Mocha coffee: what is it, history, different recipes and how to prepare?

Today there is a huge variety of coffee drinks. One of many people's favorites is mocha coffee. If you're wondering what mocha is, this article answers that question and also takes you on a fascinating journey through the history of coffee.

What is mocha? Like many coffee drinks, mocha ingredients contain espresso and milk.

But the ingredient that makes mocha special is dark chocolate. Ganache is best, but chocolate syrup or even chocolate chips are also widely used.

The basic layout includes two-fifths espresso, then the same amount of chocolate and one-fifth boiled milk. Some coffee shops may use two shots of espresso as a base for the mocha.

There are also mocha lattes and mochaccinos, which feature different ratios of ingredients.

Mochaccino has one third espresso and the same amount of boiled milk and milk foam. A mocha latte has five-eighths steamed milk and one-eighth each espresso, hot chocolate and milk foam.

Start with high quality cocoa. Something not too sweet, but a little sugar so the cocoa flavor blends well.

photo by Angelica Gaidar

History of mocha

When talking about the origins of mocha, one thing needs to be clear. The term mocha can refer to two different things. The coffee drink discussed in this article is an espresso-based drink with chocolate or cocoa, and it is a result of the European take on espresso and milk drinks.

There are also mocha beans, and coffee made from these beans is also called mocha. The name itself was originally used in the 18th century only for coffee beans that arrived through the port of Al Mokha in Yemen. Fast forward to today, and the word mocha basically refers to a drink infused with chocolate, while the bean is simply called Arabica.

Al Mokha beans still grow in the mountainous regions of Yemen, but they are rare and very expensive.

The history of mocha coffee comes from Sufi mosques in Yemen. Although the history of coffee beans comes from Ethiopia, it is known that Yemen was the first country to export coffee commercially.

mocha coffee logo from Yemen by Aymen Alfakih

Cappuccino and mochaccino: composition and differences

Despite their similar names, cappuccino and mochaccino are different drinks. How are they different? In addition to espresso and milk, mochaccino also contains hot chocolate or cocoa. This cocktail is often topped with cinnamon, whipped cream and chopped chocolate. You can find homemade hot chocolate recipes here.

Cappuccino is a drink made from strong ground coffee with milk, sugar and thick milk foam. You can also use cocoa and cinnamon to decorate the drink, but making it is much easier than mochaccino. You can find out more about how to make cappuccino at home without a coffee machine here.

Original mocha coffee

Mocha is a port city on the Red Sea in Yemen. Yemen has exported Mocha coffee throughout the world since the mid-sixteenth century. Currently, mocha coffee produced in Yemen is considered one of the best coffees in the world. Grown in Yemen, these coffee beans have a chocolate flavor and are one of the most expensive coffee beans in the world today.

What is mocha today? Mocha coffee is today interpreted differently throughout the world. But it is a coffee that combines chocolate syrup or powder with a shot of espresso and milk or cream.

Hot espresso melts the powder or syrup and creates a heavenly flavor when topped with hot milk and milk foam or cream.

The combination of coffee and chocolate is not new. In fact, it was several hundred years later when Europeans discovered it was a match made in heaven and introduced various drinks, including bavareza, which is a combination of coffee, chocolate and cream. In America, mocha coffee traces its origins back to a Betty Crocker recipe back in 1892, according to coffee researchers. Thus, mocha coffee does not have a clear history of which country can say it is its homeland. But there is no doubt that this delicious coffee is especially great when served cold.

Yemeni mocha coffee

Yemen Mokha – king of the family

Yemeni mocha is considered the best in the world. It has a special aroma and has found crowds of its fans. Many consider the variety “peculiar” and prefer to use it as coffee blends. Gourmets in a drink made from mocca highlight a whole flavor palette, which can overlap with each other and consists of such tastes as:

• Walnut;
• Fruit;
• Chocolate;
• Mushroom;
• Cheesy;
• Wine;
• Woody;
• Caramel;
• Floral.

An interesting feature is the fact that the maximum aromas are revealed only a day after the beans are roasted. When grinding, the odors become so strong that your head can spin.

How to make mocha coffee at home?

Experts advise that it is best to use an espresso machine to make coffee. But there are also recipes that make a decent cup of the drink without a machine. However, they say that the taste may be worse than with a machine.

