Chili Mocha Latte, a drink for the really cold winter days

Coffee, chocolate and chili peppers in a delightful winter recipe.

Strange as it may seem to us today, chocolate, in its first form, went hand in hand with hot chili peppers! The first chocolate drink, as enjoyed by the Aztecs and Mayans in pre-Columbian America, had as its main ingredient chili peppers, which abound throughout Central and South America, in varying degrees and degrees of cavalry. But how can this be combined with coffee?

Of course, coffee was unknown in South America when the Aztecs enjoyed their bitter and hot beverage, but today coffee is one of the main export products for Central and much of South America - and the flavors are famously combined. After all, chocolate with coffee is a timeless and favorite marriage, why not hot peppers? The Chille Mocha Latte, a drink that combines strong coffee, milk, cocoa and chili, is for a special taste, perfect for the cold winter days. Large American coffee chains offer it as seasonal coffees, but it's just as easy to prepare the spice mix that gives this special home-made flavor a taste of Chile Mocha Latte as often as we like.

What do you need for the Chile Mocha Mix ?

• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of unsweetend cocoa
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of hot chili powder
• A pinch of cayenne pepper

How is  Chile Mocha Latte prepared?

• Prepare milk foam with 180ml of milk
• Add the milk foam to 60ml of espresso (a double espresso)
• Add a teaspoon of Chile Mocha Mix and mix well
• Serve with a little sprinkle of cinnamon and cayenne in the milk foam

Tips for delicious Chile Mocha Lattes

• The proportions for the spice mix give about 250gr, which we can be stored in an airtight jar for long enough to use it whenever you want.
• If you have friends who love coffee, you can offer them a gift with a chile mocha mix jar - a very personal and very, very fun gift!
• The original recipe uses chili powder from ancho peppers, known for their relatively mild and aromatic character, but whatever good (and unsalted) chili mix  will have a good effect.
• Use 100% Arabica blends, rich in aromas and flavors.
• Although not necessary, you can use a blend rich in Latin American coffees (such as Puro for example) or even a Latin American single origin (such as Illy Arabica Selection Guatemala), giving an even more exotic flavor to our drink.
• The ingredients of spice mix give a balanced drink, which is not particularly hot but retains all the individual flavors. If we resist the heat and want more… intense emotions, we slightly increase the chili powder and cayenne pepper - experimenters always find the perfect proportions.

With the thermometer stuck at low temperatures, we need a tonic, warming drink - and Chile Mocha Latte is probably the most delicious way to deal with frosty weather!