The mocha recipe
for your table
Melt the dark chocolate with a splash of the milk until smooth and spread it over the bottom of the preheated glass. Chocolate that remains in a lump on the bottom can no longer be mixed in by stirring.
Make the espresso and pour it immediately over the chocolate. Stir with a long spoon all the way to the bottom, so you have an even dark base before adding the milk. This is the moment to taste whether you find it sweet enough.
Froth the whole milk into a fine, glossy layer with a foam cap of about one centimeter. For a mocha, you want slightly less foam than for a cappuccino, because the chocolate already makes the drink rich and heavy.
Pour the milk into the glass in one continuous motion, holding back the last sip of foam for the top. Grate dark chocolate over it and serve with a long spoon, so you can scoop up the last of the chocolate from the bottom.
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The story
Mokka refers to three different things, which explains the confusion. The port city of Mokha in Yemen was for centuries the place where coffee from the hinterland was shipped, so coffee from that region came to be called mokka. Later came the moka pot, the octagonal pot used on the stovetop that is found in virtually every kitchen in Italy. And on the coffee menu, mokka has by now become the drink: coffee with chocolate and milk, caffè mocha. The latter has little to do with Yemen anymore; it refers to the chocolate-like flavor attributed to that old mokka coffee.
The right glass
A mocha calls for a glass or cup of around twenty-five centiliters: room for two and a half centiliters of espresso, just as much chocolate, fifteen centiliters of milk, and another layer of foam. Thick-walled glass keeps the drink warm for longer, which matters here because you take longer to drink it than an espresso. Clear glass shows the dark chocolate base beneath the milk, and that is the most beautiful thing about a mocha. A handle or a substantial wall is no luxury, because with fifteen centiliters of hot milk inside, the glass gets hot. Smaller sizes for the espresso itself can be found among the coffee glasses.
La Rochère Ouessant Coffee Glass 25 cl (6 pieces)
La Rochère Abeille Tea Mug 27.5 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 76,90.
The right tools
For a mocha, alongside the glass, you use a long bar spoon to stir the chocolate loose from the bottom and a grater to grate dark chocolate over the foam. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 62,85.
What do you serve with a mocha?
A mocha is already sweet and rich, so anything added is either a splash in the glass or a small glass on the side. In the glass, liqueur works best, with Kahlúa and Baileys being the most commonly used bottles. On each drink page, you can read the percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works in, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Use white chocolate instead of dark chocolate for a white mocha, or add a splash of caramel sauce for a caramel mocha. It also works cold: pour the chocolate and espresso over ice cubes and top up with cold milk, bringing you close to iced coffee. Leave out the coffee entirely and you are left with hot chocolate. A spoonful of whipped cream instead of milk foam makes it richer but also more festive. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Serve a mocha in a preheated glass with a long spoon on the side, so you can scoop up the chocolate from the bottom. If you choose whipped cream instead of milk foam, keep it to a thin layer; otherwise, you will spend the first minute drinking only cream. A square of dark chocolate on the saucer completes it.
Good to know
Three meanings of mocha
Mocha is the name of a port city in Yemen, a coffee pot, and a drink. Mokha was the port where coffee was shipped, the moka pot is the octagonal pot that goes on the stove, and the mocha on a coffee menu is coffee with chocolate and milk. If you order a mocha in a Dutch café, they almost always mean the latter.
Mocha as a coffee variety from Yemen
Coffee shipped through the port of Mokha was known for its full flavor with a chocolatey note. That reputation is why the name mocha has remained associated with chocolate. Beans sold as mocha today come from Yemen or Ethiopia, or are a blend that refers to that style; there is no chocolate in them, it is a flavor description.
The moka pot is something else
A moka pot is the octagonal pot that goes on the stove. Water in the lower part is pushed upward through the coffee bed by steam pressure and ends up in the upper part. This produces strong coffee, but not espresso: the pressure remains well below the nine bars of an espresso machine, so you will not get real crema. You can read about how espresso actually works on the espresso page.
Chocolate or cocoa powder
Chocolate sauce or melted dark chocolate blends better than cocoa powder, which clumps as soon as it hits liquid. If you do use powder, first make a paste with a splash of warm milk before adding the coffee. Dark chocolate of around seventy percent keeps the mocha balanced; with milk chocolate, it quickly becomes too sweet.
How sweet a mocha should be
The chocolate already adds sugar, so extra sugar is rarely needed. If you want it less sweet, use dark chocolate with a high cocoa content and keep the amount equal to that of the espresso. If you add more chocolate than coffee, the coffee disappears and you end up drinking hot chocolate with a hint of coffee flavor.
Frequently asked questions
What is a mocha?
On a coffee menu, a mocha is espresso with chocolate and hot milk, called caffè mocha in English. Expect two and a half centiliters of espresso, the same amount of dark chocolate, and fifteen centiliters of frothed milk, in a glass of around twenty-five centiliters. It is essentially a cappuccino with chocolate in it.
What is the difference between a mocha and a moka pot?
A mocha is the drink, while a moka pot is the little pot used to brew coffee. The moka pot sits on the stove and forces water through the coffee bed using steam pressure; it produces strong coffee, not espresso. It is perfectly suitable for brewing the coffee used in a mocha.
Which glass do you use for a mocha?
A glass or cup of around twenty-five centiliters, with thick walls to keep the drink warm. Clear glass shows the dark chocolate layer beneath the milk. A handle or sturdy walls are useful, because with fifteen centiliters of hot milk inside, the glass becomes hot to hold.
Why is a mocha called mocha?
The name comes from Mokha, the Yemeni port city from which coffee was shipped. That coffee was known for its chocolatey flavor, and the name stuck to the combination of coffee and chocolate. The drink itself no longer has anything to do with beans from Yemen.
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