Boss, I want a mocha Sorry, we don't have a mocha
Once upon a time, mocha was on a regular menu of espresso alongside latte and cappuccino, and was a must-order for many people. Nowadays, many boutique cafes have moved away from the mocha-based fancy coffee and have even removed it from their menus in favor of more popular coffee categories such as dirty and oat milk lattes. The figure of Mocha seems to be gradually disappearing from the coffee shop.
When did mocha start to be added to the Italian menu?
"Mocha", named after the port of Mocha in Yemen. For hundreds of years from the 15th century, all coffee beans were concentrated in the port of Mocha, from where they crossed the Red Sea and were exported. Since then, the port of Mocha has also become the hub of the coffee world.
Because the sacks containing the beans were marked with the mark "mocha" to prove that they were transported from the port of Mocha, the Europeans collectively referred to the delicious coffee beans that came from the port of Mocha as "mocha", which explains why the early mocha became synonymous with coffee. Mocha coffee beans are known for their small and fragrant grains, and after being deeply roasted, they have a strong acidic flavor and a moderate sweetness, with a rich chocolate flavor.
What we call espresso today dates back to 18th-century Italy. At that time, due to the Dutch bringing coffee to Southeast Asia and France to South America, the port of Mocha lost its monopoly on coffee, and under the rule of the Ottoman Empire in the middle and later periods, mocha beans became scarce in Europe.
In order to mimic the chocolate flavor of mocha beans, some people try to add cocoa powder to the coffee. Later, with the advent of espresso machines and the popularity of espresso-based fancy coffee, this chocolate-infused milk coffee became an important part of the Italian menu.
The espresso was formed in the second wave of coffee
As espresso became popular, coffee chains sprung up and began to take the world by storm. At a time when coffee quality was uneven, and in order to meet the increased demand for coffee, these coffee shops chose to use blended beans from multiple origins. Bringing out the golden grease and roast aroma of coffee through heavy (dark) roasting not only reduces costs, but also provides a stable and consistent taste of coffee, and this is where bitterness and caffeine are the impression that coffee leaves on most people.
If you want to hide the strong bitterness in coffee, sweet elements are naturally indispensable, and accessories such as syrup, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, and cream have become important ingredients in the development of drinks.
Traditional espresso is based on espresso and hot milk with a chocolate-containing flavoring, which can be cocoa powder, chocolate syrup, dark chocolate or milk chocolate. The coffee is often topped with whipped cream and then drizzled with chocolate sauce or sprinkled with cinnamon and marshmallows. The addition of chocolate and cream not only enriches the layering of the drink, but also neutralizes the bitterness of the coffee, so it is favored by consumers.
Now, why is mocha becoming less and less common?
Let's pull the progress bar to the third wave of coffee. The emergence of the concept of specialty coffee emphasizes the origin and flavor characteristics of single origin coffee, while paying more attention to the different experiences brought by the cultivation and processing of coffee. The quality of coffee beans has been improved by improving the quality of all links. In order to express the uniqueness of the coffee itself, the beans are no longer mainly dark roasted, and the brewing methods are also diversified, such as hand poured.
In addition, in recent years, the emphasis on a healthy diet with less sugar and no sugar has been promoted, and the diet with high sugar and calories has been gradually replaced. As a result, the flavor of coffee is masked by adjuncts, and mocha coffee, which contains higher sugar content, is naturally "eliminated" by the market.
While it's true that the classic Italian mocha is waning, the love for rich chocolate flavours remains. We can notice that in addition to the black flavor of the beans themselves, there are many coffee flavors made directly with chocolate.
You should drink iced mocha in the summer
Considering that the ingredients are not easy to preserve, mocha coffee has been removed from the permanent menu on Front Street for the time being. Whenever he wants to drink sweet milk coffee, Front Street will make himself a cup of iced mocha. The ingredients needed to make an iced mocha are not complicated: double espresso + chocolate sauce + 200g fresh milk + ice cubes.
Prepare a clear glass, hang the chocolate sauce all over the walls of the glass, add ice cubes and half of the milk, and then pour 10 grams of chocolate sauce into the espresso. Then use a French press to beat the other half of the iced milk, scrape off the large bubbles floating on the surface, and pour it until it is nearly full. Finally, the pattern is carved out with chocolate sauce, and a cup of iced mocha is made.
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