Breve VS Mocha, What is the difference between these drinks?

Breve and mocha may sound similar and both describe different types of coffee drinks, but there’s actually a difference between these two terms.

If you’re not sure about the difference between mocha and breve, or if you’re just looking to learn more about the two of them, you can take comfort in knowing that it’s a common mistake many coffee drinkers make!

Fortunately, we’re here to help clear up any confusion! We’ll tell you how to order the most popular coffee drink made with each term, as well as what exactly they mean.

The Primary Difference Between Breve VS Mocha

Mocha coffee is an espresso-based drink with a slight touch of dark chocolate syrup and steamed milk. Meanwhile, a breve coffee is a combination of espresso, half steamed and half mix of whole milk with a slight touch of heavy cream or light cream. However, both are espresso-based lattes. You can enjoy both the hot and cold versions of these latte drinks.

The Similarities

The other similarity is that both are thick, foamy, and decadent additions to your favourite drink. If you’re craving something sweet, mochas will add a wonderful punch of flavour as well as texture—not to mention caffeine!

For example, mochas are often mixed with hot water or steamed milk in order to create lattes or cappuccinos. On the other hand, if you want something milder but just as tasty (or even more so), then breves might be more your speed.

The other significant difference between Breve VS Mocha

We already talked about the two basic factors that make mochas different from breves: the amount of espresso and milk in each drink. So to recap, below are some other factors that are unique to each of these drinks.

These factors will help you identify them even if they’re served side by side with little differentiation between them.

Mocha Coffee

1. A mocha will be made with complete steamed whole milk (1/4 part). This makes it chocolaty, sweeter, milky, frothy (through heated milk steam) and foamy (from espresso addition). Sometimes a very small percentage of low-fat milk or 2% milk might be used to lighten up on calories for some customers but still have that creamy texture with extra froth which is desired by some people. There may also be an option to have no milk at all in some places because there are lactose-intolerant people who order mochas.

2. There are numerous possibilities for alternatives to modify your mochas to make them healthier or appeal to certain dietary restrictions. To make it lower in calories, sometimes an alternative sweetener may be used instead of sugar or artificial sweeteners.

3. In mochas, chocolate content is usually higher than in breves because they’re basically mochas with milk so all that fat, protein, carbohydrate and calories you consume will add up to make it taste richer.

4. A mocha may have more crushed/whipped cream on top than a breve because its frothy consistency makes it easier for the cream to float on top without sinking fast like how bubbles might easily do on steamed milk.

Breve Coffee

1. A breve will be made with half-and-half (1/2 part). Whole milk makes up most of a Caffe mocha but half-and-half makes up most of a breve so you can expect it to be sweeter, lighter in colour, lower in calories and less foamy compared to its heavier counterparts when steamed because there’s less espresso added on top.

2. There are fewer modifications for breves because most of them come with half-and-half already which makes it lighter in colour, fewer calories, low-fat content and more creamy by itself. Sometimes you can get your breve made iced but more often than not, you will have to settle for a cup of steamed half-and-half with extra sugar if you want to make it sweeter.

3. A latte breve requires cream because it’s essentially half-and-half on top of espresso so without steamed milk, its consistency will be thick like syrup instead of foamy like mochas. This is usually served in an espresso cup which only adds to its syrupy consistency so adding cream won’t change anything except for slightly lightening up its colour.

Also Read: Health Benefits of Mocha

What Is Mocha coffee?

It’s not just any shot of espresso. It’s actually made by adding an extra dose of sugar to a shot of espresso (aka, one or two teaspoons per 8 oz. cup).

The sugar melts quickly so it doesn’t give mochas their signature texture—that thick, rich mouthfeel you get from drinking warm caramel syrup—but that’s why you’ll also find dry versions in addition to those with whipped cream on top.

You’ll often hear people refer to mochas as chocolate coffee, but there isn’t much chocolate about them other than how they taste.

What is Breve coffee?

Breve is made by adding steamed milk to espresso—no extra sugar required. Since it doesn’t have any added sugar, you won’t get that caramel texture you’ll find in mochas, but you can get that mouthfeel from other ingredients like melted chocolate or whipped cream.

That’s why breves are often served with cocoa powder mixed into them; it provides that velvety texture without making it sweet. Like their mocha cousins, dry versions of breves are also available for those who want something more like coffee than dessert.

How to make Mocha coffee?(Quick Method)

Often described as hot chocolate for adults, mochas are decadent shots of espresso (think: approximately 2 oz.) combined with steamed milk, topped with whipped cream.

The drink consists of coffee beans (ideally French roast) made into espresso or ristretto shots, then poured into a cup filled with steamed milk that’s been frothed using steam or an immersion blender.

Usually, sugar or cocoa powder is added to sweeten it up. But here’s where things get tricky.

Step 1. Brew some espresso or use good quality instant coffee.

Step 2. Prepare some steamed milk. You can also use single cream (whipping cream), or for an even richer taste, warm up heavy whipping cream and pour it on top of freshly brewed espresso to create a creamy foam.

Step 3. Now pour all the ingredients one by one, in this order: whipped cream, milk, hot or dark chocolate, and then espresso shot.

How to make Breve coffee? (Quick Method)

Let’s talk about what Breve means. The word breve is Spanish for short. Therefore, if you have a drink with one shot of espresso, topped with whipped cream that is not as sweet as regular whipped cream, you have breve!

To make your own mocha breve, you need 1 shot of espresso and 2 shots of steamed half & half (regular steamed milk will not produce enough foam).

The two flavours create a unique taste, different from regular mochas but just as good!

Step 1. Put one shot of espresso in your cup.

Step 2. Steam two shots of half & half on your steamer or instant pot (for dairy-free alternative). If you’re using an instant pot, don’t use it on steam mode but pressure steam! Steaming will take about 5-7 minutes. The result should look like regular whipped cream! Add it to your espresso for extra foamy goodness!

Step 3. Pour everything, and you are done.

A Complete Recipe Of Caffè Breve

A Complete Recipe Of Caffè Mocha

The Bottom Line

You may have noticed that many of our drinks start with café -– and often end with it, too. For example, you probably see Caffe mochas, lattes and cappuccinos on just about every menu.

What’s in a name? Café mochas are made with both espresso and chocolate syrup; café lattes are made with both espresso and steamed milk; cappuccinos are made with frothed milk instead of steamed.

They might taste similar (and there’s even debate about that), but these beverages all differ from one another in one important way: steamed vs. foamed milk. You’ll never see breve on any menu because breve isn’t a drink at all!