Making a Mocha Workout Drink

If you’re like me and try to stick to a regular workout program, you’ll probably at some point want to incorporate whey protein powder into it. If you’re still like me, you’ll not care at all for artificial sugar substitutes and hence have issues choking down a protein shake. Then I decided to make a mocha using protein powder.

I’m not claiming to be an expert in nutrition or anything of the sort, but this is what worked for me:

1. Make the coffee concentrate (I used an Aeropress, you could probably use a French press, espresso shots, whatever)
2. Add mocha powder to the concentrate, I use Ghirardelli white chocolate powder (Roaste needs to start carrying this btw!), but you could probably use a syrup as well if you prefer.
3. Add the milk. Whole, 2%, 1%, whatever floats your boat. I use half the milk I normally use for a mocha and substitute half water because the protein powder will make the drink a bit creamer than normal.
4. Add the whey protein powder (I use one scoop or about 26g of protein). I like unflavored so it doesn’t get it the way of the taste, but vanilla flavor works well too. Just make sure that if it’s sweetened to dial back on the mocha powder because otherwise you’ll end up with the mocha way too sweet.

A note, coffee is a bit acidic so you must add the milk first then the protein powder. Otherwise the whey in the protein powder will curdle upon contact with the coffee concentrate (not tasty, unless you like chewing little blobs of protein in your mocha). The milk balances it enough that the powder will mix well.

So there you have it, this works for me as a pre-workout drink or sometimes if I don’t have time for a good balanced breakfast as a meal replacement (note, I’m not recommending this as a meal replacement, just that sometimes I make it one). Anyone else do something like this?