Macchiato vs mocha is strong versus sweet. An espresso macchiato is a shot of espresso “marked” with a dollop of milk foam, usually under 2 oz (about 60 ml). A caffè mocha adds chocolate sauce and steamed milk, often with whipped cream, in a cup of 8 oz (240 ml) or more. One tastes intense, the other like chocolatey coffee.
Both are built on espresso, so a double macchiato and a two-shot mocha carry similar caffeine. The real differences are size, milk, chocolate and sugar. The word “macchiato” also means different things on different menus, which we untangle below. For a map of every espresso drink, see our chart of types of espresso drinks.
The short answer
| Macchiato (espresso macchiato) | Mocha (caffè mocha) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Espresso marked with a dollop of milk foam | Espresso, chocolate and steamed milk |
| Espresso | 1–2 shots | 1–2 shots |
| Milk | A spoonful of foam | Several ounces of steamed milk |
| Chocolate | None | Chocolate sauce or cocoa |
| Topping | Foam | Often whipped cream |
| Sweetness | Unsweetened | Sweet |
| Starbucks sizes | 0.8 fl oz (single), 1.6 fl oz (double) | 8–20 fl oz |
| Starbucks calories | 10–15 | 200–450 |
| Caffeine | Same as the shots | Shots plus a little from cocoa |
Starbucks values come from its official nutrition pages. Other cafés pour their own versions, so treat them as a reference.
What is the difference between a macchiato and a mocha?
The difference between a macchiato and a mocha is what surrounds the espresso.
- Macchiato: Italian for “marked” or “stained.” Starbucks describes its Espresso Macchiato as espresso marked with a dollop of steamed milk and foam. You taste the espresso first; the foam only softens it.
- Mocha: short for caffè mocha. Starbucks describes it as espresso combined with bittersweet mocha sauce and steamed milk, topped with sweetened whipped cream. It is essentially a latte with chocolate, as we explain in mocha vs latte.
In a macchiato, the milk is a garnish. In a mocha, the espresso is one flavor in a sweet chocolate milk drink.
Macchiato vs mocha: size, milk and ratio
A mocha is about ten times the size of a macchiato. Starbucks publishes the recipe for each size, which makes the gap easy to see.
| Starbucks recipe | Espresso Macchiato | Caffè Mocha |
|---|---|---|
| Sizes | 0.8 fl oz (single) to 3.1 fl oz (quad) | 8 fl oz (short) to 20 fl oz (venti) |
| Espresso shots | 1 to 4 | 1 in short and tall, 2 in grande and venti |
| Chocolate | None | 2 to 5 pumps of mocha sauce |
| Milk | A dollop of 2% milk foam | 2% steamed milk fills the cup |
| Topping | Foam | Sweetened whipped cream |
The same two shots go into a double macchiato (1.6 fl oz) and a grande mocha (16 fl oz). The mocha is ten times the volume, and almost all of the extra is milk, chocolate sauce and cream.
That ratio explains everything else in this comparison. A macchiato is mostly espresso; a mocha is mostly milk.
Taste and sweetness
A macchiato keeps nearly all of the espresso’s character: its bitterness, acidity, body and crema. The dollop of foam takes the sharpest edge off the first sip and adds a touch of creaminess, but no sweetness to speak of. Starbucks lists 0 g of sugar in its Espresso Macchiato.
A mocha tastes like coffee meeting hot chocolate. Starbucks’ mocha sauce lists water, sugar, cocoa processed with alkali and natural flavor, and the whipped cream is sweetened too. The chain lists 27 g of sugar in a tall mocha and 35 g in a grande.
- Pick the macchiato if you like espresso and want it slightly softer.
- Pick the mocha if you find espresso bitter or want something dessert-like.
Macchiato vs mocha caffeine
A macchiato and a mocha have similar caffeine when they use the same number of shots; the mocha adds a little from cocoa. Most of the caffeine in both drinks comes from the espresso. USDA data puts espresso at about 212 mg of caffeine per 100 g, or roughly 63 mg in a 1 oz single shot. For more on shot-to-shot differences, see how much caffeine is in an espresso shot.
Starbucks’ numbers line up with the shot count:
| Starbucks drink | Shots | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso Macchiato, single | 1 | 75 mg |
| Espresso Macchiato, double | 2 | 150 mg |
| Caffè Mocha, tall (12 fl oz) | 1 | 95 mg |
| Caffè Mocha, grande (16 fl oz) | 2 | 175 mg |
The mocha’s extra 20–25 mg most likely comes from the cocoa in its sauce, since Starbucks lists a tall latte at 75 mg and a grande at 150 mg with the same shots. At home, USDA lists unsweetened cocoa powder at 230 mg of caffeine per 100 g, so a tablespoon (5.4 g) adds about 12 mg. Chocolate syrup adds very little, about 2 mg in 2 tablespoons.
