Mochas are a deliciously sweet treat that those with a penchant for chocolate, such as myself, find irresistible. Despite mochas boasting a coffee-esque taste, a common query many have is whether they contain any actual coffee.
Because caffe mochas are part espresso, and espresso is a type of coffee, caffe mochas do have coffee in them. Usually around 40 grams worth of beans that amount to about 130mg of caffeine. The rest of a mocha is made of chocolate syrup or powder, steamed milk, and whipped cream.
In this article, I’ll first define for you what exactly a mocha is and where they came from, and then go over why there's coffee in them and how much. Let's get started!
What is Mocha?
Before we talk about coffee in mochas, we need to define what mocha is first, because mocha can mean a few different things in the coffee world.
The first way someone may be talking about mocha in the coffee world is as a coffee bean. The mocha coffee bean comes from the Arabian peninsula in present-day Yemen and has been grown there for hundreds of years.
The bean gets its name from the port in Mocha, Yemen where it’s shipped out of and is known for its chocolaty aftertaste. This association between the word mocha from the port and chocolate from the beans aftertaste is most likely why when we think of the word mocha today we think of chocolate.
If you’d like to try some mocha coffee beans you can find Starbucks mocha-flavored beans on Amazon here.
The second way and most likely the way that you are thinking of the word mocha is as a drink made of chocolate and coffee, the caffe mocha.
A caffe mocha is made by combining 2 shots of espresso, 1 ounce of chocolate syrup or chocolate powder, and steamed milk (milk that's been made hot and creamy). It’s commonly topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
It’s pretty much a hot chocolate with added espresso.
The espresso in a caffe mocha doesn’t need to be made from the mocha coffee bean from Yemen, so technically the caffe mocha doesn’t have any mocha in it at all. It’s called “mocha” because the word mocha has become associated with chocolate and coffee and it’s a chocolate and coffee drink.
Does a Mocha Have Coffee in It?
If you’re asking whether or not a mocha has coffee in it, you’re probably referring to the caffe mocha drink rather than the mocha coffee bean, since the mocha coffee bean is in itself coffee.
Because there is espresso in a caffe mocha, and espresso is a type of coffee, there is coffee in a caffe mocha.
Espresso can be made from the same beans as coffee, it’s just the way the coffee is extracted from the beans that espresso unique from regular drip coffee. A good way to think about it is that all espresso is coffee, but not all coffee is espresso.
How Much Coffee is in a Mocha
Once you’ve found out that there’s coffee in a mocha, your next question is probably “How much?”
A caffe mocha is typically made from 2 shots or 2 ounces of espresso. The amount of coffee beans used to pull these two shots can vary based on the type of bean, grind, espresso machine, and personal preference, but on average there are about 40 grams of coffee in a mocha.
How Much Caffeine is in a Mocha?
Figuring out how much caffeine is in a mocha is pretty simple.
As I said above, most mochas are made with 2 shots of espresso. And since 1 shot of espresso has around 65mg of caffeine in it, a caffe mocha made with 2 shots has around 130mg of caffeine in it.
A decaf caffe mocha, made with decaffeinated espresso, will usually have between 6-30mg of caffeine in it.
For reference, a regular cup of coffee has about 95mg of caffeine.
Final Thoughts
Because caffe mochas have 2 shots of espresso in them, and espresso is a type of coffee, mochas do have coffee in them. Usually about 40 grams worth of beans amount to around 130mg of caffeine.
If you’d like to learn more about mochas, coffee, and other espresso drinks, be sure to check out the rest of my website! Thanks for reading and have a great day!
A caffe mocha is made by combining 2 shots of espresso, 1 ounce of chocolate syrup or chocolate powder, and steamed milk (milk that’s been made hot and creamy). It’s commonly topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.