Making a mocha

Caffè mocha is basically a cappuccino flavored with chocolate, sometimes with whipped cream on top. It's also called chocolate cappuccino or mocaccino. Do NOT confuse it with similar sounding terms:

• Moka coffee is coffee made in a moka pot
• Mocha coffee beans are beans grown near (or shipped from) the port of Mocha (or Mokha), Yemen

It should taste delicious, creamy, sweet, chocolaty, smooth, velvety and luxurious - like hot chocolate with a punch of coffee. It's a good breakfast drink or a dessert by itself - it can pack some serious calories, especially if you make it with whipped cream. Don't be afraid of putting extra sugar in it - it helps bring out the chocolate. Also, since you get all the syrups and flavors, coffee is a bit muted - which means you can get a delicious mocha even with rather unexciting coffee.

Making it is similar to cappuccino, so refer to those instructions as well. You will need some espresso (or moka pot coffee, or aeropress coffee), foamed milk, and chocolate syrup. If you don't have chocolate syrup, you may mix cocoa powder and some water instead. Optionally, you might want to use whipped cream too. Once you prepare them, do the following steps.

Step 1: Add chocolate syrup of your choice. You might think this would be enough, but you really want to add more than this (double or triple) if you want to seriously taste the chocolate, since milk really dilutes the taste

Step 2: Pour in coffee and stir well to blend with syrup, maybe add a little more syrup

Step 3: Add milk/foam

Step 4 (optional): Add whipped cream on top

Step 5: Drizzle syrup or cocoa powder on top and serve

Best whipped cream is, of course, one you make yourself. Using the aerosol whipped cream simply does not have the same taste.

Standard whipping cream stuff. You can add aromas to your cream too.

If you're making a larger quantity, use something more powerful than milk frother

Layered mochas. Heavier whipped cream will sink through the lighter foam - especially visible on the right drink which has far more foam. I have also been very conservative with whipped cream. In plenty of cafes you get a huge mound of whipped cream.

A four-layer mocha. Chocolate is the bottom layer - in this version it's not pre-mixed with coffee. A bit light on milk. Stir before drinking.

Or, if you want to show the world just how Croatian you are, you can use this:

Using the white chocolate syrup instead, you'll get a white chocolate mocha. Using syrups in other flavors... well, you can get interesting results. Just remember: the more flavors and syrups you add, more calories you drink, and you can taste less of the actual coffee...

Hario Mini Mill has arrived + coffee station pic

My Hario Mini Ceramic Slim Coffee Mill has arrived! I finally have means of grinding coffee that is NOT mortar and pestle :)

After I test it for a while, I'll be writing my experiences with it. Hardly a proper review, since I don't have much to compare it with, to be honest.

Here's a display of my "coffee station" - all my coffee gear:

Top row, left to right:

• Coffee mill (Hario Mini Ceramic Slim)
• Small french press (unknown manufacturer, we got it as a gift)
• Large french press (IKEA Uphetta)
• Electric kettle (Tefal)

Middle row:

• Moka pot (Caldo Caffe)
• Milk frother (IKEA Produkt)
• Turkish coffee pot (Metalac posuđe)

Bottom row:

• My good coffee (Teneo Espresso mix)
• My affordable coffee (Spar Premium)

Instant coffee

Regarding instant coffee, the situation in the world seems split. Everyone who knows something about coffee seems to hate it, yet half the country drinks it regardless. Even in cultures where coffee is a strong part of one's daily life (and even in some where it's grown), instant coffee is still widespread and common - often held in a rather high esteem.

The answher why is often simply: convenience. Regardless of the preparation, real coffee requires some skill, timing, takes a bit more time and takes some more cleaning than instant coffee, and spoils more easily. Just add hot water and your drink is ready. No machinery or special dishes needed, just a cup, water, and magical black powder that will make you a cup of coffee-like caffeinated liquid...

Here's a list of countries which prefer instant over fresh coffee:

Not actually containing
real cappuccino

However, even in plenty of places in Europe well-known for their cafe culture, you'll still find that instant coffee is widespread and acceptable - whether in the form that makes black coffee, or in some "cappuccino" mix.

Note: be careful when ordering flavored cappuccinos in Croatian cafes. Unless you're in a specialty coffee shop, it's quite possible these are actually instant coffee. Many people here associate flavored coffee with instant.

Instant coffee is produced when coffee is brewed, and then dehydrated using some process such as freeze drying or spray drying. This produces granules which are soluble in water, which can rehydrate it.

A lot of the flavor is lost in that processing. The resulting drink only barely resembles fresh coffee. The complexity of aromas and flavors is lost, even when compared to cheapest actual coffees that money can buy. Yes, some of them taste better than others - a premium brand will be tastier than a store brand - but that doesn't make them more natural or having health benefits from a fresh cup.