You can use any type of coffee, it doesn't have to be mocha. But Arabica varieties are the best.

Coffee must be high quality, natural and freshly ground.

The mocha layers of chocolate, milk and coffee must be poured into the glass or glass very carefully so that they do not mix. You must also adhere to the sequence indicated in the recipe.

We must remember that the most important thing is the decoration of mocha coffee on top, this can be grated chocolate, cinnamon or a mixture of both.

Yemen mocka coffee, by Aymen Alfakih

Types and categories

The most popular varieties of mocha are the following (the prefix Yemen Mocha is added to each of them):

1. Khaimi - in which, depending on the degree of roasting, a bouquet of herbs, berries and spices is intricately revealed.
2. Matari - recommended for lovers of original taste, with a muted sound of chocolate and spicy notes. The sourness is barely noticeable, the spices are the highlight. The hallmark of the variety is not only a persistent and rich aroma, but also selected large berries of the correct shape.
3. Yafi is distinguished by its high strength, taste of spices and pepper.
4. Ismaili - the characteristic aspects of this coffee appear during heavy roasting: the berry-sour notes disappear, bringing caramel to the fore.

Interesting! Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte: Delicious variations on a popular recipe!

Roasting largely determines the taste of mocha coffee - chocolate, berry and pepper notes appear with high roasting, while low and medium ones give a spicy herbal flavor.

A medium or dark degree is preferable: the taste of light grains is “lost” against the background of milk and chocolate.

The gradation of categories of coffee of this variety from high to low is as follows:

• Mocha Extra (Yaffey, Anezi, Matari, Sharki) - premium drink;
• No. 1 - only high quality grains;
• No. 1A - similar to the previous category, but with some dust;
• No. 2 - a small amount of unripe or damaged grains is allowed;
• No. 3 - includes damaged and unripe grains and dust;
• Magrache - leftovers and grains of the lowest quality.

Grinding depends on the method of preparing coffee: there are drinks that require a finely ground base, and there are recipes that use coarse raw materials.

Classic mocha coffee recipe

As you know, mocha coffee is a three-layer drink, where the first layer is chocolate, the second is milk, the third is coffee, topped with whipped cream, chocolate, and cinnamon. The amount of ingredients varies, so there are a lot of mocha recipes. Below is one of the recipes, designed for one person.

Ingredients:

• fine ground coffee – 7-10 g;
• chilled water – 35-50 ml;
• cold milk – 50 ml;
• hot chocolate (bitter) – 50 ml;
• whipped cream – 50 g;
• grated chocolate (bitter) – 10-15 g;
• vanillin, sugar, cinnamon - to taste.

Cooking method:

For the chocolate layer, you can use chocolate syrup, boiled or melted chocolate.

Melt the chocolate in a water bath or in the microwave and while the coffee is being prepared, keep it in the water bath so that the chocolate does not harden again.

Meanwhile, brew strong espresso. You can add sugar and vanillin to your coffee to taste. Whip the cream. Do not boil the milk, but heat it.

First pour the chocolate into a tall glass, preferably an Irish glass, carefully pour the milk on top using a bar spoon, then pour the brewed coffee onto the milk with the same spoon so that the layers do not mix.

Decorate the finished mocha with whipped cream, sprinkle with grated chocolate, ground nutmeg or cinnamon on top. Mocha is ready.

mocha

Features of production and delivery

To make mocha a success the first time, you can use the following tips to make it:

• You can prepare hot chocolate using one of the following methods: using a pitcher (a special device that can also be used to heat milk or create milk foam), using a microwave oven, or melting a bar in a water bath.
• For production, it is better to use milk with a fat content of more than 3.2%, then the coffee will be especially smooth.
• To ensure that the layers come out carefully and do not mix, you can use a special bar spoon when laying out the ingredients.
• Mocha coffee, like latte, is usually served in special large glasses (called Irish glasses).

Don’t be afraid to experiment with the amount of ingredients and additives, so you will find your own special favorite taste.

Mocha with syrup

You can use different syrups to give your mocha a unique twist.

Compound:

espresso – 50 ml;

melted chocolate - 20 g;

milk – 50 ml;

cream (whipped) – 50 g;

syrup (chocolate, coconut, almond, etc.) – 20 ml;

coconut flakes – 5-7 g.

