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I prepare Turkish coffee using pre-roasted coffee powder.

What is a good time to add cocoa powder to it - before heating, after heating or during heating? Does it matter?

Cascabel
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Aquarius_Girl
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3 Answers3

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If you're using plain cocoa powder, which doesn't really dissolve, I would mix it with the coffee powder before adding to the water, and as long as the coffee powder will tolerate it, add it all to the water before heating. Mixing the two powders should help avoid clumps in the cocoa powder, and adding it early will give it time to release flavor into the water. You'll still have to stir a bit to keep it from settling out, though!

If you're using instant cocoa mix, which is sweetened and processed to make it dissolve evenly, you can just add it at the end. There's no benefit from adding it earlier, and it'll be easiest to stir and dissolve it in already hot water.

Cascabel
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  • `as long as the coffee powder will tolerate it,` What is the indirect meaning of this statement? And, why do you say that there is no benefit of adding instant cocoa to water/milk beforehand? Do you mean that adding raw cocoa to cold milk/water and then boiling it means more taste? – Aquarius_Girl Apr 09 '15 at 14:00
  • @TheIndependentAquarius There are certainly things that are meant to be just dissolved into hot water, and are best if they're not cooked for too long. There are also things that need some time to cook/steep to release their flavor. I don't know exactly what kind of coffee powder you're using, and I've probably never used it myself, but I'm sure you can figure out which way it's meant to be used. – Cascabel Apr 09 '15 at 16:13
  • The cocoa thing is pretty similar. If it's an instant mix that's designed to be just dissolved into hot water/milk, cooking it longer isn't going to do anything. It'll just... still be dissolved. So you might as well mix it in at the end, it's easier. On the other hand, if you're using straight-up cocoa powder (which doesn't dissolve at all), letting it cook/steep for a bit will let it release more flavor into the milk/water so yes, it'll taste better. – Cascabel Apr 09 '15 at 16:14
  • thanks for the detailed comments and I am sorry that I forgot to mention that I am using Hershey's natural cocoa. Also, please confirm milk with cocoa pure should be only heated or should be boiled too. – Aquarius_Girl Apr 09 '15 at 16:24
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    @TheIndependentAquarius You probably want to simmer, not boil. Boiling milk gets really messy really fast, and you'll be more prone to burning it on the bottom, so you have to babysit a lot. Simmering will work just as well, without all the trouble. – Cascabel Apr 09 '15 at 16:45
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My vote would be to use whole cocoa beans mixed into the coffee. This could just be a personal preference but sometimes I add a touch of salt to cut the bitterness from fresh roasted coffee beans. So, with the addition of some whole cocoa beans, I would only assume it would be wonderful. I would only suggest this if you're aim is to a subtle flavor and not a flavor explosion.

Since the current application is cocoa power then you're effectively doing the exact same thing to scenario 1 and 2. Before heating, you're pouring hot coffee atop your cocoa power (which I would presume would be in your mug), after heating you're stirring the contents of the cocoa into the mug post pour, during heating is where you might get some different reaction from the sheer amount of time the cocoa is exposed to the heat. I see no difference in the amount of time being put into either, though I would think you might get some lingering powder if the coffee isn't hot enough from method 2. Where as the first and second could yield the same results, the third may in add a bit more flavor because you're essentially cooking the cocoa for a longer period of time (given this is a conventional coffee maker or french press). I hope this answers your question.

Cascabel
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Knostradamus
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  • OP specified they are using pre-roasted powder, not whole beans, so adding the cocoa isn't going to work since it'd be whole beans in loose powder - unless that is what you intended. – Kogitsune Feb 19 '15 at 20:00
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    As for the answer, I'm confused: you seem to be understanding "before heating" and "after heating" as "before pouring in hot coffee" and "after pouring in hot coffee". I think the OP meant what she said, that is, before heating means mixing cocoa powder into *cold* liquid and heating it up, so before and after heating aren't the same thing at all. – Cascabel Feb 19 '15 at 22:14
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I mix 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon of instant coffee in a coffee cup with 2 teaspoons of sugar and pour in a little bit of milk,stir till completely mixed,then add hot water from my kettle while stirring. It works out great!

Lisa Says....
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