Among Starbucks' "Three Musketeers", Mocha coffee is the most low-key.

Look at its other two brothers - Latte and Cappuccino, they always stand in the spotlight and steal the show.

However, when you meet Mocha coffee, it will tell you, "I am a particularly warm cup of coffee."

In winter, when I ask a girl out for Starbucks, I think it’s best to order her a mocha coffee.

It has a strong taste of milk and rich chocolate aroma. It tastes sweet and warm in the mouth. Before the girl has time to savor it, waves of warmth spread throughout her body.

I gently wiped away the remaining milk foam at the corners of the girl's mouth and said some jokes to her. The girl giggled and her frozen red face was full of joy.

So, sometimes, Mocha coffee will tell you that it is a cup of coffee that is very suitable for "writing a winter love song".

Of course, the most proud thing about the low-key mocha coffee is that it is different from latte and cappuccino.

It's a cup of chocolate milk coffee!

1

Mocha coffee name

Speaking of the name of Mocha coffee, its origin is not simple.

Mocha is the English translation of “Mocha” and is also called “Mochaccino” in the United States.

In mainland China and Taiwan, it is called Mocha, but in Hong Kong, it is different.

Once, when I was talking about coffee with a friend from Hong Kong, I mentioned mocha. He was stunned. After I mentioned it several times, he realized that mocha is the "chocolate coffee" in Hong Kong.

If the name of cappuccino, "Cappuccino", is related to the hat of European priests, then the name of mocha coffee, "Mocha", comes from a port city in the Middle East.

In Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, there is a port city called "Mocha" on the Red Sea.

In the 15th century, this place produced a special kind of coffee beans with a strong chocolate flavor. The locals called it Mocha coffee bean.

At that time, Yemen was ruled by the Ottoman Empire, and this mocha coffee bean was widely popular within the empire and later became a popular coffee on the European continent.

At this point, you can also keep the girl in suspense, "Actually, there is a secret behind Starbucks' mocha coffee."

Look, on the Starbucks menu, mocha is written as “Caffè mocha”.

But we have all studied English for 12 years and know that the English name of coffee is "Coffee", not "Caffè".

"Isn't Starbucks American? Why doesn't it use an English name?" the girl asked curiously.

Who made Starbucks do marketing?

"Caffè" is the Italian way of writing coffee.

Starbucks labels mocha coffee as “Caffè Mocha” to tell everyone that this is coffee from Italy, the authentic Italian coffee!

"But in fact, there is no kind of coffee called mocha in Italy," you changed the subject.

2

There is no "Mocha Coffee" in Italy

Yes, indeed.

If you say to an Italian, "I'd like a mocha."

They will look at you with puzzled eyes.

Because in the minds of Italians, there is no such thing as "mocha coffee".

Or, the imaginative Italians will take out a coffee pot, point at it, and say to you, "Do you want this kind of coffee?"

In Italy, there is another word “Moka” which has a similar pronunciation to “Mocha”.

This refers to a Moka Pot, a coffee pot used to extract espresso-like coffee.

It has nothing to do with mocha coffee!

3

Mocha coffee and European chocolate milk coffee culture

However, there is no coffee called "Mocha" in Italy.

But this kind of chocolate milk coffee has existed since ancient times and is very popular among Europeans.

Around the 16th century, chocolate and coffee were introduced to Europe almost at the same time.

At that time, their status was different. Chocolate was eaten by Spanish nobles and was a kind of "sex food" that was said to promote human sexual desire.

Coffee is a daily drink for ordinary people and a refreshment for Europeans in their work and life.

But no matter what, when someone accidentally mixed hot chocolate and coffee, they found that they were a match made in heaven. The taste was amazing!

Thus, hot chocolate coffee was born.

This new type of coffee at the time was a mixture of chocolate, milk and coffee, and was also the prototype of the current international superstar "Mocha Coffee".

For example, in the 17th century, "Bavarian" coffee appeared in Venice, Italy and other places.

However, the most famous is the chocolate milk coffee from Turin, Italy in the 18th century - "Bicerin" coffee, which still exists today.

In 1983, Schultz, the current chairman of Starbucks, went on a business trip to Milan, Italy, and was surprised to find the splendor of Italian coffee. For details, please read "Did Starbucks make "Italian coffee" popular? - Italian coffee - quickly become an expert in food and drink! -".

After returning to China, he launched American-style latte and cappuccino.

In the days that followed, Schultz would go to Italy once a year and gradually introduced Italian coffee to the United States.

Among them, the "chocolate milk coffee" that was brought here became the current "mocha coffee".

Although I have checked a lot of literature, asked seniors in the domestic coffee industry, and asked Starbucks insiders, there is no evidence that the name "Mocha" was given by Starbucks people.

But there is no doubt that it was written by an American.

4

Mocha coffee, special taste

When I was learning to be a barista, my teacher told me, "Zheng Xiaota, you can think of mocha coffee as a chocolate-flavored cappuccino!"

God, there is such an explanation?

I always feel that mocha coffee is like an Ovaltine drink with a coffee flavor.

Do you remember the Ovaltine we drank when we were young, and the advertising slogan, "Children who drink Ovaltine are incredible, really incredible!"

However, you can't say this when you're dating a girl.

You can say, "Mocha coffee is a very special kind of coffee, and it has a different taste experience from latte and cappuccino."

It has the richness of coffee, the richness of milk, the sweetness of chocolate, and the smoothness of cream, intertwined and blended together to become the complete flavor of a cup of mocha coffee.

There are also fine milk bubbles in the middle, which entwine, fly and disappear between your tongue and teeth.

This is a taste experience that latte, cappuccino, and flat white cannot bring.

Mocha coffee is still the sweetest Starbucks coffee.

Some of my female friends like to drink mocha coffee, especially when they are upset or angry. The sweet taste of mocha is said to soothe their mood.

This made their boyfriends very happy.

"Bao" can cure all diseases and is effective, but it cannot be delivered every day. It is more cost-effective to deliver mocha coffee.

5

Mocha coffee cross-border cooperation

You can also say "Mocha coffee is an 'alternative' cross-border collaboration with Italian coffee."

Just like the former internet celebrity in the bread industry - "Zhang Zang Bao", it is a cross-border fusion of bread and chocolate.

"Zang Zang Bao, bread can also become a "super internet celebrity"! - Snack Baking - Quickly become a food and drink expert! -" said that after the croissant bread with cocoa powder is made, it is coated with chocolate sauce and sprinkled with a layer of cocoa powder to become a unique internet celebrity bread.

The same goes for mocha coffee.

At Starbucks, if you are interested in watching their production process, you will find a lot of interesting things.

First squeeze some mocha sauce into a paper cup, then place it in front of the coffee machine, pour in espresso, then pour in the whipped milk, and finally, squeeze a circle of cream on the top of the milk foam.

This is the entire process of making a cup of Starbucks Mocha coffee.

This mocha sauce is the source of the chocolate flavor of mocha coffee.

It is actually a syrup that Starbucks mixes in advance with mocha powder (cocoa powder, also called chocolate powder) and hot water.

Mocha sauce is the biggest difference between mocha coffee and latte and cappuccino. I mentioned it in "Why does Starbucks have so many "lattes"? - Starbucks Coffee - Quickly become an expert in food and drink! -".

Costa's mocha is made in a different way.

Costa’s method is to first mix cocoa powder and milk, beat it into hot chocolate, then pour in espresso, and finally sprinkle a layer of cocoa powder.

Starbucks and Costa represent two different ways of making mocha coffee in the world.

Of course, when you invite a girl to drink Starbucks mocha coffee, you must remember to remind her to "stir it before drinking."

It's all because of the mocha sauce (chocolate syrup). They will sink in the cup and refuse to melt easily. Even if they are left for a long time, they will not completely dissolve.

So, be a considerate and warm man, "Wait, let me stir it for you, so that the mocha coffee will taste better."

So Sweet!

6

Iced Mocha Coffee, Mocha Frappuccino

A few years ago, I taught a wine course to college students at Zhejiang University City College.

During the break, we talked about Starbucks coffee. I didn’t expect that these post-90s college students prefer iced mocha coffee, as shown in the left picture below. (The right picture below is hot mocha coffee)

The unique chocolate flavor, combined with the flavors of milk and coffee, tastes sweet and cool, and they like it very much.

The difference between Starbucks hot mocha and iced mocha coffee lies in whether ice cubes are put in it.

The production steps are the same. After pouring in the whipped milk and before squeezing in the cream, add ice cubes to make an iced mocha. Without ice cubes, it is still a hot mocha.

But for young people around 20 years old, their favorite is still Mocha Frappuccino.

Zheng Xiaota When I was 20 years old, my favorite drink was also Mocha Frappuccino.

Although there are now countless types of Frappuccino, there are several types of chocolate-flavored Mocha Frappuccino alone.

Take a few sips first, wait until the cream sinks a little, open the lid, and stir it a few times with a straw. The cream and the Frappuccino smoothie seem to be melted together, and the taste is unforgettable.

Especially in the scorching hot summer, a cup of mocha frappuccino is refreshing and cool.

However, when you are dating a girl, no matter how much you like drinking mocha frappuccino, you have to give it up.

It’s better to drink mocha coffee, cappuccino or caramel macchiato!

As a female friend told me,

"Frappuccino is like a child who never grows up, cappuccino is a symbol of love, caramel macchiato is the memory of love, and mocha coffee represents the warmth of love."