Coffee Pairing 101

Want to really impress your family and friends the next time they come over? Pair your coffee with goodies that will compliment and also enhance their taste buds! 

When you have your first cup of coffee in the morning, do you ever just crave a slice of cake for breakfast? Or a piece of that banana bread sitting on your counter? Let's be real here, we’ve all been there and probably done that! And honestly, it just totally hits the spot! Ever wonder why? Well, some deserts enhance your coffee because they help pull out flavors that pair so great with the type of coffee you may be drinking.

Similar to wine, coffee is unique in that they all differ in taste, depending from which region they come from. It's considered an artisan drink since it has such a broad range of flavors and characteristics. Yes, coffee tastes amazing with your dessert, but it can taste just as good while having salty foods like eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast. 

Each coffee has its own unique taste profile, and I’m here to help you pair your coffee with foods that can raise your coffee drinking experience to a whole new level!

Here are some pairing ideas to try out at home with your guests!

 

Chocolate

White chocolate pairs great with Costa Rican, Columbian and Yeman coffees, for milk chocolate, anything from Africa, Kona, Columbia and Sumatra will pair well. Dark chocolate tastes amazing with any Indonesian, Ethiopian, Guatemalan and Brazilian coffee. Try Daniela’s Espresso Blend with a piece of dark chocolate!

Fruits

Berries like strawberries and raspberries taste good with Kenyan or Haitian coffees while blueberries are good with a Jamaican or Yeman.

Peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, cherries and oranges go well with coffees from Costa Rica, Uganda, Rwanda, Nicaragua, Honduras and Tanzania.

Sweet breads and loaf cakes

Banana breads go great with a Kona or Kenyan coffees.

Zucchini bread tastes good with our Columbian Supremo blend. My favorite, Death by chocolate zucchini bread, is to die for with our Sumatra Mandheling or Pops House Blend!

Lemon loaf bread also taste good with Yeman or an Ethiopian. But I also like it with our smooth and mild Columbian coffee as well. 

Wheat and multigrain breads

Light and medium roasted coffees from South America pair well with wheat and grain breads. 

Danishes

Cheese danishes go really good with a latte or a café au late. Fruit danishes are great with coffees that have a fruity undertone, like Mexican, or Ethiopian. 

Moșocoarne (Romanian danish) are so good with our Daniela's Espresso Blend. 

Biscotti's

Depending on the flavor or variety of your biscotti, it can be served with all kinds of coffees, especially espresso drinks like a latte or cappuccino to dip it in!

Sweet pastries, cookies, doughnuts and cakes

These can also go with just about any coffee! But in my opinion, our Pops House Blend is my favorite to have with a doughnut. Just hits the spot!

Oatmeal cookies taste good with an Ethiopian or Columbian coffee. 

Carrot cake, (which is my favorite) I love pairing that with our Costa Rican Doka Estate. Drink it black, so you can fully appreciate the flavor notes without the added sweetness since the cake is sweet already. The combination is just perfection!

 

Cheese, creams, and butter

Try pairing bolder coffees from Sumatra, Papa New Guinea, Kona, India or Java with savory foods. 

American style breakfasts and Omelets

Bacon, eggs and hash browns will honestly go with any medium roast coffee! Next time though, try it with our Costa Rican Doka Estate. It is one of my favorite coffees to have with this kind of breakfast!

Omelets taste great when drinking a Sumatra or Indonesian coffee. 

So whatever coffee and food pairings you decide to do, you won't be disappointed! There are so many options to choose from to try out with family and friends! Not to mention they'll be so impressed by your creativity and knowledge!

Experiment and get as creative as you can with your offerings and let me know what your favorite pairings are! I would love to hear some ideas and try them out too!