Creating the perfect mocha at home can be tricky. If you get the balance of flavors wrong, you'll end up with a slightly bitter hot chocolate or an odd-tasting coffee.
- Cup
- High-quality cocoa powder or hot chocolate powder
- Milk
- Chocolate shavings or cocoa powder for garnish (optional)
- Espresso machine: Our favorite is the Breville Infuser BES840X, and we refined our mocha-making process with the Smeg Espresso Maker.
- Coffee beans: Look for medium—or dark-roasted beans described as nutty or chocolatey. You can use coffee grains instead, but the same flavor profile applies.
- Grinder: If you use coffee beans, you'll need a grinder. The best types are co-cal burr grinders because they're so precise. Some espresso machines have built-in grinders, like the De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo or the Smeg Espresso Manual Coffee Machine. Alternatively, you can buy standalone grinders like the Krups Precise Stainless Steel Flat Burr Grinder.
- Steam wand
Milk frother: If your espresso machine has a built-in steam wand, it usually doubles as a milk frother. However, you can buy a standalone milk frother, and I—along with 15,000+ Amazon reviewers—recommend the $16.99 Bean Envy Handheld Milk Frother.
Instead, the ideal mocha perfectly combines the intensity of espresso with the sweetness of chocolate, and all topped off with the smoothness of steamed milk in a way that rivals the kind you get in coffee shops.
From my experience in testing the best espresso machines, this balance is achieved by being selective with your choice of coffee beans, getting the grind size right, and frothing the milk just enough to add a silky finish without bubbles. It's a process that takes a bit of trial and error to get right but is more worth the effort in the end.
In this guide, I'll walk you through how to make a mocha at home with some tips, tricks, and things to avoid that I've learned along the way.
How to make a mocha: quick steps
- Brew the espresso shot
- Add the cocoa powder and mix well
- Steam and froth the milk
- Add the warm milk to the cocoa-espresso base
- Stir until all powder is dissolved
- Add chocolate flakes or cream (optional)
How to make a mocha: Step by step guide
1. Brew the espresso shot
You need to pull an espresso shot using your coffee beans of choice to get the best base for your mocha. This is where the most experimentation will happen.
Since a mocha combines the taste of espresso with the sweetness of chocolate, the coffee beans you select should complement but not overpower the chocolate. Medium and dark roasts have a stronger, more robust flavor that pairs well with chocolate. Dark roasts, in particular, have a deep, slightly bitter flavor that offsets well against the sweetness from the cocoa powder.
Beans from Colombia tend to work well. Beans from Africa, such as Ethiopian or Kenyan, can add fruity or floral notes, but they might be overpowered by the chocolate in a mocha.
Once you've found beans you like, you need to experiment with grind size. The perfect grind size will produce an espresso that is dark in color, takes around 25-30 seconds to pull, and causes the pressure gauge found on most espresso machines to sit in the middle of the designated sweet spot.
The perfect espresso shot doesn't taste too weak or bitter and will have a thin crema on the top.
- Tip: I recommend pulling a double shot, or around 2 oz / 60ml of espresso for the base of a large mocha. I also prefer to pull the shot into a small cup first to mix the milk and base together in a separate cup simultaneously.
2. Add the cocoa powder and mix well
Add two tablespoons of chocolate or cocoa powder – a tablespoon at a time – to the espresso while it's still hot and mix well to remove as many lumps as possible.
Don't worry too much if you can't eliminate all the lumps, as they will disappear when you add the warm milk.
If you're making a standard mocha, add hot water to this base, leaving enough room to add milk.
If you're making a mocha latte, skip this step and jump straight to step three.
- Tip: If you want a more intense, rich, chocolatey flavor, which also adds a smooth texture, you can use chocolate syrup instead of cocoa powder. I find it harder to control the intensity of the chocolate with the syrup, and it tastes slightly artificial, but that's a personal taste.
3. Steam and froth the milk
Pour milk into a pitcher, leaving enough room for it to expand.
Use the steam wand on your espresso machine to steam the milk until it’s hot. You can alternatively heat the milk in the microwave or on the stove. The ideal milk temperature for a mocha is around 149-158 F / 65-70 C. This means it's hot to the touch but isn't simmering. To take the guesswork out of this step, I recommend buying a pitcher with a built-in temperature gauge, like this $11.99 Milk Frother from Amazon.
If you're using the steam wand as a milk frother, move it up and down slowly in the milk to create small bubbles. It can be easy to go wrong at this point by adding large bubbles because the jet of steam can be quite powerful. This is where a standalone milk frother or small hand whisk works well to create small, fine bubbles.
The steamed milk adds a creamy texture to the mocha, balancing the richness of the espresso and chocolate.
- Tip: If you think the bubbles are too big or the milk is more foamy than frothy, gently bang the pitcher's base on your sideboard a couple of times to help it settle.
4. Add the warm milk to the cocoa-espresso base
Slowly pour the milk into the cocoa-espresso base. This helps the base infuse into the milk and adds a thin layer of froth on top.
If you pull the shot into a small cup before pouring it into a larger mug, you can add the coffee base and milk to the new mug at the same time. In my experience, this ensures that it mixes well and evenly.
Alternatively, gently stir the drink using a long spoon to get rid of any remaining lumps.
- Tip: If you want to guarantee a perfect mocha texture, the Hotel Chocolat Velvetizer does all the hard work. It works for all milky hot drinks, not just hot chocolate.
5. Garnish with chocolate sprinkles of powder (optional)
Sprinkle chocolate flakes or cocoa powder over your mocha to add an extra element of chocolatey goodness.
FAQs
What is mocha?
Mocha is a drink that combines espresso, steamed milk, and chocolate flavors. This can be in chocolate syrup, cocoa powder, or melted chocolate.
A standard mocha consists of an espresso, chocolate base, hot water, and steamed, frothy milk.
A mocha latte is made using the same espresso and chocolate base, but more milk is used in place of water. In a mocha latte, around 75% of the drink is milk.
Both mocha types are creamy and often topped with whipped cream and/or a sprinkle of cocoa powder or chocolate shavings.
What is a white mocha?
A white mocha is like a traditional mocha, but white chocolate is used instead of milk or dark chocolate.
It combines espresso, steamed milk, white chocolate syrup, or melted white chocolate. It's much sweeter and creamier than a regular mocha, and, like the regular mocha, it can also be topped with whipped cream and garnished, often with white chocolate shavings.
Can you make mocha with instant coffee?
Yes, although the process differs slightly.
- Dissolve 1-2 teaspoons of instant coffee in a small amount of hot water (about 1-2 oz / 30-60 ml).
- Mix in 1-2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup or cocoa powder. Stir well until the chocolate has dissolved.
- Warm your milk in a saucepan or microwave. Whisk the milk vigorously or use a milk frother for a frothy texture.
- Pour the chocolate-coffee mixture into a cup, followed by the heated milk, and stir well.
- Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cocoa powder or chocolate shavings.
Final thoughts
Once you get the hang of it, making a mocha at home is great for cozy nights in or when you have friends over.
The key is balancing the intensity of the coffee with the sweetness of the chocolate and the smoothness of the milk, but this will depend on personal tastes as much as it does on the processes involved.
And that's the best part of making mochas, or any coffee drink, at home—the freedom to customize it to your liking. You can adjust the chocolate-to-coffee ratio, experiment with different types of chocolate and beans, or add your garnishes.
