Sometimes the choice of drinks you are offered in a café can be overwhelming, and trying to choose which you think you’ll like just leaves you scratching your head.
Our goal at Kings of Caffeine is to make you as informed as possible so you can confidently strut into that café and order a coffee that you know you’ll love!
So if you have ever wondered…
What’s the difference between a Mocha vs Latte?
Then wonder no more!
We will explain in clear and concise language the difference between a Mocha and a Latte and offer up the answers to any other related questions we think you might be interested in.
Now, let’s jump in!
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A Mocha, also known as a Caffè Mocha or a Mocha Latte, is in basic terms a Latte with chocolate, or chocolate flavouring added, usually in the form of a syrup made from cocoa.
It is usually made by first combining cocoa with a little bit of hot water to make a syrup, then combining that with a shot of Espresso, followed by steamed milk. Usually in the same proportions as a Latte or Cappuccino, i.e. either 1/5th Espresso, to 4/5ths steamed milk, or 1/3rd Espresso, to 2/3rds steamed milk.
A Mocha is commonly topped with one (or more) of the following – whipped cream, marshmallows, a dusting of either cinnamon, sugar or cocoa powder.
They don’t really have an official size but are commonly served in an 8 ounce (240ml) cup.
The Mocha is named after the port city of Mocha, on the Red Sea coast of Yemen.
This was one of the world’s first coffee marketplaces and a dominate exporter of the local arabica bean which grew in high attitudes around the city.
The exported coffee was named after the port of which it was exported from, and so the local bean variety was named Mocha.
The Mocha bean has a rich, chocolatey flavour, which led to the name becoming extended and simply meaning coffee (from anywhere) with chocolate added to it.
People will tell you that a Mocha tastes like ‘chocolatey-coffee,’ which is true, but it is so much more than that.
The flavours of the Espresso shot and chocolate combine perfectly, giving a deep, sweet, luxurious taste.
The mouth-feel is velvety smooth and coats your mouth, very similar to a hot chocolate.
A Latte is an Espresso based drink, which is predominately made up of steamed milk, with a small amount of (approx. 1 – 2cm) foamed milk on top. The proportions are usually 1/5th Espresso shot to 4/5th steamed milk.
Like Mochas, Lattes don’t really have an official size but are commonly served in an 8 ounce (240ml) cup.
A Latte is quite a mild tasting coffee, as the drink boasts more milk than any other Espresso based coffee. The Espresso shot can even get lost within the milkiness, especially if it has a lighter roast profile.
Overall the Latte tastes like a milky coffee, slightly more subtle in flavour then some other similar drinks like the Cappuccino and has a luxurious mouthfeel thanks to the steamed milk, which coats the inside of your mouth.
If you’ve read the article up to this point, the answer is pretty obvious – the main difference between the Latte and the Mocha is the addition of chocolate.
This makes the Mocha sweeter, have more calories and basically more of a treat than your daily coffee drink.
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So you are wondering which has more calories, the Latte or the Mocha?
Let me cut right to the chase, it’s the Mocha.
This will be no surprise as it has the additional chocolate and is often served with whipped cream or marshmallows.
For the exact numbers we have borrowed the following calorie information from Starbucks UK:
Calories in a Starbucks Mocha made with skimmed milk
Short: 137 Kcal
Tall: 196 Kcal
Grande: 249 Kcal
Venti: 283 Kcal
Calories in a Starbucks Latte made with skimmed milk
Short: 60 Kcal
Tall: 102 Kcal
Grande: 128 Kcal
Venti: 168 Kcal
Calories in a Starbucks Mocha made with whole milk
Short: 163 Kcal
Tall: 242 Kcal
Grande: 315 Kcal
Venti: 359 Kcal
Calories in a Starbucks Latte made with whole milk
Short: 108 Kcal
Tall: 181 Kcal
Grande: 228 Kcal
Venti: 298 Kcal
For the whole list of Starbucks’ nutritional information click HERE.
As both coffee drinks are made from the same base, a single Espresso shot, it won’t surprise you that both have basically the same amount of caffeine.
Though keep in mind that caffeine levels can vary slightly due to bean variety, extraction time and a number of other factors, so in reality both drinks won’t be exactly the same, but close enough.
First off if you don’t like chocolate, or sweet coffees it is probably safe to say the Mocha isn’t for you.
If you do like those things then the choice of which to order really comes down to situation.
To me, the Latte is more of a daily drinker whereas the Mocha is really a treat.
But that’s up to you, be your own boss!
That’s it, thanks for reading!
As always if you have any questions or feel like we have missed anything please send your questions/suggestions to [email protected]
