Latte Vs Mocha – Read This First For All The Details!

Learning about a Latte Vs Mocha will give you a much better understanding of both drinks and which is best suited to you, your diet and your own personal coffee preference.

A quick answer, both these drinks are very different with the main difference being the ratios and the presence of chocolate in a mocha.

Keep reading for more intricate detail of both drinks and some very interesting variations and customizations.

Latte Vs Mocha – An Overview

To get a good picture of these two coffee drinks, let’s talk about what goes into each of them:

• Caffé Latte: An espresso-based coffee drink made with a single or double shot of espresso and steamed milk using an espresso to milk ratio of 1:2. It has a fine layer of frothed milk and is famed for its latte art.
• Café Mocha: A delicious coffee drink with an espresso base, steamed milk and chocolate all in equal amounts. Has a fine layer of frothed milk.

A latte is milky and with a light lingering coffee flavor. It’s rich and creamy with a silky mouthfeel.

A mocha is sweet and balanced with great chocolate and coffee flavors combined well with the creaminess of the steamed milk. When made well, neither flavor is dominant, it is balanced with all flavors easily noted.

Read: Does a mocha have caffeine?

What Is A Latte?

A latte, also known as a café latte and caffé latte, is one of the most popular espresso based coffee drinks that is made with a single of double espresso and steamed milk. The top later has a fine layer of foam which forms the canvas for some amazing latte art designs.

While drinking, notice a rich creamy silky texture that coats your tongue. It’s a smooth, light and mild coffee.

The History Of A Latte

A latte has a humble history and like a café Americano, the origins are with the soldiers and the second world war while stationed in Italy.

American soldiers while looking for a milky coffee that resembled the brewed coffee and milk that they were used to found the local cappuccino to have too strong a flavor so added extra steamed milk and viola! Just like that, the caffé latte was born.

The word “latte” in the Italian language translates to with milk.

The popularity has grown incredibly over the years due to the third wave of coffee and latte art competitions.

What Is A Mocha Latte?

A mocha latte, often called a mocha, or caffe mocha, and café mocha, is a delicious, decadent and delightful coffee beverage that is made with an excellent mix of both chocolate and coffee.

Often a mocha is described as a latte with chocolate or as similar to a cappuccino. I find both to be inaccurate due to the different ratios of steamed milk when compared to a latte. A cappuccino, well to be fair, a mochaccino is very much a cappuccino with chocolate.

When made perfectly, the whole milk blends and balances both the chocolate and coffee with neither flavor dominating the drink.

This drink has not set or specific recipe as one of the key ingredients, chocolate, can be added to the drink in a few different ways including:

• Cocoa powder.
• Chocolate syrup.
• Chocolate sauce.
• Chocolate chunks melted into steamed milk to make hot chocolate.

The drink traditionally was made with mocha coffee beans, which is a type of arabica coffee bean that was originally only grown in the city of Mocha in Yemen.

The History Of A Mocha

Mocha coffee has its origins in the coffee trading outpost of Mocha City, Yeman. The beans are known and revered amongst coffee lovers for their notable and rich chocolate notes.

The drink, which can be made using any coffee bean and not specifically mocha coffee beans, is a mark to those beans with chocolate added to emulate their flavor.

If you ever make a cup of mocha coffee with mocha coffee beans you will notice that you need to use less chocolate to coax out the chocolate flavor.

Due to being highly desired and in limited quantity, original mocha beans grown in mocha fetch a high price. You can get mocha beans from the same subspecies of Coffea Arabica plant but is grown elsewhere in the world.

Latte Vs Mocha – Their Differences

The most obvious difference between a latte and a mocha is the presence of chocolate and the amount of steamed milk used in relation to the espresso shot.

These two minor differences create very different flavor profiles and different coffee experiences.

Ingredients

As I touched on, the obvious difference between a latte and a mocha coffee is the different ingredients used.

• Latte: Espresso, steamed milk and a fine layer of milk foam. Espresso to milk ratio is 1:2.
• Mocha: Espresso, chocolate and steamed milk in equal amounts.

Both drinks have milk foam with a latte famed for its latte art. While latte art can be added to a mocha, it is not at all that common.

Both drinks have the skill of balancing the flavors and blending the creaminess and getting an even distribution is due to the baristas skill and mastery of the pour when pouring the steamed milk.

The different ingredients in a latte vs mocha result is a different mouthfeel, texture and of course the flavor.

A latte, due to the larger amount of milk used, is creamier, milky and has a very velvet-like mouthfeel. It’s a mild coffee. A mocha is rich, sweet and has notable chocolate flavor with a greater presence of coffee than a latte.

Variations

Both a latte and a mocha can have some truly amazing variations with a latte being the most customizable coffee drink that there is.

Not only can you change the type of milk from the traditional whole milk to a low fat or non-fat milk, you can use half-and-half cream to make a breve latte or even heavy cream for a more decadent latte.

Of course there are a number of alternative milks that alter the flavor and texture. Popular choices are oat milk, soy milk, coconut milk and almond milk.

