🥃 Kahlúa Original Coffee Liqueur
Core line of Kahlúa: a Mexican rum and coffee liqueur with arabica, 16% ABV according to the producer’s UK website.
Kahlúa Original Coffee Liqueur is the core line of the Kahlúa brand: a rum-based coffee liqueur made with arabica coffee, produced in Veracruz, Mexico, since 1936. The producer’s UK website gives 16% ABV. It is the reference version against which the brand’s other liqueurs are compared.
According to Pernod Ricard, Original contains sugar, water, coffee extract (made from rum, sugar, arabica coffee, colouring E150d and vanillin) and rum. The producer says the coffee is shade-grown, dried, roasted and combined with rum made from sugar cane. Sources disagree on how long the mixture rests before bottling: four weeks according to the producer, eight according to Difford’s Guide.
Why this matters to you. The strength of Original has changed over time: Difford’s Guide mentions 26.5%, then 20%, and 16% in a number of markets, so check the percentage on your bottle’s label. It is a sweet liqueur rather than a coffee drink, and according to Pernod Ricard it contains no cream. For comparison, see Especial (35%) and the brand’s chocolate lines. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Year founded | 1936, Veracruz (Mexico) |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Reg. (EU) 2019/787, Annex I, cat. 32 (liqueur): from 15% vol. |
| EU category | 32 — liqueur |
| Raw material | arabica coffee (extract), rum, sugar, water, vanillin, colouring E150d (Pernod Ricard) |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 16% vol. (producer, UK); strength may differ in other markets |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Kahlúa Original Coffee Liqueur → kind of → 🍸 Liqueurs → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Made from
- 🥃 Rum
- What it contains
- 🍷 Ethanol, 🍬 Sugar
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🥃 Kahlúa, 🍸 Liqueurs
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Kahlúa Chocolate Sips, 🥃 Kahlúa Dunkin’ Caramel Swirl Cream Liqueur, 🥃 Kahlúa Especial, 🥃 Kahlúa Chocolate Sips, 🥃 Kahlúa Dunkin’ Caramel Swirl Cream Liqueur, 🥃 Kahlúa Especial, 🥃 Tia Maria
- In other topics
- ☕ Coffee
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that Kahlúa Original has always been 20%?
No. According to Difford’s Guide, the strength was lowered from 26.5% to 20% in 2004, and in 2021 to 16% in a number of markets, including the UK and Canada. Check the percentage on the label.
What coffee is used?
The producer refers to 100% arabica coffee; the brand was created in the state of Veracruz, Mexico.
How does Original differ from Especial?
Especial is stronger (35% against 16%), darker and, according to Difford’s Guide, has less sugar and a richer coffee profile.
What to read next
- 🥃 Kahlúa Dunkin’ Caramel Swirl Cream Liqueur — Kahlúa cream liqueur with the caramel swirl flavour of Dunkin’: real cream, rum and arabica; 16% ABV; sold only in the USA.
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🥃 Rum — A distillate of sugar-cane molasses, syrup or juice: in the EU at least 37.5% vol., no flavourings or added alcohol, up to 20 g/l of sugar.
- 🥃 Tia Maria — A coffee liqueur created in Jamaica in the 1940s; made from Arabica coffee, Jamaican rum, vanilla and sugar; now made in Italy; owned by ILLVA Saronno.
Similar
🥃 Kahlúa Especial · 🥃 Kahlúa Dunkin’ Caramel Swirl Cream Liqueur · 🥃 Kahlúa Chocolate Sips · 🥃 Tia Maria Cold Brew · 🥃 Malibu Black · 🥃 Malibu Pineapple
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Kahlúa (official, UK): Coffee Liqueur (Original, 16 % ABV; Veracruz 1936; 100 % Arabica and rum)
- Pernod Ricard: Kahlúa (Original 16 %, ingredients, Blonde Roast Style 20 %, Espresso Martini can 4.5 %)
- Kahlúa (official): What is Kahlúa? (Veracruz 1936; 100 % Arabica and rum; how it is made)
- Difford's Guide: Kahlúa Coffee Liqueur (16 %; ABV history 26.5 % > 20 % > 16 %; ingredients; resting before bottling)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks (OJ L 130, 17.5.2019), Annex I, category 32 (liqueur: min. 15 % ABV)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)