Recipes

How to Make a Good Cafe Mocha

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 coffee refers to the Arabian Mocha bean that's been exported out of Yemen, the birthplace of coffee, for a long, long time.

Keep reading for information on making the infamous Cafe Mocha, which is 101 ways to put chocolate in coffee, or a shot of espresso in hot chocolate.

First Off...

At the simplest level, a Cafe Mocha means 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.

Cafe Mocha Recipes

Further to the first Golden Rule, coffee goes stale for as long as it's not kept airtight. In addition ground coffee deteriorates at a different rate than whole coffee beans. Groundd coffee deteriorates at a much faster rate. This even goes for grocery store-bought ground coffee which comes airtight in a vacuum-packed packaging or tin container, but begins to go stale as soon as you break the seal. Most North Americans seem satisfied with the quality of barely air-sealed ground coffee to get them up in the morning and get them through the day. But here, we're talking about good and fresh coffee. Keep coffee beans whole until you're ready to brew them. Then, grind only what you need to grind and brew it. Invest in whole coffee beans from a local retailer. They're worth having for that perfect cup of coffee at home.

Putting it Together

"Espresso" means more than coffee brewed in an espresso machine. The fact is that you could drip-brew Starbucks Espresso Roast if you wanted to. "Espresso" makes reference to the dark roast style of the bean. Simply put, an espresso bean could be of any origin, but it must be roasted dark, almost black. A dark espresso roast 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.

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Featured Recipes

The recipes below give you different ideas for adding chocolate to your espresso or coffee, but remember that Italian-brewed espresso is the better partner to chocolate. 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.

The recipes below call for brewed coffee and assume that you've followed all of the necessary steps learned on this site in making good coffee at home. You're adding a chocolate flavor, but it should be to an otherwise well prepared coffee.

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My 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 some 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 Recipe: Espresso / 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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Recipe: Cocoa powder

Step One

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

Step Two

Pour your shot of espresso or 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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Recipe: 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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Recipe: Coffee Flavor Syrup (ie. Torani)

Marc's Tidbits

There is a Chocolate Milano flavor in the line of Torani syrups for flavoring espresso's, cappucinos, or coffee. It is an excellent substitute for sugar in coffee, sweetening and adding a very rich chocolate flavor that contrasts and combines well with the coffee. My suggestion for a great cafe mocha that you can make at home is to use this syrup as a sugar substitute in cappuccino!

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Shared Recipes

Cafe Mocha Recipe, 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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Recipe: Cocoa powder

Step One

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

Step Two

Pour your shot of espresso or 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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