The type of sugar that you use in a latte or any coffee beverage can and will change the flavor of your drink. Popular types of sugar and alternative sweeteners include brown sugar, coconut sugar, honey, agave and stevia.

You can also add various spices from cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, star anise, cinnamon, pumpkin spice to turmeric and more.

I’ve still not mentioned the various and almost infinite flavored syrups like vanilla, caramel, salted caramel, peppermint, Irish cream and more that are popular choices.

Putting all that together and the fact that you can mix match and combine spices, milks, sugars and syrups you have what is the most customizable coffee drink.

A mocha coffee has some very neat variations and customizations too but is understandably limited as the ingredients must go well with both coffee and chocolate.

Here are some variations that I have seen or tried:

• Chocolate Orange Mocha.
• Peppermint Mocha.
• White Chocolate Mocha.
• Peppermint And Creme Mocha.
• Dark and White Chocolate Mocha.
• Salted Caramel Mocha.

Mocha Vs Latte Calories

When comparing a mocha vs latte calories are often a factor to consider, especially for those that want to stay in shape and maintain their figure.

A mocha is the drink that has the most calories between these two, in most instances, almost twice as much. At Latte Love Brew we encourage you to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

 Latte Vs Mocha Caffeine

The amount of caffeine in these two drinks are slightly different, with a mocha having more caffeine due to the caffeine coming from two sources, the coffee and the chocolate.

Even though the caffeine content is higher in a mocha, the chocolate has a calming effect, meaning you are less likely to suffer anxiety attacks.

How To Make A Latte

A latte is one of the easiest coffee drinks to make. To make it perfectly you must use an espresso machine as the best moka pot espresso maker doesn’t really make a true espresso, they make an espresso like coffee.

Pull your shot, steam your milk and add it to your espresso. If you want to steam alternative milks, use the Barista brand to avoid the problem of your milk curdling.

How To Make A Mocha

A mocha is also easy to make. The best way is to start by making the chocolate component and use hot chocolate. The best ingredients will produce the best results.

The same can be said of the techniques. Use chocolate chunks and steam your milk. Melt your chocolate chunks into your milk.

Make your espresso shot with your espresso machine and pour an equal amount of your hot chocolate milk into your espresso.

Serve and enjoy.

Optional: Top with whipped cream and add chocolate shavings or flakes.

Frequently Asked Questions About Latte Vs Mocha

Which Is Stronger Latte Or Mocha?

A mocha has a stronger coffee taste than a latte coffee due to there being less milk used, approximately half as much, with the rest being replaced with chocolate sauce.

• Latte: A single shot of espresso and steamed milk using an espresso to milk ratio of 1:2 and a small amount of milk froth.
• Mocha: A single shot of espresso and steamed milk and chocolate in equal ratios of 1:1:1. Also has a small cap of milk foam.

A mocha is also stronger in terms of the caffeine kick, not because of an extra amount of coffee but due to the caffeine content in chocolate.

Is A Latte Healthier Than A Mocha?

A caffe latte is healthier than a mocha for a few reasons. It has a slightly reduced amount of caffeine, less fat, less cholesterol and almost half the calories as caffe mocha.

Which Is Better Latte Or Mocha For Beginners?

Both a latte and a mocha are good for beginners. I’d put a latte and an iced latte as a better choice for beginner coffee drinkers due to the extra milkiness and the coffee not being masked by the taste of chocolate.

When trying a latte and then an iced latte, try to notice that an iced latte is slightly stronger, taste it, notice the taste. It’s slightly stronger to compensate for melting ice.

The best coffee beverages for beginners are:

1. Latte/ Iced latte.
2. Mocha.
3. Cappuccino.
4. Lungo.
5. Drip coffee.
6. Café Americano.
7. Iced coffee.

Which Is Sweeter Latte Or Mocha?

A mocha is sweeter than a latte, and notably so. It is a drink that doesn’t need to have any sugar or other sweetener added other than honey, which is for flavor. The sweetness of both the milk sugars and the chocolate comes through and is notable.

Why Is A Mocha Not A Latte?

A mocha is not considered as a latte for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the espresso to milk before the chocolate is added has a ratio of 1:1 basis, giving a stringer coffee taste before the chocolate is added.

Secondly, a mocha has its own sub category and variations of drinks like a peppermint mocha, white chocolate mocha, chocolate orange mocha and more.

Does Latte Taste Like Mocha?

No, a latte has its own unique flavor which is mild coffee tasty dominated by the creaminess of the milk content. It’s sweet and was the best of the coffee flavors breaking through with the bitter notes cooled down by the milk and the acidity brought into line with the milk. 

A mocha is sweeter with a stronger coffee flavor and a delicious chocolate flavor mixing with the coffee.

Final Thoughts – Latte Vs Mocha

When comparing a Latte Vs Mocha, you need to consider all things about the two drinks in question, which I think I have achieved. If I have missed something out, and you have any questions, send them to us, and I’ll happily answer them.

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Derek Marshall

Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location