You’ve heard of wine pairings, where food and wine experts choose the best foods to pair with a certain wine or vice versa. And recently beer pairings and cocktail pairings have become quite popular. But how about coffee pairings? Well, if you didn’t think they were a thing, think again!
Pairing coffee with specific foods can greatly enhance your dining experience. Whether amplifying similar flavours or complimenting with contrasting flavours, choosing specific coffees and foods can be a lot of fun.
FOR THE SWEET TOOTH
Most people gravitate towards sweet food items when drinking coffee. This is likely due to the bitterness found in most coffees. Though you might think bitterness is a bad thing, often in coffee, it is desirable. Just think about bittersweet chocolate! Doughnuts, cakes, cookies, pies, and brownies are all delicious and great choices to go with any coffee you choose. But they are ideal with your darker roasted coffees and espressos. If you are looking for the ideal coffee to pair with your tasty sweet foods then our Nguni Blend is the one for you.
SAVOURY LOVERS
IS CHEESE YOUR MAIN SQUEEZE?
You can also pair coffee with cheese, just like a wine tasting. Try our Phats & Bones Blend with its palate-cleansing acidity for creamy cheeses like mozzarella or brie. For medium flavoured cheeses, like bleu cheese or goat cheese, our TanzaniaAA stands up to the more distinctive flavours. Pair a full-bodied coffee with strong cheeses like smoked Gruyere or aged sharp cheddar.
WITH OR WITHOUT?
When pairing coffees with foods, serve the coffee black. This allows the natural flavours in the coffee to shine through. Adding milk and sugar changes the flavour, muting or masking the individual qualities that make the pairing work. Even with your sweet pairings, black coffee can enhance those sweet, nutty, or even cinnamon spicy flavours.
YOUR CHOICE MATTERS
Though we can pair coffee and food for any occasion, ultimately the choice of what tastes good is up to you. Sure, most wine aficionados will strongly suggest specific wines with specific foods (for example, always have a light white wine like a Pinot Grigio with fish or a strong Cabernet Sauvignon with steak) the final decision rests with you and what tastes good to you. Even adding milk and sugar is okay if that is how you typically take your coffee. Truly, there are no wrong or right answers when it comes to flavour and who enjoys what combinations. So the next time you feel like having coffee with your meal, go right ahead! We hope these pairing combinations will help you decide which coffee will go well with which foods, but make sure you take into consideration your palate. If you try one of our pairings above, please let us know what you think in the comments below!
ABOUT
You’ve heard of wine pairings, where food and wine experts choose the best foods to pair with a certain wine or vice versa. And recently beer pairings and cocktail pairings have become quite popular. But how about coffee pairings? Well, if you didn’t think they were a thing, think again!
