Check out Marc's posts on making a good cafe mocha

How to Make a Good Cafe Mocha at Home

Mocha is the word that marries coffee and chocolate. Only the trained linguist could explain how this word has become confused between the two over the years. 'Mocha flavoring' has become synonymous with chocolate, but Mocha originally originallyl made reference to the Arabian Mocha coffee that was exported out of Yemen, coffee's first export point to the world.

First Off...

At the simplest level, a Cafe Mocha means either adding chocolate to your coffee, or adding a shot of espresso coffee to your hot chocolate. In the latter case, the best Cafe Mocha is not made with drip-brewed coffee but rather Italian-brewed espresso.

There are many reasons why espresso is a better complement to chocolate than regular-brewed coffee. Espresso has more 'opposing' taste characteristics for a balanced but bold flavor. If you simply add chocolate to your coffee, there won't be as much flavor in the coffee that counters the chocolate and it will end up tasting like an 'off' mix of the two.

Important Note!!

Making a great Cafe Mocha at home can be a lot of fun, especially as you tweek its parts until you've made it perfectly. But always keep in mind that the Golden Rules of Coffee apply when making your Cafe Mocha. It's a tasty drink, but like any coffee drink, it starts with making good coffee. The rules of making good coffee still apply before you Mocha-ize it. You're adding a chocolate flavor, but it should be to an otherwise well prepared coffee.

Putting it Together

"Espresso" does not make reference to the roast level of a coffee. Simply put, an espresso bean could be of any origin, but it must be roasted dark, almost black, and brewed in an espresso machine. A dark espresso brings out more complexity in a coffee bean, roasts out the acidity and replaces it with a pungent flavor that espresso drinkers love, and thickens the body of the brewed espresso to accommodate the thickness of chocolate syrups. Learn more about coffee roast style and flavor.

If you do not own an espresso machine and want to make a Cafe Mocha at home, have no fear. If you can make coffee at home, you will find a recipe below that works.

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Featured Recipes

The recipes below give you different ideas for adding chocolate to your espresso or coffee. This chocolate can be in the form of cocoa powder, hot chocolate mix, or the same chocolate syrup used for ice cream. There are also chocolate-flavored syrups, such as the Torani syrups. If you want my opinion, a cappuccino mixed with the Chocolate Milano flavored Torani syrup displayed at the bottom of this page is a delicious Cafe Mocha. Very rich and mildly sweet chocolate taste that contrasts with espresso in all the right ways.

Add as much whipped cream and sprinkled mocha powder or cinnamon as you'd like, although a good Cafe Mocha should stand up on its own.

• Click here to:
  Make a Cafe Mocha with espresso
  Make a Cafe Mocha out of your coffee
  Make Quick and Easy Cafe Mochas
  

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Make a Cafe Mocha (with Espresso)

Marc's Starbucks Espresso Truffle
(my pick for best Cafe Mocha recipe)

I knew we had enough information needed to recreate this drink after having a few $5 samples from the local Starbucks. Want to make it at home? All you need is:

• An espresso machine with milk frother.
• Mocha powder or hot chocolate mix. Starbucks offers a mocha powder, otherwise any mocha powder or a premium hot chocolate mix.
• Espresso coffee beans. Of course, Starbucksoffers an Espresso Roast coffee that you can grind fine for your espresso machine. Otherwise, any quality dark-roasted beans. You will be making one shot of espresso per Espresso Truffle.
• Skim milk.
• Whipped cream.

Where to Purchase

Go to the Starbucks Store and view their full offering online. Their central depot always has stock of both the Mocha Powder and Espresso Roast. Your local Starbucks may not.

Step One

Start boiling water. Grind your espresso beans to a fine grind. Begin to brew the ground coffee in your espresso machine, including enough water in the cycle to blow steam from the milk frother. Put 2/3 cup of mocha powder in a oversized mug. When your water is boiling, pour 2/3 cup in the mug with the mocha powder. Stir until the powder is completely dissolved into a mocha syrup in the mug. If you're making two Espresso Truffles, prepare the same in a second mug.

Step Two

Per your espresso machine instructions, begin to heat 1-2 cups of milk using the frother. You will be heating the milk rather than frothing it so if your espresso machine frother comes with a rubber spout that frothes the milk, remove that rubber spout. Once the milk is very hot, let the espresso brewing cycle complete.

Step Three

Pour one shot of espresso into each mug with mocha syrup. Top up the mug with the heated milk, leaving enough room for the whipped cream that you will add at the end. Stir together. Top off with whipped cream as desired, and lightly sprinkle with mocha powder.

Conclusion

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the Espresso Truffle that costs $5 at Starbucks. I'm not suggesting it isn't worth $5, I love this drink too. But, now you and I can make it at home for much less - and best of all in the case of Starbucks Mocha Powder and Starbucks Espresso Roast, use the same ingredients that they're using.

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Cafe Mocha (with Espresso and hot chocolate)

Supplies

You will need an espresso / cappuccino maker.

Preparation

Prepare 1-2 shots of espresso and pour it into your favorite prepared hot chocolate. So let's go through it in order of preparation.

Step One

First, pour your favorite hot chocolate mix into a large mug.

Step Two

Second, boil water or milk (whichever your preference in a hot chocolate) while you prepare the espresso. The water (or milk) should be boiling as you finish the espresso.

Step Three

Third, pour the espresso over the hot chocolate mix in the mug, then top it up with boiling water.

Step Four

Fourth, stir the three together and you have a Cafe Mocha.

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Make a Cafe Mocha (from coffee)

Cafe Mocha (with cocoa powder)

Step One

Put one-two heaping tablespoons of powdered baking cocoa at the bottom of your mug.

Step Two

Pour your coffee onto the powder, and quickly stir until the powder is dissolved.

Step Three

Add milk and sugar for personal taste. Sugar is definitely suggested, as the cocoa powder can be very bitter.

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Cafe Mocha (with hot chocolate mix)

Step One

Put half of the content normally used to make a full cup of hot chocolate at the bottom of your mug.

Step Two

Pour your espresso or coffee onto the powder, and quickly stir until the powder is dissolved.

Step Three

Add milk and sugar for personal taste. Milk is suggested, as the hot chocolate powder is made with milk in mind.

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Cafe Mocha (with dark chocolate)
(courtesy of Julie Curry)

Step One

Gently heat four squares of good quality, dark chocolate (70pc cocoa solids) in required amount of milk until melted and stir well.

Step Two

Pour over espresso shot. The sugar in the chocolate takes away the bitterness of the cocoa.

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Quick and Easy Cafe Mochas

Cafe Mocha

Stir a spoonful of mini chocolate chips and a few tablespoons of half-and-half into a mug of hot chocolate until melted and blended.

Cafe Caramel

Stir caramel sundae sauce to taste into a mug of hot coffee until blended. Add a drop of vanilla extract and top with whipped cream.

Cafe Rocky Road

Blend hot coffee with instant hot cocoa mix and a splash of heavy cream. Serve topped with mini marshmallows and a sprinkling of finely chopped walnuts.

Cafe Cinnamon

Sprinkle a dash of ground cinnamon into the bottom of a mug. Add hot coffee and if desired, sugar to taste. Stir to blend with a cinnamon stick.

Cafe Chocolate Almond

Stir chocolate syrup and a drop or two of almond extract into hot coffee. Serve with whipped cream and a sprinkling of chopped toasted almonds.

Cafe Hazelnut

Stir a few spoonfuls of hazelnut spread, such as Nutella, into a mug of hot coffee until melted. Top with whipped cream.

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Check out Marc's posts on making a good cafe mocha