The enduring appeal of mocha

It’s a perfect pairing. Like strawberries and cream, or tomatoes and basil, the combination of chocolate and coffee works big time, every time. This UK Coffee Week we’re exploring why mocha is the mostest.

Chocolate and coffee flavour pairing

Mocha is a coffee-trading port in the Yemen, and as the coffee from there was historically known for its full-flavoured chocolate notes, over time the word mocha came to mean the chocolate and coffee flavour combination.

Why is coffee plus chocolate so good? It depends a little on the exact varieties of each, but in general both ingredients have complimentary flavours including bitter, sweet, creamy, fruity and nutty.

These days mochaccino (cappuccino with chocolate syrup) and mocha latte (similar, but containing more milk and sometimes cream too) are coffee counter staples. But they’re a bit milkshakey for some tastes.

If you’d like something richer and stronger, try Heddon Street Kitchen’s Turin-style bicerin – rich chocolate sauce with HSK’s exclusive Royal Bourbon coffee and just a touch of milk foam. If you’re just in the mood to kick back with a heavenly cup of coffee, then Heddon Street Kitchen’s Bottomless Brews is just what you need to get you through your working days.

Mocha in cooking

A rich Baileys mocha cheesecake perfectly paired with espresso ice cream is a prime example of coffee in culinary action. York & Albany will be serving this scrumptious treat as a special during UK Coffee Week - check out the recipe here.

Cannoli is another old Italian favourite which Bread Street Kitchen is giving a mocha twist. Espresso and cocoa feature in the pastry, dark chocolate in the rich ricotta filling, and blood orange gives the dessert a zingy and very pretty finish.

Heddon Street Kitchen’s head chef Guy Betteridge has taken the mocha combination a step further, using white chocolate with espresso and rum in a luscious mousse, a new style of café mocha recipe to try this UK Coffee Week.

More UK Coffee Week recipes

Our bartenders enjoy playing with coffee recipe flavours too. Heddon Street Kitchen’s cocktail the Roastery takes Mexico’s world-famous coffee and rum liqueur Kahlúa and mixes it with fresh-brewed espresso, almond syrup, mezcal and tequila for a rich, tropical taste of Tijuana. It’s a perfect after-dinner tipple, so too is Bread Street Kitchen’s espresso martini which swaps out the chocolate flavour for on-trend salted caramel (another flavour that goes beautifully with chocolate, of course).  Try them at home with these recipes.