Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world. Some so many people love their cup of coffee. For some, the world will stop revolving if they are deprived of coffee.
Winter, especially, is considered incomplete without having a hot coffee.
Different people hold different perceptions towards coffee.
For some, it is a token of love, some consider it the best medicine to stay awake during exams, and others act as an energizer during their hectic work schedule.
Some so many people know what they like. We should sample at least once the different types of coffee to understand each variation.
We sometimes do not understand the difference between the available variants- the Cappuccino, Latte, Mocha, or just plain coffee. Here we will try to learn more about Mocha and Coffee.
Key Takeaways
- Coffee is a hot drink made by brewing roasted coffee beans, whereas mocha is a coffee mixed with chocolate.
- Mocha tastes sweeter due to the added chocolate, while coffee is bitter.
- Coffee is available in various types, such as espresso, latte, cappuccino, etc., whereas mocha is available as a single drink.
Coffee vs Mocha
Coffee is a popular drink in many cultures, served hot or with milk or cream, and sweetened with sugar or other sweeteners. Mocha is a coffee drink flavoured with chocolate and made by adding chocolate syrup. It can be served hot or iced and is topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Coffee | Mocha |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A beverage made with ground coffee beans along with water or milk | A beverage made with coffee, steamed milk, chocolate syrup topped with whipped cream or milk foam |
| Origin | Originated on the plateaus of Ethiopia | Originated from Yemen |
| Contents | Made with coffee beans, water, or milk | Made with coffee, steamed milk, and chocolate syrup topped with whipped cream or milk foam |
| Colour | Pale brown | Dark brown |
| Served | Served hot or cold | Generally served hot |
| Caffeine content | An average cup contains 95mg of caffeine | An average cup contains 80mg of caffeine |
| Types | There are 30 popular types of coffee | There are 2 variants of mocha |
What is Coffee?
The earliest evidence of coffee drinking appears in the accounts of Ahmed Al-Ghaffar in Yemen during the 15th century. In Arabia, coffee seeds were first roasted and brewed, similar to how it is prepared now.
When we think of coffee, we always think of its ability to provide us with an energy booster. Worldwide it is believed that people consume about 2.25 billion cups of coffee per day approximately.
Experts believe drinking coffee benefits health conditions such as diabetes, liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and cardiovascular disease. But there is no proof to support some, if not all, of these claims.
Coffee is the third most popular beverage in the world(after water and tea) and the second traded commodity after petroleum.
Though coffee forms the base for an endless array of beverages, its popularity is mostly because of the effect produced by the caffeine(an alkaloid) present in it.
There are two varieties of coffee beans, the Arabica and Robusta and the caffeine content is different in both.
One serving of Arabica instant coffee contains around 70mg of caffeine, while brewed Robusta contains about 200 mg.
There are so many popular types of coffee loved all over the world. Some of them are :
- Black coffee – Made with coffee beans and hot water. Its proper name is Café Noir.
- Latte – Made of steamed milk along with a shot of espresso. It is plain or with a shot of any flavour from vanilla to pumpkin spice.
- Cappuccino – Made with more foam than steamed milk, topped with a sprinkle of cocoa powder or cinnamon. Variations are found where the cream is used instead of milk.
- Americano – Made with a shot of espresso diluted in hot water. It has a flavour similar to black coffee.
- Expresso – This is served solo or used as the base of most coffee drinks like lattes or macchiatos.
- Doppio – This is a double shot of espresso.
- Macchiato is an espresso-based drink with a topping of a small amount of foam.
- Mocha – This is a chocolate espresso mixed with steamed milk and foam.
- Irish Coffee is made up of black coffee, sugar, and whiskey with a topping of whipped cream.
And the list goes on.
Coffee is served hot or iced, depending on the choice of the person who wants to have it.
What is Mocha?
There are a lot of things common between Coffee and Chocolate. They both come from equatorial tropical countries and are best when roasted.
Sometimes they are overlapped for the best flavours. Hence, combining chocolate and coffee to get a wonderful drink seems natural.
Even though Mocha is now associated with coffee, the word comes from the city of Mocha in Yemen. This city was the world’s major coffee market during the 15th to 18th centuries.
This drink got its name from the Arabica coffee beans, which were grown in the mountainous regions of Central Yemen.
Mocha was originally known as Bavareisa or Bicerin, and it was only after 1892 that it got referred to in a Betty Crocker recipe.
The best-known combination of chocolate and coffee is Mocha. It is served with a double shot of espresso, steamed milk, foam, and chocolate.
Chocolate can be in syrup, shavings, or drinking chocolate. Some cafes use melted chocolate rather than chocolate powder or syrup, which requires more preparation time.
Most café owners say that the taste of Mocha varies from café to café. It is all about the ratios used for mixing. The best way to make a Mocha is to mix chocolate with expresso and then top it with milk.
Mochas are often made using high-cocoa chocolate, but there is another variant.
White chocolate is also used instead of dark chocolate, sometimes even by combining white and dark chocolate, called a Zebra Mocha.
The Mocha is liked by those who generally do not like a strong coffee taste but prefer a balance between sweetness and a caffeine kick. It is described as a dreamer’s coffee and makes a great winter drink.
One small cup of Mocha can contain about 180mg of caffeine. Mocha helps in reducing anxiety.
While caffeine alone normally increases anxiety, adding chocolate reduces the effects and helps with overall attention. Thus, it is good news for students focusing on their studies.
Main Differences Between Coffee and Mocha
- The basic difference between Coffee and Mocha is that Coffee is made with ground coffee beans mixed with hot water or milk, whereas Mocha is made by mixing coffee with steamed milk and chocolate and a topping of milk foam or whipped cream.
- The contents of Coffee are plain ground coffee beans and water or milk, whereas Mocha is made with coffee along with steamed milk and chocolate syrup with toppings of milk foam or whipped cream.
- The origin of Coffee was from the plateaus of Ethiopia, whereas Mocha originated in Yemen.
- The caffeine content in an average cup of Coffee is about 95mg, whereas, in Mocha, the content of caffeine is about 80 mg.
- Coffee is served either hot or iced, whereas Mocha is generally served hot.
- There are about thirty popular types of Coffee, whereas Mocha has only two variants.
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-african-history/article/early-history-of-ethiopias-coffee-trade-and-the-rise-of-shawa/24FC7271EE18D37A6E30BAEF68872A45
- https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf070779x
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
