recipe. Some add cream cheese. Some go heavier on cinnamon. Some skip the rum for the kids. But the base — coconut, spice, sweetness, love — is universal.
"Coquito is the taste of a Puerto Rican holiday. We asked ourselves: what if that taste lived in your morning coffee, every single day of the year?"
How 787 Coffee Invented the Coquito Latte
787 Coffee was built on a simple but radical idea: that the flavors of Latin America belong in specialty coffee. Not as seasonal novelties. Not as syrup-sweetened imitations. But as real, handcrafted expressions of culture — made with the same care and intentionality as the espresso they sit beside.
When our team started developing the WOW Latte program, the question on the table was: what does Puerto Rican coffee culture actually taste like? Not the corporate version. Not the Americanized version. The real thing.
The answer came quickly: coquito.
Our team developed the Coquito WOW Sauce — a handmade powder mix built from the core flavor architecture of traditional coquito: real coconut, warm spices, natural sweetness, and a smooth, velvety richness. Then we pulled it through two shots of our farm-grown Supremo Roast espresso — single-origin, honey-processed, grown at Hacienda Iluminada in Maricao, Puerto Rico at 3,000 feet above sea level.
What happened when the espresso hit the Coquito Sauce was something our baristas immediately recognized: this was the drink. The dark chocolate and caramel notes of the Supremo Roast met the coconut and spice of the coquito sauce and created something that didn't exist anywhere else in specialty coffee.
We put it on the menu. Our caffeinated humans who ordered it once never went back to ordering anything else.
"We didn't set out to create a viral drink. We set out to honor where we came from. The Coquito Latte is Puerto Rico in a cup."
What Makes the 787 Coffee Coquito Latte Different From Every Other "Coconut Latte"
Walk into any other coffee shops and you will find a coconut something on the menu. Coconut milk lattes. Coconut syrup cold brews. Toasted coconut syrups from a bottle.
The 787 Coffee Coquito Latte is not any of those things. Here is what makes it categorically different:
The Sauce / powder mix Is Handmade — Not a Syrup
The Coquito WOW Sauce is not a flavored syrup poured from a bottle. It is a handcrafted sauce made in-house, built on real coconut flavor, warm holiday spices, and a richness that no commercial syrup can replicate. When you taste the Coquito Latte, you taste the sauce — not an approximation of it - using real sugar.
The Espresso Is Farm-Grown and Single-Origin
Most coconut lattes are made with commodity espresso — generic, mass-roasted, untraceable beans from a distributor. The 787 Coffee Coquito Latte is pulled with our Supremo Roast — single-origin specialty espresso grown at our farm, Hacienda Iluminada, in Maricao, Puerto Rico. The espresso brings dark chocolate, buttery caramel, and citrus brightness to the cup. The sauce brings coconut, spice, and sweetness. Together they are something extraordinary. - we recommend upgrading your coffee beans to our rum infused coffee beans for $3 more to taste the malases that our beans bring when infused in rum for 48 hours.
The Cultural Authenticity Is Real
The Coquito Latte wasn't designed in a corporate flavor lab. It was created by Puerto Ricans who grew up drinking coquito at Christmas. The cultural knowledge behind the flavor — what coquito actually tastes like, what the right spice balance is, what makes it feel like home — comes from lived experience. That authenticity shows up in every sip.
It's Available Year-Round — Not Just During the Holidays
Coquito at most Puerto Rican tables is a holiday-only drink. At 787 Coffee, we believe the flavor is too good to limit to December. The Coquito Latte is available year-round at all 787 Coffee locations — hot, iced, or blended — so you can carry a little bit of Puerto Rican holiday spirit with you every single morning.
👉 Order the Coquito WOW Sauce Online → 787coffee.com/787coffeeonlineshop Make the Coquito Latte at home — handmade sauce shipped directly to your door.
The Full WOW Latte Family — More Puerto Rican and Latin Flavors, All at 787 Coffee
The Coquito Latte is the original — but it is not alone. 787 Coffee's WOW Latte program brings the entire landscape of Latin American and Puerto Rican flavors into specialty coffee. Every WOW Latte is made with the same handcrafted sauce approach — real ingredients, real flavor, real culture.
🥥 Coquito WOW Latte — Coconut, warm holiday spices, sweet cream. Puerto Rican holiday in a cup. The one 787 Coffee invented. Hot or iced year-round.