The cooking process is the same as in the classic recipe. Initially, hot chocolate is poured into the glass, syrup is poured on top, then hot milk and, finally, espresso. The drink, again, is decorated with cream and sprinkled with coconut.

Another recipe with syrup:

1 tsp ground coffee beans;

45 grams of dark chocolate;

50 ml milk;

20 ml coconut syrup;

Whipped cream;

Coconut flakes.

In the glass, follow the sequence of the layered structure of the mocha.

Mocha with caramel syrup

Ingredients:

• Finely ground coffee – 6-8 g.
• Melted chocolate – 50 ml.
• Caramel syrup – 20 ml.
• Fresh milk – 50 ml.
• Whipped cream - for decoration;
• Grated chocolate.

Cooking method:

1. You can buy caramel syrup ready-made, or you can cook it yourself; it’s not difficult to do: pour 50 grams into a small metal bowl with a thick bottom. sugar and the same amount of water, add a pinch (on the tip of a knife) of citric acid, put on low heat and cook until thickened.
2. When the syrup begins to stretch, you can remove it from the heat.

mocha

How and with what to drink

The drink is served in a porcelain cup or tall glass tumbler/glass. The dishes should be aesthetically attractive.

Drink a coffee cocktail through a straw. To make it convenient to eat whipped cream, a teaspoon is given. In the classic serving version, the spoon size is small.

Berries and fruits (orange, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blueberries, etc.) are often served with mocha; the combination with marshmallows, candied fruits and dried fruits (especially figs and dried apricots) is also popular. Cookies, sweet nuts (hazelnuts, cashews, almonds) and other snacks are also suitable.

According to the rules of etiquette, you cannot dip anything into a glass. If you want to make the taste sweeter, you should take the sugar with special tweezers. If there are none on the table, it is permissible to take the refined sugar with clean hands, but in no case should you reach into the sugar with a spoon that has already been in a glass.

The cocktail is drunk slowly, raising and lowering the straw through each layer. No need to mix them

It is important to enjoy the moment and feel the depth and complexity of the taste.

Dutch mocha coffee

The Dutch mocha coffee recipe is considered to be the earliest known recipe. It was prepared on holidays, as the ingredients were expensive in those days.

Ingredients for 3 servings:

1. Milk (fat content 3.2%) - 500 ml
2. Natural finely ground coffee – 4 tsp.
3. Whipped cream – 50-60 ml
4. Bitter chocolate (at least 70% cocoa beans) – 100 g
5. Water (cold) – 200 ml
6. Vanilla pod (half) or vanilla powder on the tip of a knife
7. Sugar to taste
8. Grated nutmeg on the tip of a knife

Cooking method:

1. Warm up the milk. Add sugar and vanilla seeds, crush lightly with a knife. Bring the milk almost to a boil, remove from heat, strain and return to low heat.
2. Add grated or crushed chocolate to milk. Bring the mixture until smooth. Remove from heat, add nutmeg and reserve.
3. Brew coffee by adding water.
4. After the coffee has risen, you can put sugar in it and heat it again until the foam rises. Remove from heat and let steep for 1-2 minutes.
5. While the coffee is steeping, warm up cups or Irish glasses.
6. Pour heated milk with chocolate into them, then coffee.
7. Garnish with whipped cream and serve hot.

Another Dutch mocha recipe

Ingredients:

• strong espresso – 100 g
• whole milk – 200 g
• chocolate sauce
• cream – 50 ml.
• chocolate chips – 1 tsp.

Cooking method:

1. First you need to brew strong espresso coffee.
2. Strain it and cool a little.
3. The milk should be heated and chocolate syrup added.
4. It is necessary to heat this mixture until they are mixed.
5. Coffee needs to be poured in a thin stream, very carefully.
6. Whip the cream into foam and place it on top of the glass.
7. You can decorate with grated shavings, which you can sprinkle on top of the cream.

Mocha

How to prepare hot chocolate for this type of coffee

To make mochaccino, you can use ready-made chocolate sauce, or you can make your own hot chocolate. There are a lot of such recipes. Here are some of them:

Recipe No. 1:

• half a glass of milk;
• half a bar of chocolate;
• 40 ml cream;
• a little cinnamon.

