- Due to the infinite tasting notes present in coffee, this caffeinated beverage can do wonders to highlight the flavors of your food.
- From coffee cake & donuts to bananas & apples, coffee can be paired with a variety of foods to provide you with the ultimate flavor combination.
- Grab the free Coffee and Food Pairing Chart & the Coffee and Food Pairing Guide here to help you remember the best pairings and best pairing practices at home!
What is it about certain foods that makes them pair so nicely with a cup of coffee, like a donut or a biscotto? Coffee, much like wine, has an extensive selection of flavor nuances that the uninitiated coffee-drinker may not recognize. The flavor of each individual coffee can vary greatly, ranging from berry and tangerine to chocolate and caramel. These distinct flavor profiles have the potential to enhance the flavors of the food eaten with them.
After that, you can move on to more intricate topics like understanding the most popular coffee tastes (by geography or by degree of roasting). Gaining an understanding of the varied tastes associated with coffee can aid in selecting the right food accompaniment. Following that, you will have taken a considerable step towards becoming an authority in culinary and caffeine matching.
5 COFFEE & FOOD PAIRING BEST PRACTICES
Before exploring the correct pairings between the food and drinks, here are five essential points to factor in when pairing coffee and food.
1. LIKE GOES WITH LIKE WHEN PAIRING COFFEE & FOOD.
Similarity should be observed when combining coffee and meals, analogous to how wine matches are made. If your cup of coffee has a more subtle and fruity flavor, try having a fruit tart with it or a sorbet. If your coffee has a flavour profile with hints of chocolate and nuts, then complements these tastes with a delicious bakery item like a brownie or an almond croissant.
2. BALANCE OUT THE INTENSITIES.
Take into account the strength of the coffee and cuisine when doing the matching. If you are drinking a robust, dark coffee, pair it with a food item that has less flavor like an oatmeal cookie or a vanilla cupcake so that it won’t overpower your drink. If your coffee is not very strong in taste or texture, pairing it with a richer dessert like a chocolate truffle would be a good choice.
3. CONSIDER TEMPERATURE TO CREATE MORE DEPTH.
Heat can bring complexity to your match-up experiment and make room for some imaginative exploration. Would you rather have a mix of hot and cold like an iced coffee that has been quickly cooled and a toasted croissant? Do you choose a more heat-centric snack and coffee combination, like a newly cooked donut coupled with a steaming mug of drip coffee? The choice is yours!
4. TEXTURE GOES HAND-IN-HAND WITH TEMPERATURE.
The consistency of the food that you are accommodating can assist you in figuring out the best temperature at which to serve your coffee. For instance, if the food has a crumbly and solid consistency like biscotti, think about having a hot coffee to dunk it in and make it softer. If the texture of the food combination is damp and tender, you have the liberty to choose either an iced coffee or a hot latte. This practice is optional.
5. COMPLEMENTARY FLAVORS MAKE FOR A MORE ADVENTUROUS PAIRING.
If you are looking for an interesting combination when it comes to your coffee and food, try combining flavors that work together. If your coffee has a sweet flavor, try being daring and matching it with an appetizing smooth cheese or now and then a salty snack like a measure of cashews or a cut of beef!
If you’re looking for an interesting flavor combination with coffee that has spicy cinnamon notes, try a salty snack like chocolate-covered pretzels or a sweet treat like vanilla ice cream to make a perfect pairing.
BEST FOOD & COFFEE PAIRINGS (CATEGORICALLY)
For anyone who prefers the combination of food and coffee over the details of the traditional way to pair them, the following are the top 50 most suitable pairings. Take a look at our comprehensive categorical list below.
FRUIT PAIRINGS
Although certain fruits (such as those with a citrus flavor) are not suitable, most types of fruit go well when paired with coffee. Light roast coffees tend to have a lot of fruity flavors, so they are a great match for each other. Fruits also lend themselves well to complementary pairings. Check out the top combinations of fruit and coffee here.
Berries like blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries go really well with coffee from places like Kenya and Ethiopia. Berries make a yummy accompaniment to coffees from South America, owing to their complementary flavors.
If you love the combination of chocolate and banana (any “Arrested Development” fan will get this), you can create it by putting banana slices with dark roast coffee that has notes of chocolate. Consider coffee beans from Brazil or Colombia.
Having toast with jam on it makes for an easy yet wonderful accompaniment to your coffee. Any type of preserves such as jelly, apple butter, or whatever type of fruity spread works well too. These fruit preserves are well-suited to go with coffees that have a nutty, caramelly, or chocolaty flavor. A South Pacific-style coffee is a great accompaniment to toast and jam.
If you’re a devotee of dried cranberries, trail blend, or other similar treats, you can bring out their flavor by combining them with a fruity coffee for a fruity mixture.
If you don’t want any extra flavor spoiling the taste of your coffee, neutral fruits like apples, pears, and loquats make good palate cleansers. Savor these fruits with a mellow brew of coffee which is full of flowery flavors.
Matching succulent fruits like Orange, Watermelon, Melon, and Pineapple with coffees originating from Asia is a great way to experience both herbal and earthy flavors. This will help to create an adventurous complementary pairing.
Sorbet may not be a piece of fruit, but it is overflowing with the taste of various fruits. Sorbets work nicely together with lively coffees like those from Africa or a selection of java from Central America, including Mexico, Guatemala and Nicaragua.
Berries
Berries like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are full of antioxidants and make a great accompaniment to coffee.
Berries taste great with most coffees. These accompaniments work great with Haitian, Kenyan, or Tanzanian coffee due to their fruity or nutty flavors. The delicious taste of blueberries combined with Jamaican coffee brings out its creamy sweetness, making for an extremely appetizing snack.