🍮 Tres Leches WOW Latte — Sweet cream, vanilla sponge notes, light caramel. Like dessert in espresso form. The one that converts people who don't think they like lattes.
🍬 Mazapán WOW Latte — Almond, sweet, slightly nutty. Inspired by the classic Mexican-Puerto Rican candy. Deeply satisfying. Unique in the NYC coffee landscape.
🍍 Piña Colada WOW Latte — Pineapple, coconut, bright tropical sweetness. A vacation in your morning cup. The most photographed drink in the 787 Coffee lineup.
🍚 Horchata WOW Latte — Rice milk sweetness, cinnamon, subtle vanilla. The crowd-pleaser. Approachable for everyone, extraordinary for those who know.
🍯 Dulce de Leche WOW Latte — Rich caramel, buttery sweetness, Latin American comfort. Order this when you want something that feels like a reward.
Every WOW Sauce is available for purchase online at 787coffee.com — so you can bring the full 787 Coffee WOW Latte experience into your home kitchen.
How to Make a Coquito Latte at Home — Step by Step
You don't have to be in New York City or Puerto Rico to drink a Coquito Latte. With the 787 Coffee Coquito WOW Sauce and our Supremo Roast coffee, you can make the original at home — in about five minutes.
INGREDIENTS:
2 shots of 787 Coffee Supremo Roast espresso
2 tablespoons of 787 Coffee Coquito WOW Sauce
6 oz steamed whole milk (or oat milk for dairy-free)
Ice (for iced version)
Pinch of cinnamon for garnish (optional)
Coconut flakes for garnish (optional)
METHOD:
Brew two shots of 787 Coffee Supremo Roast espresso using your espresso machine or Moka pot. If you don't have an espresso machine, brew 787 Coffee extra strong in a French press or AeroPress.
Add the Coquito WOW Powder MIX to the bottom of your cup or glass.
Pour the hot espresso directly over the powder mix and stir until fully combined. The espresso heat activates the sauce and blooms the coconut and spice flavor.
FOR HOT: Steam your milk to 150°F and pour over the espresso-sauce mixture. Use a spoon to hold back the foam, then spoon foam on top. Garnish with a pinch of cinnamon.
FOR ICED: Fill a glass with ice. Pour the espresso-sauce mixture over the ice, then add cold milk. Stir gently. Garnish with coconut flakes.
Close your eyes. Take a sip. Think of Puerto Rico.
Serves 1 · Prep time: 5 minutes · Level: Easy
The key to getting the Coquito Latte right at home is the quality of the espresso. The Coquito WOW Sauce is rich and complex — it needs an espresso with enough body and depth to stand up to it. The 787 Coffee Supremo Roast, with its dark chocolate and caramel backbone from the honey process and high-altitude growing at Hacienda Iluminada, is built for exactly this.
The perfect home barista and baking flavor with our exclusive, top-selling Coquito Latte Sauce. Add a touch of Caribbean flavor to your coquito lattes or baked goods with this Puerto Rican holiday mix from 787 Coffee.
Add decadent coquito flavor into drinks and desserts with this sweet, creamy sauce from 787 Coffee. Our naturally flavored Coquito Sauce features the taste of coconut and cinnamon to a deep amber. Our smooth, rich sauce contains coconut, eggnog and a pinch of coconut flakes for a perfect balance in the texture. Try our versatile Coquito Sauce in a wide range of beverage and culinary applications. Add to coffee, mochas, frappes or hot cocoa for a twist of creamy coconut - Puerto Rican flavor.
Coquito Latte Sauce is Dairy Free, made in New York City at 787 Coffee.
Transform Your Coffee & Baking with 787 Coffee's Coquito Latte Sauce – Authentic Puerto Rican Flavor.
The perfect gift for home baristas, coquito lovers, bakers and coffee aficionados.
The bottle is 200 ml.
The Iced Coquito Latte — Why It Goes Viral Every Summer
The Coquito Latte started as a warm drink — a natural extension of coquito's holiday identity. But when we developed the iced version, something happened on social media that we didn't expect: people couldn't stop sharing it.
The iced Coquito Latte became one of the most photographed drinks in our stores. The pale, creamy coconut color against the dark espresso ice. The coconut flakes floating on top. The straw going in for the first sip.
It is the kind of drink that makes people stop and say: what is that? And then order one.
