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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

French Pressed Mexican Mocha in Moscow?

My feeble yet somewhat successful attempt at recreating the blissfulness of a Moscow Mexican Mocha.  Okay, so not Moscow, Russia... think Idaho.  Yup, I said Idaho.

My daughter and I took a trip recently to Moscow, Idaho.  And when you say it, say it like this:  MoscOH, IdaHO.  It's where she intends to spend her college years.  And while we were there we inevitably ended up at Bucer's: the coffeehouse to best all other coffeehouses.

The remnants of my Mexican Mocha at Bucer's.
So after feasting on several Mexican mochas during our trip, I am attempting to recreate the Latin Latte at home.

As a kid, I remember my dad buying a special kind of chocolate called Ibarra.  It came in this great yellow and red hexagonal shaped box. We'd get giddy as he unwrapped one layer and used a huge knife to cut each of us a single triangle of chocolate.  Oh how we savored that wonderful little wedge.   Apparently, Nestle now makes a similar kind of chocolate called Abuelita (Grandma).  Inside the box are discs of Mexican chocolate.  I'm not sure what it is about this chocolate that makes me swoon so much, except for the obvious fact that it's... chocolate.  It's not creamy... actually, it's quite grainy and slightly bitter, with hints of cinnamon lingering on the pallet.


I grind my own beans, so I just dumped a triangle or two of the Mexican chocolate in with the beans and ground it all together.  Put that in the bottom of your french press and pour some seriously hot water over it all.  I use water that I've heated in my tea kettle.  Let that sit for a couple of minutes in order to get the chocolate melted and to seep the coffee grounds.  Give it a quick stir with a plastic spoon (never use a metal spoon with a glass French press!) Then press the plunger down slowly.  Pour your coffee into your teacup or mug and add steamed or hot milk. I like mine especially sweet, so I add sugar free vanilla creamer.  
If you don't grind your own beans, I'm sure adding the chocolate directly to the coffee would work as well... so long as you try to smash it up into smaller pieces first.

It's not quite Bucer's, but I'll take it. :)

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