Menu
Author:
Franco Salzillo
The term Mocha has had different meanings throughout history. Still, it has never lost its popularity. The original Caffè mocha was a renowned specialty coffee bean traded in the town of the same name in Yemen. It was said the coffee was so robust it tasted like chocolate.
Of course, now mochaccinos and other modern mocha renditions are made with any type of coffee, and not actual mocha beans. This is no biggy, the tradition of blending the comforting flavors of coffee and chocolate persists.
How to make a perfect cup of mocha at home? Well, it all comes down to the quality of your ingredients, starting with chocolate.
There are three ways to approach this. You can add chocolate syrup to your coffee, as they do in most commercial coffee shops, you can use fancy chocolate shavings and melt them, or you can use cocoa powder.
For me, chocolate syrup is just too sweet and tastes a bit artificial. Chocolate shaving certainly sounds good, but in my experience, even if you melt them completely in the milk, they precipitate instead of infusing your coffee (they make a lovely garnish, though).
That leaves us with the reliable cocoa powder. Not overly sweet, quickly dissolved and very chocolaty. For me, it’s a no-brainer.
So, yes. It all starts with steamy and frothy chocolate milk. This method also allows you to adjust the chocolate intensity and adjust the drink’s sweetness by adding more or less cacao powder. You can even use unsweetened cocoa powder and use our favorite low-cal sweetener, and you can’t do that with chocolate syrup, am I right?
The second most crucial ingredient is coffee. I’ve tried it all, from cold-brewed coffee to americano, and you know what? Nothing beats a creamy, concentrated and rich espresso shot.
I use heavy roast Arabica for this one because the more you roast the beans, the more chocolatey they become, meaning a nice French or Spanish roast will taste more like the original mocha coffee beans of the past. With this in mind, we’re ready to make ourselves a lovely cup of mocha.
Pour the milk into a small pot and heat without letting it boil.
Add the cocoa into the milk. Whisk if you want your milk frothy.
Brew your espresso and pour it into your cup. Top it with your foamy chocolate milk.
Sweeten a bit more with your favorite sweetener as needed.
Garnish with chocolate shaving or cocoa powder.