The flavor holds up cold even better than hot for some — the coconut sweetness brightens over ice, the espresso sharpens, and the cinnamon comes through in a way that makes every sip feel like a summer evening in San Juan.
"The Iced Coquito Latte is what Puerto Rico tastes like on a warm day. We think everyone deserves to know that feeling."
Where to Get the Coquito Latte
Visit a 787 Coffee Location
The Coquito Latte is available at all 787 Coffee locations — in New York City (18 locations), New Jersey, Texas, Puerto Rico, and Mexico City. Walk in, order it hot or iced, and let a trained 787 barista make it the way it was designed to be made.
Order the WOW Sauce Online
The Coquito WOW Sauce is available for purchase online at 787coffee.com. Shipped directly to your door anywhere in the United States. Make the Coquito Latte at home every morning, exactly the way we do it in our shops.
Subscribe and Never Run Out
Pair your Coquito WOW Sauce with a 787 Coffee monthly subscription and you will always have the two ingredients you need for a perfect Coquito Latte at home: freshly roasted Supremo Roast and the sauce that started it all.
👉 Get the Coquito WOW Sauce Delivered → 787coffee.com/787coffeeonlineshop Order online and make the original Coquito Latte at home. Free shipping nationwide.
Why 787 Coffee Creates WOW Lattes — The Mission Behind the Flavor
The WOW Latte program exists because of a belief that runs through everything 787 Coffee does: that where you come from is not a limitation — it is your greatest strength.
The specialty coffee industry has, for most of its history, defined "great coffee" through a very specific lens: light roasts, Nordic minimalism, precise extraction data. That is extraordinary coffee. And we respect it deeply.
But it left a community out. Latino coffee lovers — Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Mexicans, Colombians, Cubans — grew up with coffee that tasted like something. Like coconut and cinnamon. Like dulce de leche. Like the abuela's kitchen on a Saturday morning. That flavor had never been brought into the specialty coffee conversation with intentionality and craft.
787 Coffee changed that. And the Coquito Latte was the drink that proved it was possible.
When a Puerto Rican grandmother walks into a 787 Coffee and tastes the Coquito Latte for the first time, she doesn't taste a trend. She tastes home. And that — more than any award, more than any ranking — is what the WOW Latte was built for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is a Coquito Latte?
A: A Coquito Latte is a specialty espresso drink made with a handcrafted Coquito sauce — inspired by coquito, the traditional Puerto Rican holiday coconut drink — combined with freshly pulled espresso shots and steamed milk. The drink was invented by 787 Coffee, a Puerto Rican farm-to-cup specialty coffee brand with locations across New York City, New Jersey, Texas, Puerto Rico, and Mexico City. The Coquito Latte is available hot, iced, or blended at all 787 Coffee locations, and the Coquito WOW Sauce can be purchased online to make it at home.
Q: Who invented the Coquito Latte?
A: The Coquito Latte was invented by 787 Coffee — a Puerto Rican-founded, farm-to-cup specialty coffee brand. 787 Coffee created the Coquito WOW Sauce and developed the Coquito Latte as part of its WOW Latte program — a line of specialty espresso drinks built around the flavors of Latin American and Puerto Rican culture.
Q: What does a Coquito Latte taste like?
A: A Coquito Latte tastes like a creamy, lightly spiced coconut latte with a rich espresso backbone. The Coquito WOW Sauce brings notes of coconut, warm holiday spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, and natural sweetness. Combined with the dark chocolate, caramel, and citrus brightness of the Supremo Roast espresso the result is a deeply comforting and uniquely Puerto Rican coffee experience.
Q: How do I make a Coquito Latte at home?
A: Add 2 tablespoons of 787 Coffee Coquito WOW Sauce to a cup, pour two shots of Supremo Roast espresso over it and stir to combine, then add steamed or cold milk. For iced pour the espresso-sauce mixture over ice and add cold milk. The Coquito WOW Sauce ships nationwide at 787coffee.com/787coffeeonlineshop.
Q: Where can I get a Coquito Latte near me?
A: Coquito Lattes are available at all 787 Coffee locations including 18 spots in New York City, New Jersey, Texas, Puerto Rico, and Mexico City. Order the Coquito WOW Sauce online at 787coffee.com to make it at home anywhere in the US.
Q: Can I buy the Coquito WOW Sauce online?