Milk is mixed with cinnamon, boiled, cooled slightly and filtered. Melt the chocolate in a steam bath, add cream and mix thoroughly. Pour warm milk into the finished mixture of chocolate and cream and stir well. That's it, the chocolate is ready.

Recipe No. 2:

• 50 gr. cocoa powder;
• one and a half glasses of cream;
• 10 gr. starch;
• 40-50 gr. sand;
• Art. l. boiled cold water.

Mix dry starch, sugar and cocoa, gradually add water and mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, heat the cream well, but do not boil. Pour the hot cream into the resulting chocolate mixture and, without bringing to a boil, simmer the mixture a little over low heat. Then remove from the stove and let it brew for 4-5 minutes.

Everything is clearly shown and explained in this video:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=RrG2NN_PMQ0

Italian mocha

The Italians have contributed to the collection of Mocha recipes.

Ingredients:

• espresso – part 13
• whole milk – 1/3 part
• hot chocolate – 1/3 part

Cooking method:

1. First you need to brew espresso coffee in a Turkish coffee pot and strain.
2. Heat the milk and also make hot chocolate.
3. Mix chocolate with milk, and then add espresso to this mixture in a thin stream.
4. This coffee can be decorated with various spices - grated chocolate, almond powder, cocoa, cinnamon and other goodies.
5. This ancient drink remains relevant today.
6. Mocha continues to delight its fans with its unusual, unique taste and aroma, which has nuances of chocolate shades and an interesting chocolate aftertaste.

Another Italian mocha recipe

The Italian drink has a rich and rich taste.

Ingredients:

• Milk – 200 ml.
• Ground coffee – 2 tsp.
• Water – 100 ml.
• Cocoa powder – 1 tsp.
• Dark chocolate – 50 g.
• Sugar – 2 tsp.
• Cinnamon, vanilla - 1 pinch each.
• Salt is on the tip of the knife.

Cooking method:

1. Heat 100 ml of milk, add cocoa and finely chopped chocolate. Warm the mixture over low heat, stirring with a whisk. Do not bring to a boil and stop when the mass has become homogeneous.
2. Add sugar, vanilla and salt. Mix everything again and set aside.
3. We make coffee. You can take ready-made espresso or make coffee in a geyser coffee maker. Add cinnamon to the coffee and let it brew for a couple of minutes.
4. Heat the remaining milk without bringing it to a boil.
5. Combine milk and hot chocolate in a warmed cup. They can be mixed with a whisk until a slight foam forms.
6. Pour in coffee.
7. The drink is ready. It is served and drunk hot.

Italian Mocha can also be decorated with whipped cream, but it is better to use a handmade product rather than cream from a can. Italians agree with the Dutch that this recipe is a great way to start the day.

Description of the mocha variety

Mocha is a natural Arabica coffee variety that has been cultivated by humans over time. It has a long aftertaste and bright aroma. This is achieved due to the fact that the grains are not collected at the peak of ripeness, as elsewhere, but are allowed to hang on the tree until the berries begin to fall. This allows the coffee cherry to remain in contact with the bean for a long time, which is what gives the drink its wild ferment flavor.

Arabica fruits are irregularly shaped and olive green or light yellow in color. Traditionally, small, hard berries are processed using the dry method: dried in the sun, after which the pulp and skin are removed.

Mocha beans have a delicate flavor bouquet that can be easily “killed” by a coffee machine, so even at home they need to be brewed using an alternative method.

As a result of proper preparation, a drink is obtained, the peculiarity of which is its exquisite taste and aroma. That’s why it is also called “a product for lords.”

Coffee of this variety is recognizable by its light sourness, caramel notes, cardamom, cinnamon, roasted nuts and a characteristic aftertaste of chocolate. In some cases, notes of wood, musk and tobacco appear. Sommeliers describe this variety as hot or spicy.

Ice mocha

To prepare iced mocha, use the same ingredients as in the classic recipe. Subtleties only in preparation:

• beat the milk with a blender so that it does not heat up;
• The finished coffee is cooled, then poured into a shaker filled with ice cubes and shaken for 20–40 seconds (the ice should not melt). The coffee is strained and then poured onto the melted chocolate.

