Italian Mocha Espresso Mix
A jar of dark, bitter-sweet powder that turns a mug of hot milk into a strong mocha in under a minute. It is made with instant espresso rather than instant coffee, so it tastes of coffee, not of brown sugar.
At a glance
- Espresso : cocoa : sugar
- 1:1:3
- Active time
- 5 min
- Total time
- 5 min
- Makes
- 12 mugs
- Serve
- Hot
- Kit
- A jar and a whisk
Ingredients
Note: To use: two heaped teaspoons, about 20 g, per 200 ml of hot milk. Whisk it into a paste with a splash of the milk first.
Method
-
Sift everything together
Sift the espresso powder, cocoa, sugar, salt and cinnamon into a bowl and whisk until evenly coloured.
Cocoa clumps. Sifting it with the sugar breaks it up and spreads it through the mix so it dissolves later.
-
Jar it
Spoon it into a clean, dry, airtight jar. It keeps three months somewhere cool and dark.
-
Make a paste
To make a mug, put two heaped teaspoons in the mug with a tablespoon of the hot milk and stir into a smooth paste.
A paste first avoids lumps. Cocoa added straight to a full mug floats.
-
Hot milk and froth
Pour in the rest of the hot milk, stirring, and froth it with a handheld frother for a light foam on top.
Why this works
The difference between this and most instant mocha mixes is the coffee. Instant espresso powder is made from darker, stronger coffee and ground finer than ordinary instant granules, so a small amount carries a lot of flavour and dissolves completely. That lets the mix stay at one part coffee to one part cocoa without needing a mountain of sugar to make it taste of something.
Dutch process cocoa suits it because alkalising makes cocoa darker, less acidic and more soluble. Natural cocoa tastes sharper and fights the coffee's own acidity, and it disperses less easily in milk. The salt is there to suppress bitterness, which makes the chocolate taste richer without more sugar.
Cocoa is the difficult ingredient. It contains some fat and a lot of fine particles that repel water at first, so dry cocoa dropped onto hot milk floats in clumps. Sifting it with sugar spreads the cocoa particles apart, and making a paste with a little liquid first wets every particle before the rest of the milk goes in. Done that way the drink is smooth.
Keep the jar sealed and dry. Instant espresso and sugar both absorb moisture from the air, and once damp the mix sets into a solid cake. A clip-top jar in a cupboard keeps it loose for months. For a fresh mocha with espresso and real chocolate, the full method is on its own page.
Variations
- With milk powder: add 80 g of whole milk powder and make it with hot water instead. See mocha coffee mix.
- Mexican: a teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne.
- Less sweet: 100 g sugar instead of 150 g.
- As a gift: layer the cocoa, sugar and espresso in a jar and write the instructions on the label.
Made it?
Ratings are the most useful thing you can leave. They tell me which recipes need another pass.
No ratings yet. Be the first.
Questions
How much mocha mix per cup?
Two heaped teaspoons, about 20 g, per 200 ml of hot milk. Add more for a stronger mocha.
How long does homemade mocha mix last?
About three months in an airtight jar somewhere cool and dry.
Can I use regular instant coffee?
Yes, but use about half as much again, because ordinary instant coffee is weaker than instant espresso.
Why is my mocha lumpy?
The cocoa was not wetted first. Stir the mix into a paste with a spoonful of hot milk before adding the rest.