There is nothing better than having the first sip of your favorite coffee. There can be many variations done to a simple cup of coffee.
These variations, such as Cappuccino, Frappe, Latte, Espresso, Mocha, Americano, etc. have made a stronghold on both the global market and the hearts of coffee lovers. Here’s everything you need to know about the difference between Mocha and Frappe.
Mocha vs Frappe
The difference between Mocha and Frappe is that a Mocha is a hot latte variant, which although has a portion of sweet chocolate, is not sweet in taste, whereas Frappe is more of a sweet and cool beverage. Ice-cream, chocolate, and other toppings just add to the sweetness.
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Mocha, which is also called Mocha latte, Mochaccino, or Caffe Mocha, is made by adding a few shots of Espresso to chocolate syrup in a latte cup. A portion of hot and steamed milk is added to this mixture, further topped with milk froth.
This chocolate balances the bitter taste of the latte.
Frappe is generally served cold and is made by blending all the ingredients ice, coffee, water, chocolate, flavoring, and milk to create a frothy mixture. As for toppings, whipped cream, ice cream, or chocolate is added.
Due to this, it’s more of a drink where coffee can be even substituted with juices or tea.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Mocha | Frappe |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Mocha originated in Italy in the 18th century but got its name from Yemen’s Al-Mokha port. | Frappe is comparatively newer and originated in Thessaloniki, Greece in 1957. |
| Meaning | Mocha is generally a hot drink, which means chocolate mixed with coffee. | Frappe derives its meaning from a French word, which means iced or cold beverage. |
| Taste | It tastes earthly due to Arabica beans with mild sweetness. | It is very sweet in taste because of the toppings. |
| Toppings | Hot Mocha and cold Mocha are topped with milk froth and whipped cream respectively. | It can be topped with whipped cream, ice cream, chocolate, etc |
| Served in | It is served both hot and cold in elegant latte cups | It is served cold in tall cups with the topping on top. |
What is Mocha?
Mocha originated in 17th century Yemen, where the term was associated with the Al-Mokha port of the country. It used to export excellent quality Arabica coffee beans.
Later in 18th century Italy, this term was associated with the chocolate in the beverage and was initially known as ‘Mochaccino’.
As we know, Mocha is a normal latte mixed with dark chocolate which balances the bitter flavor of the espresso with mild sweetness. This combination has been consumed and loved as a drink for centuries and is a bestseller even today.
The steamed milk and its froth add smoothness to the volume of the drink
There can be many variations to this drink, which originally was supposed to be bitter. The first version of Mocha dates back to 16th century Europe known as Bicerin, in which equal volumes of Espresso and chocolate syrup were layered one over the other and not blended like a Mocha Latte.
One variation is made with white chocolate instead of dark chocolate, which adds to the sweetness. In another variation, white chocolate is used rather than dark chocolate which makes the drink even sweeter.
Yet another variation called the marble mocha is a blend of both white and dark chocolate Mochas.
What is Frappe?
The literal meaning of Frappe is an iced or cold beverage in French. As the name suggests, it does not particularly have to be coffee.
However, the traditional Frappe is made from coffee. The first Frappe dates back to the 19th century, where this iced coffee drink was known as ‘Café Frappé’.
The modern version of Frappe originated in an International Trade Fair organized in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Nestle company had put up a show where it was demonstrating a new product which was an instant chocolate drink, made with the help of a blender. A worker of the company, who was unable to find hot water for his coffee, used the same blender to mix water, instant coffee, and ice cubes to prepare a cold coffee.
This caught public attention and eventually, it became a very popular drink in Greece.
The actual procedure of making a Frappe is to blend or mix all the other ingredients such as water, ice, milk, sugar, different flavorings or essences along with coffee. This blend creates a frothy mixture, which is again topped with whipped cream, ice cream, melted chocolate, strawberries, boba, etc.
There are many versions of Frappe all around the world. In Bulgaria, water is replaced by Coca-Cola or regular soda to make a Frappe. In Serbia, it is made with ice cream or milk. In Denmark, regular water replaces milk in a Frappe.
Main Differences Between Mocha and Frappe
- A Mocha is mildly sweet in taste because of the bitter taste of Espresso which is balanced by dark chocolate. A Frappe is very sweet in taste because its ingredients include ice cream, sugar, chocolate, etc.
- Coffee is inherently a part of Mocha and cannot be made without it. In the case of Frappe, coffee is not mandatory as this beverage is made with alternatives such as juices, tea, soda, etc.
- There are several variations of Mocha which are made with white and dark chocolate in different proportions. Many countries have their own variations of Frappe using different ingredients such as tap water, soda, Coca-Cola, etc.
- Mocha is generally consumed hot and sometimes, even cold. It is served in a latte cup. Frappe is served cold in tall cups with toppings over it.
- A hot Mocha is topped with milk froth and a cold Mocha is topped with whipped cream. Frappe can be topped with a lot of items to make it look attractive such as whipped cream, ice cream, chocolate syrup, caramel, boba, etc.
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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.
