Nescafé Peppermint Aero Mocha: Coffee or Hot Chocolate?

Buy this expecting a peppermint hot chocolate with a coffee backbone and it will please you; buy it expecting a coffee and it will not. The balance is the whole story, and it explains both how to make it and when to drink it.

Three flavours in a set order

Peppermint arrives first. Its aroma escapes from hot liquid almost as soon as the water goes in, so the first breath off the mug is the coolest one you get. The chocolate follows and stays, milk chocolate in character rather than dark, coating the tongue with help from the milk powder. The coffee sits underneath as depth and a gentle bitterness that many drinkers never pick out as coffee at all.

That order matters in practice. Because the mint fades fastest, leave the mug ten minutes and it will still be sweet, but the peppermint will have gone from the nose, so this is a drink to make and drink rather than make and forget. It is the same reason the pairing works in the chocolate bar on the box: mint lifts away from the surface while chocolate holds the body, so each keeps its own part of the palate.

Hot water, a paste and a little patience

Milk is already in the powder, so hot water alone finishes the drink, which is what makes the box handy in an office, a hotel room or a caravan. Let the kettle rest for about a minute so the water is near 90 degrees. Boiling water gives the milk powder a scorched, tinny note, and peppermint tends to exaggerate it rather than hide it.

Lumps come from pouring a full mug of water onto the powder in one go. Add a splash first, stir it into a smooth paste, then top up slowly while stirring. Sweetness is fixed at the factory and there is no unsweetened version, so if a mug tastes too rich the only adjustment is a little more water, and that costs some body in return.

When it earns its place

Its natural slot is mid-afternoon, or after the evening meal, when a strong coffee is more than you want and a straight hot chocolate feels a bit dull. The mint finishes clean rather than coated and stays on the sweet-shop side of the line rather than tasting like toothpaste, which is why it sits lightly after dinner. It is caffeinated, though, so bear that in mind late at night.

Each box holds seven sachets of 19g, 133g in all and seven mugs; the 19g on the front is a single sachet, not the carton. The published allergen statement says it contains milk, so it is not one for a dairy-free household. Aero and Nescafé are both Nestlé names, which is why the two sit together on the same box.

The packs we stock

• Nescafe Peppermint Aero Mocha, 7 x 19g Sachets (barcode 8445291266506)

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Nescafe Peppermint Aero Mocha, 7 x 19g Sachets (barcode 8445291266506) says it contains milk. The Aero Mocha recipe and its milk statement can be revised, so read the box on sale now.

Ingredient and nutrition data for this barcode: Open Food Facts (openfoodfacts.org), ODbL. Your box of Aero Mocha sachets is the final word.

What to eat with it

• Lu Le Petit Cookie with Chunky Rich Chocolate Chips, 184g: Chunky chocolate chips double down on the chocolate in the mug, and the mint keeps the pair from feeling heavy.
• Maryland Cookies Double Chocolate, 200g: Double chocolate cookies make an after-dinner plate that leans fully into the chocolate-and-mint idea.
• Maryland Cookies S'wich Choc Creme Biscuits, 150g: A chocolate creme sandwich repeats the chocolate of the drink in biscuit form, with the peppermint lifting the finish of each sip.

Elsewhere in the Nescafé range

• Nescafe Azera Americano Decaff Instant Coffee, 90g
• Nescafe Azera Americano Instant Coffee, 140g
• Nescafe Azera Americano Intense Instant Coffee with Finely Ground Beans, 140g
• Nescafe Azera Decaf Americano Instant Coffee with Finely Ground Beans, 135g
• Nescafe Cappuccino Decaf Unsweetened Taste Instant Coffee Sachets, 7 Sachets 105g
• Nescafe Cappuccino Instant Coffee, 7 Sachets

The full range is on the Nescafé brand page.

FAQ

Is Nescafé Peppermint Aero Mocha a coffee or a hot chocolate? Both, but it leans firmly towards chocolate. The coffee is there as depth and a gentle bitterness rather than as the main flavour.

Do I need to add milk? No. Milk is already in the powder, so hot water alone makes the drink.

Why does my mocha come out lumpy? Too much water at once. Mix the powder with a splash first to make a paste, then top up while stirring.

Does it contain caffeine? Yes, it is caffeinated, which is worth remembering if you drink it late in the evening.

How many mugs are in a box? Seven: seven sachets of 19g, 133g in total, one mug each.

Curator's note: Make it with water that has rested a minute and drink it while the mint is still rising off the cup. Leave it ten minutes and it is still sweet, but the peppermint has gone. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Nescafé Peppermint Aero Mocha: Coffee or Hot Chocolate?

More from the tea wiki

• Nescafé: The Instant Coffee Benchmark
• Tea vs Coffee: Taste, Caffeine and Switching
• Caffeine in Tea
• Tea vs Coffee
• Tea for Coffee Drinkers: Where to Start
• Chai vs Coffee

Download as PDF