Are you looking to have the best coffee tasting experience possible? Are you wondering what snacks, aside from what we provide, would really rock your morning? Wonder no longer. Keep these 5 tips in mind and not only will your coffees be awesome, but your food and drink pairing in general will be tremendous.
1) Pick 1 Flavor You Want To Maximize
When your coffee says that it has hints of chocolate, or a specific berry, or any of the other number of flavors that coffees come with, you have to pick just one that you want to emphasize. You’ve probably even tasted a coffee that has several flavors listed and thought, “what the heck? Liars!” once or twice when you couldn’t really make anything out. Choose just one of those flavors, and a snack item where that is clearly the main flavor, and you’ll be surprised. Does your coffee say it has hints of cherry? How about cherry ice cream, cherry sorbet, cherry food bars, dried cherries, or a cherry muffin?
2) Don’t Pair With Bitter Foods or Drinks
When it comes to coffee it is already bitter, so don’t have something bitter to go with it as it will just multiply the pungent flavor. Humans are naturally slightly averse to bitter and need to acquire the taste for it, which is why lots of people just start loading their coffees with creamers and sweeteners and never get into black coffee. Sugar masks bitterness and salt neutralizes it, each being good ways to bring out the non-bitter flavors of a good specialty coffee. Fat also tends to pair well (thus the cliche donut and coffee pairing we’re all familiar with).
3) When In Doubt, Go With A Lighter Roast
Light and medium roasts tend to have higher acidity than dark roasts. This has numerous benefits, including the most important being that the flavors have not been roasted out of it, as well as more caffeine being present. Similar to how a vinaigrette salad dressing is better than a plain salad, light and medium roasts will have the various fats and flavors still in tact, and the roasting processes won’t leave a charred and smoky flavor that overwhelms everything else.
4) If Dark Roasts Are Still Your Thing, Try Fatty Or Umami Flavored Foods
If you’re adamant about dark roasts and are looking to try something new, try pairing it with a meaty and savory dish. This makes for an interesting pairing right after a meal, rather than the traditional post-dessert coffee. The earthy and roasted flavors in a coffee bring out the earthy and roasted flavors of foods you’re likely already eating for filling meals. Are you planning on making smokey BBQ ribs? Stroganoff? Be bold and give it a shot. Keep in mind the sauces you may already be unknowingly throwing on top of these things that might conflict, however. Or, of course, a maple flavored donut dunked into the coffee will always work wonders.
Do you guys have any other tips? What makes for the best coffee pairing in your opinion? And, as always, check us out on Facebook and Instagram.
