The color of the mortar determines the colors that come out of the brick. Most brick are laid with gray cement, being the least expensive. White, buff, dark brown and chocolate are also favorites in our area. Gray mortar can be light or dark gray depending on the manufacturer and also how soon the mortar joint is struck.
The color of the sand mixed with the cement will change the hue. In some areas a nearly white sand is used to get a pure white mortar and in other areas the predominate masonry sand is orange and mixed with white cement produces a buff mortar.
Here are three brick with different mortar colors to show the effect mortar has on the overall wall.