Without a doubt, one of my favorite coffee drinks when I’m at Starbucks is a mocha.
More specifically, I always order the mocha latte for that yummy, chocolate flavor.
But there was a time when I didn’t really know what a mocha coffee was, or if there was even any coffee in it.
If you have some of those same questions, then let me answer them for you below.
What’s in a Mocha?
Coffee comes in many varieties, and they all appeal to people in different ways.
One of the strongest examples of this is mocha coffee. Now, an important question to ask is as follows.
What is mocha coffee?
Mocha is a latte that has the main ingredient of chocolate syrup.
Based on this, there is not much added to the drink, which makes it taste sweet.
However, people find appeal in mocha lattes, because there is a variety of chocolate syrup that can be added to the latter.
In other words, often when it comes to a latte, while the chocolate syrup used for chocolate milk can be used, fancier syrups can also have their place as well.
You can even use white chocolate for a very decadent tasting coffee.
Thus, there is an appeal in the variety.
As stated above, one of the great reasons why many coffee fanatics love lattes is because it is customizable, and the mocha is a prime example of that.
Mocha vs Coffee
While a mocha is a coffee, there are differences between a regular coffee and a mocha.
Regular coffees are made using coffee grinds, cream, or milk as an option, but usually water.
Meanwhile, milk is a requirement for mochas, because that, itself, is what makes a mocha stand out.
As said in, “What is Mocha”, the needed ingredients for a mocha are not just ground espresso, but also steamed milk, which is a must.
The reason is that steamed milk helps to create a strong distinction (as well as the chocolate syrup) between a coffee and a mocha.
Moreover, both the combination of the chocolate syrup and milk blend together aids in bringing that richness as well.
How Much Coffee is in Mocha?
Although coffee and mocha are different, coffee is still a product that resides in mocha.
One of the main ingredients that makes coffee what it is, is caffeine.
Thus, to determine how much coffee is in a mocha, the amount of caffeine in a mocha needs to be looked at.
As stated by “Caffeine Informer”,
Caffe Mocha contains 12.67 mg of caffeine per fl oz (42.83 mg per 100 ml).
A 12 fl oz cup has a total of 152 mg of caffeine.
This is how much coffee is in a mocha.
What this shows, is that although the base of a coffee and mocha are the same, they are still different products, due to the ingredients that they are made with.
What does Mocha Coffee Taste Like?
Mocha coffee is described as having a rich a sweet taste.
However, this is not always black and white.
The reason is that the richness in relation to the taste, all depends on where the coffee is made, as well as what kind of milk or chocolate syrup is used.
For example; let’s say that an individual is getting a mocha at Starbucks, as compared to a fancier coffee place that gets high praise, then the taste of mocha in terms of the richness will be different.
Moreover, this does not just refer to the type of milk that is used (whether that is skim milk, regular milk, etc), but this also refers to the type of chocolate syrup that is used as well.
An example of this would be regular chocolate syrup, vs Ghirardelli chocolate syrup.
Final word
As you can see, a mocha is a coffee drink that is made with milk and has a rich, chocolate flavor.
There are many varieties of a mocha coffee or a mocha latte because you can use different chocolate syrups and sauces.
In fact, a white chocolate mocha is my favorite type of mocha coffee.
top image: Eric T Gunther, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons