Caffe Mocha: origin, nomenclature, recipe, and concentration benefits!

Caffe Mocha is a hot beverage that is popular these days. Many people like it and enjoy the taste. What goes into the making of this drink? Is it healthy? And how does it differ from coffee or caffe latte or espresso?

Caffe Mocha: origin and nomenclature

Caffe Mocha is a hot beverage that is espresso with a chocolate flavor. Mochaccino is its other name. This is a drink that has its origin in the United States of America.

But the inspiration for this warm beverage comes from Bicerin, a beverage common in Turin, Italy during the 18th century. In Italy, it was first called Bavaria. But when Caffe al Bicerin made it famous, that name stuck to it.

The Bicerin drink was made from espresso, milk or cream, and chocolate or cocoa. And this was served in a deconstructed form in a glass.

The 3 ingredients were layered in the glass. The drinker had to mix it himself or herself before consuming it. The word Caffe Mocha first was used in 1892 in a recipe in the USA.

As regards the name Mocha, it comes from the city of Moka or Mocha which is in Yemen. This coastal city along the Red Sea was a major port for the trade of coffee during the 15th to 18th centuries.

The Arabian Mocha coffee beans were exported from there. These coffee beans had a yellow-green color and a chocolate flavor. Hence the name of this chocolate coffee drink became Mocha.

The recipe

Mocha can be made at home. It has one-third coffee or espresso and two-thirds steamed milk. Further, cocoa powder or chocolate syrup is then added on top of this mixture in a glass.

The serving is traditionally done in a glass and not a mug or cup. High-quality instant coffee can also make a great mocha.

For this, dissolve the required amount of high-quality instant coffee into hot or warm water. Put in two teaspoonfuls of cocoa powder or hot chocolate syrup.

Layer hot milk or warm milk on top and your mocha are ready. You can customize it with whipped cream on top.

Does one wonder whether mocha is a healthy drink or not? How does it compare with regular coffee?

Mocha vs coffee

A research team from Clarkson University and The University of Georgia did a study on cocoa and found that it increases blood flow to the brain.

This assists in boosting attention span and cognition. In this study, 24 people were recruited. The scientists had them drink warm beverages of different kinds such as cocoa with caffeine, brewed cocoa, caffeine with cocoa, and a placebo that had neither.

Later, tests were carried out on them to test their cognitive tasks and moods.

Cocoa drinkers had the best performance with the least errors. And those who had cocoa with caffeine had an enhancement of their cognitive abilities.

But the sample size of the study was small. Therefore, more large-scale studies are needed in this direction.

But one thing is clear chocolate added to caffeine drinks is better than plain caffeinated drinks. Mocha helps in concentration and reduction of anxiety. Caffeine can cause a person to become anxious but the addition of chocolate to it reduces the effect and improves the attention span.