Macchiato vs mocha calories
A mocha has far more calories than a macchiato, because calories follow the milk and chocolate. Starbucks lists 15 calories for a double Espresso Macchiato and 370 for a grande Caffè Mocha.
| Starbucks (2% milk) | Calories | Sugars |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso Macchiato, single (0.8 fl oz) | 10 | 0 g |
| Espresso Macchiato, double (1.6 fl oz) | 15 | 0 g |
| Caffè Mocha, short (8 fl oz) | 200 | 18 g |
| Caffè Mocha, tall (12 fl oz) | 290 | 27 g |
| Caffè Mocha, grande (16 fl oz) | 370 | 35 g |
| Caffè Mocha, venti (20 fl oz) | 450 | 45 g |
At home you can estimate your own mocha. USDA lists whole milk at 61 kcal per 100 g, so 8 oz (244 g) is about 150 kcal, and 2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup (39 g) add about 110 kcal. That puts a small homemade mocha around 260 kcal before any whipped cream. These are estimates based on those amounts.
Caramel macchiato, latte macchiato and mocha macchiato
Much of the “macchiato vs mocha” confusion comes from drinks that share the macchiato name but not its size.
- Caramel macchiato: Starbucks describes it as steamed milk with vanilla syrup, marked with espresso and topped with caramel drizzle. A grande has two shots and three pumps of vanilla: 250 calories, 33 g of sugar and 150 mg of caffeine. That makes it a sweet, latte-sized drink much closer to a mocha than to an espresso macchiato. Next to a grande Caffè Mocha (370 calories, 35 g of sugar, 175 mg), it has fewer calories, slightly less sugar and a little less caffeine.
- Latte macchiato: steamed milk poured into a tall glass first, then “marked” by espresso poured on top, forming layers. It is milkier than a caffè latte and contains no chocolate. We compare it in macchiato vs latte.
- Mocha macchiato: there is no standard recipe, and Starbucks’ US menu does not list one. Following the caramel macchiato’s logic, the name suggests chocolate and steamed milk with the espresso poured on top. Ask how the café makes it before you order.
If you want the traditional drink at a chain, ask for an espresso macchiato.
Cappuccino vs mocha, and the mochaccino
Two related comparisons come up often.
Cappuccino vs mocha: a cappuccino is espresso with steamed milk and a thick cap of foam, with no chocolate. A mocha adds chocolate and usually whipped cream. At Starbucks, a grande cappuccino lists 140 calories, 12 g of sugar and 150 mg of caffeine, against 370 calories, 35 g of sugar and 175 mg for a grande mocha. For how a cappuccino compares with the tiny macchiato, see macchiato vs cappuccino.
Mochaccino: on most menus, another name for the caffè mocha. Because the word borrows from cappuccino, some cafés give it a thicker foam cap instead of whipped cream. So “mochaccino vs macchiato” is the same comparison as mocha vs macchiato, and “cappuccino vs mochaccino” is simply a cappuccino with or without chocolate.
For a cold chocolate coffee, the Mocha Frappuccino is a different drink again, blended with ice; see cappuccino vs Frappuccino.
Which one should you order?
Order a macchiato if you want to taste the espresso with almost no sugar, and a mocha if you want a large, sweet chocolate drink.
| Choose a macchiato if you… | Choose a mocha if you… |
|---|---|
| Like espresso but want it slightly softer | Find espresso too bitter |
| Want a quick drink finished in a few sips | Want a large drink to sip slowly |
| Want almost no sugar or calories | Enjoy sweet, dessert-style drinks |
| Care about tasting the coffee itself | Love hot chocolate |
Making them at home
Both start with a good shot. For a macchiato, pull a single or double shot into a warm espresso cup, steam a little milk until it is foamy, and spoon a dollop of foam onto the crema.
For a mocha, stir chocolate sauce, or cocoa with a little sugar, into the hot shot until smooth. Add steamed milk heated to 60–65 °C (140–150 °F) and top with foam or whipped cream. Our guide to steaming milk for espresso drinks covers the milk technique for both.
The bottom line
A macchiato is espresso with a dollop of foam: tiny, intense, unsweetened and nearly calorie-free. A mocha is espresso with chocolate and steamed milk: large, sweet and rich, with a little extra caffeine from cocoa. With the same number of shots, their caffeine is close. If a menu’s “macchiato” comes with syrup and caramel, it is a latte-style drink, so ask for an espresso macchiato when you want the real contrast with a mocha.
Sources
- Starbucks nutrition pages: Espresso Macchiato, Caffè Mocha, Caramel Macchiato, Caffè Latte and Cappuccino (descriptions, recipes, ingredients, sizes, calories, sugar, caffeine)
- USDA FoodData Central: Espresso, restaurant-prepared (212 mg caffeine per 100 g) and Milk, whole (61 kcal per 100 g; 1 cup = 244 g)
- USDA FoodData Central: Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened (230 mg caffeine per 100 g; 1 tbsp = 5.4 g) and Beverages, chocolate syrup (279 kcal and 6 mg caffeine per 100 g; 2 tbsp = 39 g)