Tart fruit
Examples of zesty fruits that taste beautiful with coffee include cherries, kiwis, black currants, granny smith apples and citrus produce. The intense taste of these fruits pairs perfectly with a strong dark-roast coffee, like Costa Rican or Brazilian.
Stone fruit
Fruits with a stone-like center, such as plums, peaches, apricots, nectarines, mangos, cherries, lychees, and dates are all classified as stone fruits. They have a great deal of fiber, which can be beneficial for digestion. These fresh fruits are especially pleasing when served with Tanzanian and Haitian coffees since they bring out the fruity and chocolatey notes. Coffees from Hawaii, including light roast Kona, are great when combined with fruity, succulent fruit.
Milk chocolate
Drinking a high-quality Colombian coffee with hints of caramel and nut along with milk chocolate enhances the flavors of both, making a delectable sweet and savory experience.
Chocolate covered bananas
Ethiopian brew has a vivid, tangy flavor, making it a splendid accompaniment to chocolate-covered bananas or other fruit dipped in chocolate. The sweetness of the banana counterbalances the sharp taste of coffee from Africa, which is usually more acidic than coffee from Central or South America.
Gourmet dark chocolate
To get the full flavor of the dark chocolate, it is best to pair it with a Guatemalan or Papua New Guinean coffee. These coffees have a renowned reputation for their intense and sumptuous chocolate and cocoa tastes. Another possibility is Colombian coffee, which has a strong caramel-like taste. Mixing gourmet dark chocolate with either of those coffees will make a scrumptious flavor that will definitely delight your taste buds.
Chocolate bark
A chocolate bark mix that contains almonds or cashews should be matched with a coffee that is known for its nutty flavors, such as those of Brazilian, Colombian, Honduran, Indian, Mexican, or Peruvian varieties. Mixing chocolate bark with any of these coffee flavors that are nutty in nature is sure to give you a delicious, creamy and earthly taste that should satisfy your taste buds.
White chocolate
White chocolate has a delicate flavor, so it is best enjoyed with a coffee that does not overpower its taste. Brazilian coffees possess a velvety quality that would work productively with white chocolate.
No matter where the coffee is from, having a drink containing milk like a cappuccino can emphasize the richness of white chocolate. Strawberries would be a great accompaniment to your white chocolate and cappuccino combo!
Chocolate mousse
Chocolate mousse is a scrumptious delight that can be made even more mouth-watering when combined with the right kind of coffee. The richness of the chocolate mousse is a delight, so it must be paired with a potent cup of coffee, such as Nicaraguan coffee. If you are making the mousse yourself, you can utilize the coffee to give the recipe an extra strong flavor.
Scones
Coffees from South American countries like Costa Rica, Brazil, and Mexico go well with light flaky baked goods. The intensity of scones pairs wonderfully with the delicate warmth of a South American beverage. Fruit scones make for a lovely pairing with coffees from Yemen, Kenya, and Haiti, as the sweetness of the fruit perfectly complements the flavor of the coffee.
Biscotti
Biscotti is a classic pairing with coffee. It can be difficult to eat, so people sometimes dip it in coffee to make it easier to bite into. A strong cup of espresso or an intensely flavored coffee can be an ideal accompaniment to the bold taste of biscotti. Conversely, some may prefer a dirty chai latte (or just a common chai latte if they don’t drink coffee) to enhance the flavors of biscotti that contain spices.
Muffins
Most muffins go pretty well with coffee in general. Nevertheless, if you have a muffin made from fruit, say, a blueberry muffin, then you can drink your coffee with the type of fruit it is made from. As an illustration, Jamaican coffees harmonize nicely with blueberries and consequently blueberry muffins can be a good match for those type of coffees.
If you have something that is not overly sweet, such as a pumpkin muffin, you may want to pair it with a coffee that will accentuate the spiciness of the muffin. Yemeni and Jamaican coffees have the capability of accommodating a high degree of complexity.
Bagels
Bagels tend to have a very plain flavor, which is carried through by typical toppings such as butter and cream cheese. You could combine bagels with distinctive, strong coffees from Pacific Island nations or Indonesia to make sure your taste buds come to life.
Croissants
Just about any coffee can go well with croissants. The delicious taste of these crunchy, buttery treats found at coffee outlets is an ideal complement to the sweetness of a flavored or cafe latte. If you’re going to drink black coffee, try something bold, such as dark-roasted Brazilian coffee.
Gelato, with its very sugary composition, is best when combined with a strong, dark roast coffee. This provides a pleasant equilibrium between the sweet gelato and the astringent coffee.
Egg yolks and sugar form the basis of custard. This dessert is on the heavier side but not overly complicated – it goes great with a cup of aromatic, mild-tasting coffee. Choose a coffee from Tanzania or Burundi that has a flavor of fruit or flowers.
Pudding is another uncomplicated sweet treat which is a bit less weighty than custard. This type of coffee goes particularly nicely when enjoyed with coffees from Hawaii or Africa which have more unique and distinct flavors.
You have a few options when it comes to enjoying ice cream while drinking coffee. Think complementary flavors and like flavors. In combination, a coffee with a fruity flavor and an ice cream that is either chocolaty or nutty would make a great dessert. If you favor fruit-flavored ice cream, try matching it with a mocha-flavored coffee. The only restriction would be for drinks involving iced coffee, in order to avoid a brain freeze.
Soft cheeses are usually milder in taste compared to stronger, harder cheeses. These are great accompaniments to coffees that have an herb-like or flowery taste. Think African and Asian coffees.
Hard cheeses generally have stronger and more pronounced flavors. It is essential to be selective when pairing with coffee to get a complementary sip that won’t overpower the taste. Opt for a middle-level roasted coffee, like types from Cuba or Costa Rica. Avoid pairing coffee with spicy cheeses.