COFFEE FLAVOUR PAIRING

Cover image courtesy: Ambika Anand

You just received your awaited ARAKU delivery and have your Micro Climate and Selection variant. You are determined to brew French Press for the Micro Climate and Selection in the Moka Pot. Family is excited to taste your new passion – specialty coffee. But what will complement your delicious fresh brew? We are here to help you explore ARAKU coffee pairings that are too good to resist!

For starters, harmony is the theme we suggest working with when pairing. Each coffee has its flavor profile depending on the elevation, soil, harvest, processing, roast, grind and now, your brewing method. Some flavour attributes in specialty coffee are more easily detected than others. Most notable flavours which can be identified are chocolate, honey, figs, raisins, and caramel. With experience, one can identify sweet, sour, salt, and bitter and at the same time detect pepper, olives, and the more umami elements too. Acidity in specialty coffee is as varied as the flavours and can be bright like lime and orange zest or more subtle such as stone fruits, dried apricot, and cherry. Also, for most of the pairings, we recommend sticking to black coffee.

Let us step back and go to the basics of coffee pairing. We promise we are going to make this fun for you!

MAKING THE PERFECT PAIR

First decide on the coffee and the method you will use for brewing. Is this a breakfast or daytime pairing; an afternoon break or evening get together?

Flavours within each cup of specialty coffee are harmonious, balanced and can be complemented by other items. For example, French press Micro Climate brew easily pairs well with dark chocolate. Why? The deep red dried fruit flavours and pepper savoury notes of the Micro Climate coffee is most complemented with dark chocolate which also offers its own fruity complexity. Walnuts and candied orange bring in another dimension altogether.

A more robust coffee, such as Micro Climate with its complexity can stand up to robust pairings such as dark chocolate. A gentler specialty coffee such as Selection will pair nicely with sweeter, less intense items such as milk chocolate and lighter pastries. Signature with an umami side can easily be enjoyed with cheese, dried figs, and olives.

SHERRI RECOMMENDS: ARAKU FLAVOUR PAIRING

Signature, Hot or Cold Brew on Ice, can be paired with Butter Cookies or Biscotti dipped in dark chocolate. Cheesecake is yet another smooth complement. Even mild ripened cheese can go well with this one.

Selection made in Moka pot, French Press or pour over, with its smoothness and honey consistency goes with zucchini bread, walnuts, honey, toffee, and sugarcane.

Micro Climate French Press or Cold Brew goes well with dried red fruit, red grapes, strawberries, and dark chocolate.

Grand Reserve is loaded with natural rich fruit complexity so we recommend pairing it with apricots, mango, and dates.

RECIPES TO TRY

Micro Climate with Tiramisu- No one can resist dark chocolate, coffee, and buttery cake! For a real treat, cut a small square of tiramisu and place it in a martini glass. Pour 30 ml of Cold brew atop. Add a dollop of fresh whipped cream and Yum! This desert is sure to be the highlight of any dinner party!

Micro Climate Martini- It is a pairing unto itself! Take 30 ml of each - Microclimate cold brew, vodka and baileys Irish Cream. Add all ingredients over ice in a martini shaker. Shake vigorously, strain and pour into a martini glass. Garnish with 3 roasted coffee beans on top, served cold, enjoy.

On the wild side, pairing coffee with flavour elements which already reside in the brew itself is a fun, playful and interactive way for people to hone their senses and begin to identify individual components.

For example, brew your Micro climate, serve black in small preheated coffee cups. Set a decorative dish or tray with small amounts of molasses, dried red fruit, bittersweet chocolate and orange zest as accoutrements. Your guests can take a sip of the coffee, swirl it around in their mouth before swallowing, then a tiny bit of one of the side components, chew, and swallow, then another sip of the coffee. With each sip, your guest should be able to comprehend the individual flavour element which is obviously pronounced when eaten as a singular item, however now, with the “deconstruction” of a few of the flavour components, it should be much easier for your guest to distinguish between a barrage of senses to the one particular element which has been served alone and highlighted. We are deconstructing the flavour profile of the individual coffee itself.

So here is a fun exercise to help you along this path. Check out the website for our coffee offerings. Each of them has a flavour guide – go to the market and purchase small quantities of the items listed as flavour components of the coffee variant you want to taste. I prefer dried fruits as the flavour is most intense. Brew it and try it. Let us know how your experiment goes. This is a playful way to explore your senses and specialty coffee.

Coffee is best shared, so our final pairing suggestion is the best possible pairing of all - delicious coffee with you and yours. Order some ARAKU and try out the recipes. Don’t forget to share your feedback with us @arakucoffeein