However, what's left is not universally bad-tasting - it can still taste better than overboiled or rancid coffee. It should just not be confused with real, fresh coffee - or compared to it. It has some coffee-like flavor and caffeine. That's about it.

Nescafe sells not only the instant coffee, their
Dolce Gusto capsule system makes real coffee

Several alternatives to instant coffee which are fast and easy to make and clean up, but which use actual coffee:

• Turkish coffee, hot water pourover method: done almost as fast as instant, only slightly more cleanup.
• French Press: flavorful cup with no grounds, only requires a bit of steeping time.
• Superauto espresso machine: real coffee with a press of the button - that is, if you can afford the machine and have somewhere to place it.
• Pod/capsule espresso machine: real coffee with a press of the button - much cheaper than a superauto, but pods cost a lot of money, and the price does add up in the end. Also, the coffee in them gets a bit stale since it's pre-ground...

Making a cappuccino

A cappuccino (/ˌkæpəˈtʃiːnoʊ/; Italian pronunciation: [kapputˈtʃiːno]) is an Italian coffee drink which is traditionally prepared with espresso, hot milk and steamed-milk foam. The name comes from the Capuchin friars, referring to the colour of their habits, and in this context referring to the colour of the beverage when milk (originally: cream) is added in small portion to dark, brewed coffee (today mostly espresso). The physical appearance of a modern cappuccino with espresso créma and steamed milk is a result of a long evolution of the drink. -Wikipedia

Cappuccino is probably the best-known coffee drink worldwide, and it's an excellent breakfast drink. You can get it in pretty much any place where coffee is served. A cappuccino typically has one shot of espresso (20-30 ml), and the rest of the drink is split approximately half/half between hot milk and milk foam, taking a volume of approximately 150-180 ml - however, you'll find places where the drink is larger, or where ratios are somewhat different. But the basic formula - coffee, milk and foam - doesn't change.

Note: If you're in Croatia at someone's home, and someone asks you if you want a coffee or a cappuccino, by "cappuccino" they'll often mean instant stuff. Therefore, it's best to ask.

Ideally, you'd have an espresso machine with a steam wand... But you can make a pretty good cappuccino without those. Instead of espresso, you may substitute moka or aeropress coffee pulled in a more concentraded way. Won't be the same, but you'll like the result.

The milk should ideally be heated to 65-70 degrees celsius and frothed with a steam wand... or at least a battery-operated frother. This way you can produce a silky smooth and wet microfoam, which you can pour as latte art, and which will separate into milk and foam layers by itself... But doing that is not easy.

Instead, you can get rather satisfactory results using some other methods of frothing milk - though you won't get as perfect results, you'll end up with a pleasing drink at low cost and low gear. Here's two methods:

The jar method

1. Put milk into a jar
2. Close jar and shake like mad
3. Open the jar and microwave the milk to stabilize the foam

The French Press method

1. Pre-heat the milk
2. Put milk into French Press
3. Pump up and down strongly a few times
4. Take the plunger out and put it into a sink or somewhere, and swirl the milk around (you may microwave it too).

Ideally, the final milk volume should not be over 50%-ish more than what you had at start. If it's doubled, it is probably too dry. If you're wondering whether to do coffee or milk first - go with coffee, to get the best milk possible. Cappuccino is very much about the milk.

Once you got your coffee and milk ready, it's time to mix them:

Step 1: Pour in coffee

Step 2: Add milk/foam. If your foam is too dry to pour, use a spoon

Step 3: Decorate (optional) and serve

You may use cocoa powder, cinnamon powder, chocolate syrup etc. to decorate the cup, or maybe not

Here's another cappuccino, undecorated foam in a clear cup and with foam made using a milk frother.

Congratulations! You got yourself a cup of homemade cappucino, done with minimum of gear and pretty close to the stuff they serve in most cafes. Probably good looking too.

Some coffee stuff from IKEA...

I live a few minutes distance from IKEA, so last night I went there for a cup of free coffee (that goes with their card) and to pick up some coffee gear - as shown on the pic to my left.

On top is Upphetta French Press. I've actually had it for a while now, but I included it in the list as I thought it could probably be interesting. Yes, I've got two French Presses. Upphetta is the bigger of the two, with 1L capacity. When I use it, I usually only make half of the full press. It's huge. It costs 79,90 kn. If you live someplace else, best check your local prices - they can differ from country to country, so I'm not converting them to other currencies.

In the lower left, there's the Produkt milk frother. It costs 7,90 kn, and I got it to try and make some nice milk foam with it. I can make some with French press too, but this was a cheap purchase and who knows? Perhaps it will be worth it. Requires 2 AA batteries.

In the lower right, there's two stacked Stelna cups. 230 ml capacity, they're almost free - they cost 2,90 kn each. I like the look of glass cups, so I got two.

Other coffee stuff they have: moka pots (stainless steel), kettles, carafes, milk frothing pitchers, thermos bottles, more cups and mugs,

Are you using something you got there in your coffee life? Leave a comment :)