Mocha Coffee Mix
A jar of creamy mocha mix that needs nothing but hot water: instant coffee, cocoa, sugar and whole milk powder. It goes to the office, on a camping trip, or into a gift jar, and it tastes far better than the sachets.
At a glance
- Coffee : milk powder
- 1:4
- Active time
- 10 min
- Total time
- 10 min
- Makes
- 12 mugs
- Serve
- Hot
- Kit
- A jar and a sieve
Ingredients
Note: To use: three heaped tablespoons, about 30 g, per 200 ml of hot water. Make a paste with a splash of the water first.
Method
-
Crush the coffee
Crush the instant coffee granules to a fine powder with the back of a spoon or a quick pulse in a spice grinder, so they mix evenly with the cocoa.
-
Sift and mix
Sift the cocoa, sugar, milk powder and salt into a large bowl with the crushed coffee and whisk until evenly coloured.
-
Jar it dry
Spoon into a dry, airtight jar. It keeps two to three months in a cool cupboard. Write the instructions on the label if it is a gift.
-
Paste, then hot water
To make a mug, mix three heaped tablespoons with a tablespoon of hot water into a smooth paste, then stir in the rest of the water.
Milk powder dumped into hot water forms floating lumps. The paste avoids them.
Why this works
The milk powder is what makes this a mocha rather than a sweet black coffee. Whole milk powder is milk with the water removed, keeping its fat, proteins and lactose. Rehydrated in hot water, it gives body and creaminess, and its proteins soften the coffee's bitterness the same way fresh milk does. Skimmed milk powder makes a thin, chalky drink, because the fat is where the richness is.
Powders behave differently from liquids, which is why the mixing steps matter. Cocoa and milk powder both clump when they meet water, cocoa because its fine particles repel water at first, milk powder because the outside of each clump gels and seals the dry powder inside. Sifting everything together separates the particles and spreads them through the sugar. Making a paste with a little water before adding the rest wets everything evenly. Skip either and the mug has lumps floating on top.
Crushing the instant coffee helps for the same reason. Granules are much larger than cocoa and milk powder particles and would settle to the bottom of the jar, so the last mug would be all coffee.
Keep the jar dry and sealed. Milk powder and sugar both absorb moisture, and a damp mix cakes solid. Whole milk powder also contains fat, which can turn stale over many months, so this keeps a little less long than a mix without milk. For a mix without milk powder, to add to hot milk, see the Italian mocha espresso mix.
Variations
- Without milk powder: the Italian mocha espresso mix, stirred into hot milk.
- Mexican mocha mix: add a teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne.
- With malted milk powder: replace a third of the milk powder for a malty, Horlicks-like note.
- Less sweet: 80 g of sugar instead of 120 g.
Made it?
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Questions
How much mocha mix per cup?
About three heaped tablespoons, around 30 g, per 200 ml of hot water.
How long does homemade mocha mix last?
Two to three months in an airtight jar in a cool, dry place.
Why is my mocha mix lumpy?
The milk powder and cocoa clumped. Sift them when making the mix and stir it into a paste with a little hot water before adding the rest.
Can I use skimmed milk powder?
It works, but the drink is thinner. Whole milk powder gives a creamier mocha.