Ingredients:

• espresso – 50 ml
• milk from the refrigerator – 150 ml
• ice cream – 50 g
• chocolate syrup – 20 ml
• whipped cream
• grated chocolate
• ice cubes – 2-4 pieces

Cooking method:

1. Pour everything into the blender except the whipped cream and grated chocolate.
2. Whisk, pour into glasses, and top with whipped cream and grated chocolate.

In the hot summer, when you want to cheer up at the same time, but hot drinks are not desirable, cold mocha will come in very handy.

mocha

Warming drink from Turkey

Mocha brewed using this method has an enveloping chocolate and creamy taste.

To prepare it you will need:

• 2 tbsp. l. ground coffee beans,
• 3 tbsp. l. cocoa,
• 200 ml milk,
• 50 ml boiling water,
• 50 ml cream,
• sugar and vanillin (optional).

1. pour ground grains and cocoa powder into a pot and heat it up a little on the stove,
2. pour boiling water, add sugar and vanilla to taste, stir,
3. before the consistency boils, add cream and milk to it,
4. Bring to readiness over low heat: when the contents of the Turk begin to rise, remove it from the heat and pour the hot drink into cups.

When making mocha coffee, it is not necessary to strictly adhere to existing recipes. While maintaining the base of the drink, you can endlessly experiment with additional ingredients, each time getting more and more noteworthy options.

Mocha coffee recipe.

10 - fifteen years ago, we, still deeply Russian citizens, drank Pele coffee and Nesquik cocoa with admiration, without thinking about the variety of available recipes for our beloved drink. Now we can consider ourselves coffee specialists, simply distinguishing cappuccino from latte and doppio from espresso. But not everything is so simple, the coffee world is still full of mysteries and mysteries that we have to uncover. One of these mysteries is mocha coffee.

Iced mint mocha

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons thick chocolate syrup;
• 3/4 cup of freshly brewed chilled coffee;
• 1/4 cup milk;
• 1 teaspoon mint extract;
• 3 tablespoons ice;
• 3 mint leaves;
• 1 tablespoon of grated chocolate.

Preparation:

1. Mix pre-brewed coffee to your taste and cool it in a mixer with milk, chocolate syrup, mint extract, half a tablespoon of grated chocolate and crushed ice.
2. Beat the mixture until a fluffy foam appears, then pour it into a tall glass glass, sprinkle with the remaining chocolate and decorate with mint leaves.
3. Serve with a straw and enjoy the taste of a classic iced mocha.

cold mocha

Recipe 1, standard

Ingredients

To prepare coffee according to a standard recipe you will need:

• 50 ml espresso,
• sugar to taste,
• 50 ml milk,
• 50 ml melted chocolate or chocolate syrup,
• Whipped cream

Manufacturing method:

1. Brew espresso - 50 ml.
2. Melt the chocolate.
3. Heat the milk, but do not boil.
4. In a glass glass, it is better to use a special glass - Irish Coffee Cup, pour melted chocolate, warm milk, espresso.
5. Make a hat out of cream.
6. Decorate with chocolate or cinnamon.

Tip: to achieve a layered drink, use thick chocolate or syrup.

Hazelnut mocha

Ingredients:

• milk – 5 tbsp.;
• strong coffee – 2.5 tbsp;
• dark chocolate – 120 g;
• whipped cream - 1 glass;
• cinnamon sticks – 6 pieces;
• vanilla powder – 3 tbsp. spoons;
• sugar – 2 tsp;
• almonds - for decoration.

Cooking method:

1. Brew strong espresso coffee.
2. Add sugar.
3. Bring the milk to a boil, then beat until foamy in a French press.
4. Pour milk into coffee.
5. Top with whipped cream and garnish with almonds.

A unique classic

This traditional option is a combination of equal parts black coffee and milk with chocolate.

• 1 tsp. ground coffee beans,
• 50 ml milk,
• 50 mg high quality dark chocolate,
• whipped cream (prepared)
• chocolate chips (for decoration).

1. brew strong espresso,
2. melt a chocolate bar using a convenient method,
3. Heat the milk on the stove or in the microwave,
4. First pour chocolate into a tall glass, then warmed milk and, lastly, hot strong espresso,
5. Finish with whipped cream and sprinkle with chocolate chips.

In search of new options and flavor combinations, the dark chocolate indicated in the recipe can be replaced with snow-white chocolate.