How to Make Hot Mocha Coffee and Iced Mocha Coffee | Using Espresso Machines for Mocha Coffee

"Mocha" derives its name from the port of Mocha in Yemen. For several centuries beginning in the 15th century, all coffee beans had to be concentrated at the port of Mocha, from where they crossed the Red Sea and were exported to various regions. Since then, the port of Mocha naturally became the hub of the coffee world.

Because the sacks containing coffee beans were marked with "MOCHA" to prove they were transported from the port of Mocha, Europeans collectively referred to the delicious coffee beans shipped from the port of Mocha as "Mocha coffee." This also explains why early Mocha became synonymous with coffee. Mocha coffee beans are known for their small size and rich aroma. After deep roasting, they exhibit strong acidity and mellow flavor, moderate aftertaste, and a rich chocolate-like undertone.

The Evolution of Italian Mocha

The Italian mocha coffee we talk about today, however, traces back to 18th century Italy. At that time, because the Dutch had brought coffee to Southeast Asia and the French had brought coffee to South America, the port of Mocha lost its monopoly on coffee. Additionally, under the rule of the Ottoman Empire in the later periods, Mocha beans became a scarce commodity in Europe.

To imitate the chocolate-like undertone in Mocha coffee beans, someone experimented with adding cocoa powder to coffee for blending. Later, with the emergence of espresso machines and the worldwide popularity of specialty coffees based on espresso, this chocolate-infused milk coffee became an important member of the Italian menu. So how should one make an authentic mocha coffee? Next, please follow FrontStreet Coffee and let's learn this properly~

Choosing the Right Chocolate

To create a hot mocha with a rich texture and abundant cocoa aroma, we need to focus not only on the raw materials that provide the chocolate flavor, but also on selecting the right espresso beans to pair with them. How to perfectly integrate all three with milk during preparation is also crucial.

On the market, there are many cocoa-based products that can provide chocolate flavor for coffee, such as chocolate syrup, unsweetened pure cocoa powder, pure dark chocolate blocks, milk chocolate blocks, cocoa butter chocolate shavings, and so on. Prices range from a few yuan to over a hundred yuan, with each product having different chocolate flavors, solubility, and textures. Everyone can choose according to their budget and preferences.

Among these, chocolate syrup is widely used in café production due to its inherent sweetness, high cost-effectiveness, and long shelf life. It can not only add chocolate aroma to espresso but also serve as an auxiliary "tool" for latte art. However, because this type of chocolate syrup has a relatively thick texture, it tends to harden when placed in low-temperature environments and may not fully integrate into espresso and milk foam after stirring, sometimes resulting in a slight grainy texture in hot mocha.

If you use unsweetened pure cocoa powder or dark chocolate blocks, you'll need to add additional sugar according to your taste when making Italian mocha coffee. Additionally, the powder needs to be pre-mixed with hot water and stirred evenly before it can blend with espresso. Here, FrontStreet Coffee uses milk chocolate blocks, with the melting method being: place the entire package on the coffee machine to heat until it melts into a fluid state for later use.

Selecting Espresso Beans

As for the selection of espresso beans, it's recommended to use medium-dark roast types with distinct nutty flavors. Taking FrontStreet Coffee's bean selection as an example, besides single-origin Brazil Queen Estate, Indonesia Golden Mandheling, and Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise, some Italian blend beans featuring nutty, caramel, dark chocolate, and creamy flavors are also perfectly matched with milk chocolate, making the hot mocha's texture even more exceptional.

Perfect Integration

Once the milk foam, chocolate, and espresso extraction are all prepared, the next step is to fully integrate these three elements.

Ingredients:

Double shot of espresso, 200g of chilled fresh milk, 20g of pre-melted chocolate blocks, a pinch of chocolate shavings/cocoa powder, and a 200-300ml capacity coffee cup. If you're still a dessert enthusiast, you can also add marshmallows or cream like FrontStreet Coffee does.

Steps:

1. First, pour the melted chocolate syrup into a ceramic cup, use 20g of warm coffee grounds to extract 37g of espresso liquid, and stir thoroughly while hot;

2. Froth 200g of fresh milk to create hot milk foam around 50-55°C, allowing 4-5 hissing sounds before entering the texturing stage;

3. Use a spoon to scoop a spoonful of the upper milk foam and stir in circles in the chocolate-mixed espresso, creating a white solid circle as shown in the picture;

4. Pour the remaining hot milk foam from the pitcher into the coffee cup from the center until it's full;

5. Finally, enter the decorating stage: gently place 2 plump white marshmallows on top, sprinkle with cocoa powder or chocolate shavings, then use a torch to lightly toast them to a golden brown color. A cup of warm and comforting hot mocha is now complete.

Iced Mocha Variation

However, whenever the scorching summer arrives, many craving friends prefer the refreshing taste of iced mocha over hot mocha coffee. In fact, the ingredients needed to make iced mocha are equally simple: double shot of espresso + chocolate syrup + 200g of fresh milk + ice cubes.

First, prepare a transparent glass, coat the glass walls with chocolate syrup, add ice cubes and half of the milk, then mix 10g of chocolate syrup into the extracted espresso and pour it in. Next, use a French press to froth the remaining iced milk, skim off the large bubbles floating on the surface, and pour until nearly full. Finally, use chocolate syrup to carve patterns, and a rich, fragrant, and sweet iced mocha is completed.

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473