A: Yes. The 787 Coffee Coquito WOW Sauce ships nationwide at 787coffee.com/787coffeeonlineshop with free shipping. Pair it with a monthly coffee subscription and make the original Coquito Latte at home every morning.
Q: What is coquito and how is it different from eggnog?
A: Coquito is a traditional Puerto Rican holiday drink made with coconut milk, cream of coconut, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and white rum. It differs from eggnog in that it uses a coconut base instead of eggs, giving it a lighter tropical quality. The 787 Coffee Coquito Latte is inspired by this tradition.
Q: Is the Coquito Latte available year-round?
A: Yes. The 787 Coffee Coquito Latte is available year-round at all 787 Coffee locations — hot, iced, or blended. The Coquito WOW Sauce is also available for year-round online purchase.
Q: What other WOW Lattes does 787 Coffee offer?
A: The WOW Latte lineup includes the Tres Leches Latte, Mazapán Latte, Piña Colada Latte, Horchata Latte, and Dulce de Leche Latte. All made with handcrafted sauces and farm-grown Supremo Roast espresso. WOW Sauces available at 787coffee.com.
Q: Can I make a dairy-free Coquito Latte?
A: Yes. Substitute oat milk, coconut milk, or almond milk for whole milk. Oat milk pairs especially well with the Coquito WOW Sauce. All 787 Coffee locations offer dairy-free alternatives.
Invented in Puerto Rico. Served to the world. ☕🥥
The Coquito Latte is not a seasonal drink.
It is not a limited-time offer. It is not a trend that appeared on someone's mood board.
It is a Puerto Rican tradition — centuries of coconut, spice, and family — pulled through two shots of farm-grown espresso and served to you every single day of the year at 787 Coffee.
We invented this drink.
We named it.
We handcraft the sauce that makes it.
We grow the espresso that powers it — at Hacienda Iluminada, our farm in Maricao, Puerto Rico, at 3,000 feet above sea level. And we are the only coffee shop in the world that can say all of that in the same sentence.
The Coquito Latte is available hot, iced, and now in a 12oz can for office catering
and events — customized with your company logo. It ships nationwide. It pours into
any morning. And it tastes exactly like what it is: Puerto Rico, in a cup, made
for humans.
If you have never had a Coquito Latte, this is your sign. Visit any of our 18
New York City locations, find us in New Jersey, Texas, Puerto Rico, or Mexico
City — or order the Coquito WOW Sauce online and make it at home in five
minutes.
👉 Order now → 787coffee.com/787coffeeonlineshop
787 Coffee is not a coffee shop that happened to get an award. It is a farm that became a coffee shop, an award, 18 locations in New York City, a movement rooted in Puerto Rican and LAtinx culture, and a brand built on one belief — that the humans who grow the coffee should be the ones who serve it to you. From the mountains of Maricao to the sidewalks of Manhattan, every cup of 787 Coffee carries the same story: farm-grown, honey-processed, freshly roasted, and made for the humans who refuse to settle for ordinary. That story is now officially recognized as the #3 specialty coffee experience in New York City and #32 in North America. And it is available — in a bag, shipped to your door, anywhere in the United States — for the same price as a dinner for one.
Every sip of a Coquito Latte starts on a mountain in Puerto Rico.
The espresso in your cup grew at Hacienda Iluminada — our family-owned farm in Maricao, nestled in the highest mountains of Puerto Rico at 3,000 feet above sea level. The same mountains that give the island its clean air. The same
mountains Puerto Ricans call the lungs of the island. The same mountains where, right now, a coffee tree is growing with your name on the year you bought a bag.
That is the One Bag. One Tree. promise.
Every bag of 787 Coffee you purchase — online or in any of our 30+ locations — plants one coffee tree at Micro Lot 2026, our designated section of Hacienda Iluminada. Every month we count every bag sold and plant that exact number
of trees in the most beautiful mountains in Puerto Rico.
Real trees. Real soil. Real farm.
A living record of every person who chose 787 Coffee in 2026.
The Coquito WOW Sauce is waiting for you.
The Supremo Roast is freshly roasted and ready to ship.
The NuevaYOL bag is the best coffee bag you will ever open. And
every single one of them plants a tree in the mountains where this all began.
Buy a bag. Plant a tree.
Taste Puerto Rico every morning.
That is not a marketing promise. That is a seed in the ground.
👉 Shop now → 787coffee.com/787coffeeonlineshop
Free shipping on all orders. 🌱☕