#SexyGood x 2 : Coffee + Chocolate Pairing

Abhijit Pradhan
Aug 31, 2018 · 5 min read

First Pairing attempt

First Proper Pairing attempt : The Barn Berlin Guatemala El Durazno + Menakao Madagascar 100 % Cacao

This post covers a MASSIVE MILESTONE for me.

I have had a relationship with Specialty Coffee for 4.5 years now and a year or so with Specialty Chocolate. They represent two different and distinct worlds, though I have been noticing huge similarities between them. They are both derived from fruit, need to be carefully picked, go through fermentation / other farming processes, need to be roasted, have flavour profiles which get affected by genetics, terroir, processing, roasting and other variables !

So, both have a natural flavour within them which do not need any other ingredient. Coffee when done right, can have the most extensive flavour profile compared to anyother food in the world ( 800–1000 possibilities which are double that of wine etc). It does not need Milk or Sugar and is not bitter if brewed correctly and more importantly a proper education of the palate.

Its the same with Chocolate. One can have a 100 % bar ( if it is made right + your palate is educated enough) and get various flavours !

I have been fascinated with the above two worlds because of the potential flavour world which keeps surprising from coffee to coffee or chocolate to chocolate !

Till this day, I have never combined these two worlds ( consumed at the same time together !) as I have been fearful of losing their individual identities !

This apprehension got a jolt sometime last year when I saw one of my favourite Coffee curator ( The Right roast) videos where Tim Rogg pairs the coffee + some dark chocolate and talks about a “Third flavour” which he sensed, which was not evident in either Coffee or Chocolate !

The Right Roast 2016 video pairing Coffee + Chocolate

It triggered a curiosity, but I didn’t know how to go about it and I remained in “fear” of compromising either of the two worlds.

That inertia got shaken again recently when interacting with Chocolatier Michael Houlden from Tucson Arizona ( with his brand Meanderthal Name. Totally dig that name :) )

He told me that he loves to pair coffee and chocolate from the same region to see the complementarity or new identity evolving. He even described his protocol. Sip of Coffee followed by bite of Chocolate followed by Sip and so on.

He had given me a clear pathway, an actionable protocol and most importantly I happened to be sitting on a Guatemala coffee that I had picked up from The Barn, Berlin ( from our recent Paris + Berlin trip) AND a 100 % Cacao Guatemala bar crafted by Dormouse Chocolates, UK. I saw the light and decided that this was the moment to shake off that fear and let the new in

Just to assuage the fear ( a bit) I decided to test drive the pairing and used a Chocolate I was already familiar with and see how it goes !

My Pairing experience

The Coffee

Guatemala El Durazno. Peach. Caramel. Crazy smooth body

Stage 1 : Only Coffee

I first experienced the coffee like I always do with all my tastings using the following fairly elaborate protocol. This has evolved over a year after loads of testing and calibrating. Each of these steps resulted in a significant uptick in Flavour experience for me !

Coffee tasting Protocol

My rating for the coffee stage 1 — for AP ( Aeropress) Ignore my over shooting the scale. That’s how much I love the Coffee ;)

I went through the above and then I proceeded to Stage 2 using Michael’s protocol

Stage 2 : Coffee + Chocolate

Smell coffee in cup 1. Sip of coffee. reflect on flavour.

Smell Chocolate. Bite of chocolate. Reflect on flavour.

Smell coffee in cup 2. Sip of coffee. reflect on flavour.

Smell Chocolate. Bite of chocolate. Reflect on flavour.

Smell coffee in cup 3. Sip of coffee. reflect on flavour.

Smell Chocolate. Bite of chocolate. Reflect on flavour.

Repeat !!

Result : I found new a flavour in my palate when I was sipping the coffee after the chocolate bite ! A nice new sweet flavour ( not Peach. Not Caramel !) and I found the edgy flavour of the chocolate (especially the finish) had transformed to a new rounded sweetness !

My learning

The Chocolate being 100 % I think was neutral enough ( no sugar) to not affect the flavour of the Coffee. The Coffee was also 100 % ( no sugar no milk) and acted I suspect in a similar way.

My assumption : I think the Coffee was medium acidity interacting with a high acidity chocolate bar thus helping create that new flavour !

Wow Wow Wow.

I am planning to repeat this with today’s brew which will be with the Hario Woodneck ( cloth filter) and I will use the same chocolate to figure out any differences in flavours.

In the meanwhile I will do a separate tasting of the Dormouse Guatemala 100 % Chocolate to get a baseline benchmark and then pair it the next day.

Phew !!

Tune into this crazy new adventure of mine !

Abhijit Pradhan

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A Curator of PASSION + PERSPECTIVE translating them into INSIGHT for inspirational ACTION

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