Cafe Alva Cocoa
A mug of real hot cocoa, made from cocoa powder in a pan, with an equal pour of strong hot coffee whisked through. It is darker and less sweet than a mocha, and smoother than either drink on its own.
At a glance
- Coffee : cocoa
- 1:1
- Active time
- 3 min
- Total time
- 8 min
- Makes
- 2 mugs
- Serve
- Hot
- Kit
- Saucepan + whisk
Ingredients
Note: This recipe has lived at this address on the site for a long time. The name has stuck, and so has the idea: real cocoa, real coffee, equal parts.
Method
-
Make a cocoa paste
Put the cocoa, sugar and salt in a small saucepan and whisk in two tablespoons of the milk to make a smooth, thick paste.
Cocoa added straight to a pan of milk floats in clumps. A paste wets every grain first.
-
Cook it with the milk
Whisk in the rest of the milk and heat gently, whisking, until steaming. Let it bubble very gently for a minute.
That minute cooks the cocoa's starch and takes the raw, dusty edge off.
Simmer 1 minute -
Whisk in the coffee
Take it off the heat, pour in the hot coffee and vanilla, and whisk briskly until frothy. Pour into two mugs.
Why this works
Most coffee and chocolate drinks are mochas: espresso with chocolate sauce and a lot of steamed milk. This is the other way round. It starts as a real hot cocoa, cooked from powder, and the coffee is added as a full half of the drink. The result is darker and drier than a mocha, with the coffee and cocoa in balance.
Cooking the cocoa matters. Cocoa powder contains starch and fine particles that taste raw and slightly dusty when just stirred into hot milk. A minute of gentle simmering hydrates and cooks them, thickening the cocoa slightly and rounding the flavour. Making a paste first wets every particle so nothing floats.
Dutch process cocoa has been alkalised, which makes it darker, less acidic and easier to disperse. That matters with coffee, which brings its own acidity. Natural cocoa plus coffee can taste sharp.
Coffee and cocoa share a great deal of flavour chemistry, because both are fermented, roasted seeds. Combined in equal parts, each makes the other taste deeper: the coffee reads as darker chocolate, and the cocoa makes the coffee taste rounder. The pinch of salt suppresses bitterness so neither turns harsh, and the vanilla softens the edges.
Variations
- Spiced: a pinch of cinnamon and a few gratings of nutmeg in the paste.
- Richer: use half milk, half single cream.
- With espresso: replace the coffee with a double espresso and 140 ml of hot water.
- Iced: cool the finished drink and pour over ice.
Made it?
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Questions
What is Café Alva cocoa?
Real hot cocoa made from cocoa powder and milk, combined with an equal amount of strong hot coffee.
Is it the same as a mocha?
Not quite. A mocha is espresso with chocolate and a lot of steamed milk. This is half cocoa, half coffee, so it is darker and less milky.
Why make a paste with the cocoa?
Cocoa powder clumps when added to liquid. A paste with a little milk wets it evenly so the drink is smooth.
Can I use hot chocolate powder?
It will be much sweeter and less chocolatey. Real cocoa with your own sugar gives a better balance with coffee.