Mocha Madness

Mo•cha n.
1. A rich, pungent Arabian coffee.
2. Coffee of high quality.
3. A flavoring made of coffee often mixed with chocolate.
4. A soft, thin, suede-finished glove leather usually made from sheepskin.
5. Colour. A dark olive brown.

A mocha can prove to be the perfect beverage when you can't quite face the intensity of an espresso but are in no mood to uncover the child within by ordering a hot chocolate. Unless you're in Seville.

Last time I was there, I popped into a reputable looking coffee shop with some friends and ordered a mocha. The barista wouldn't have looked more clueless had I asked for a liquidised poodle in Japanese. I proceeded to explain (via the medium of mime and my primitive Spanish) how the drink was a wonderful concoction, perfectly balancing coffee with chocolate. He repeated my instructions slowly to himself and subsequently to his fellow baristas who in turn broadcast my seemingly blasphemous order around the cafe. By this point everybody was laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of such a drink and of a person who would order it.

I ended up ordering a hot chocolate. Good Friday Mubarak!