What chocolates for coffee?
An essential end-of-meal drink, coffee can be fully appreciated when consumed with excellent quality chocolate. Taking various forms, this delicacy is the ideal accompaniment for your coffee. Due to the multitude of existing products, it is not always easy to know which is the best chocolate for coffee. To help you make your choice, here is a guide that will allow you to select the chocolate served with the most suitable coffee in any situation.
Chocolate and coffee, a popular combination
The association between chocolate and coffee is not new. While in Great Britain, tradition dictates that tea is often taken with various delicacies, in France this little pleasure dates back to the end of the 19th century. In 1882, master chocolatier Eugène Weiss democratized the sale of Italian espressos with a small square of chocolate at the counter of Saint-Étienne coffee shops. The founder of the Weiss house gave his creation the same name as this type of black coffee, namely Neapolitan. Quickly adopted by professionals in the region, this practice spread and has continued to this day.
In terms of taste, chocolate to accompany coffee ensures a perfect marriage of flavors. The harmony between these two products lies in their great complementarity, the sweetness of the chocolate bringing a balance with the strength of the coffee. Better still, these two elements can be consumed together without losing their aromas and subtlety. As a taste enhancer, cocoa helps to sublimate the natural flavors of coffee.
There is no doubt that cocoa beans and coffee beans are an optimal combination to end a meal. However, these characterful ingredients are not always easy to combine in the best way, due to the multiplicity of products available and the marked differences in their composition. It is important that the chocolate reinforces the aromas of the coffee, while the latter must be able to energize the chocolate. To enjoy a tasty result, you will therefore have to look for the best possible combinations.
Finding the right flavor combinations
The choice of chocolate for coffee is essential because of the common aromas that these two products share. Capable of ideally bringing out the taste of each, they present an adequate combination for all your gourmet breaks. With this in mind, you can favor big brand chocolates, chocolate-coated fruits or even chocolate squares with a high percentage of cocoa. Dark, milk, white chocolate or more specific products (with almonds or hazelnuts for example), there is no shortage of possibilities for a successful tasting.
With Fauchon, you can get exceptional products designed by great French master chocolatiers. Choosing quality is a sure bet to enhance the aromas of your coffee. While these sweets should of course be consumed in moderation, a small top-quality chocolate taken with coffee is a good way to combine pleasure and health benefits. Depending on your tastes, you will be able to find a variety of specialties, including praline or crunchy chocolates.
The best chocolates to enjoy with coffee
When looking for a little chocolate to accompany coffee, it is better to bet on high-end products. You will also have to take into account the specificities of each chocolate to determine with which coffee the aromatic associations will be the happiest.
Milk chocolate will pair best with a European roast coffee. This type of coffee is known for its rich and bold notes. These will provide an optimal counterpoint to milk chocolate, which is distinguished by its creamy flavor. With a square of excellent dark chocolate, you can choose a coffee based on a traditional roast. Dark chocolate will be perfectly highlighted by a mild and medium coffee. For white chocolate lovers, it is best to opt for a combination with a hazelnut cream coffee. Very tasty, this marriage will allow you to remarkably enhance the aromas of these two products.
For more original choices, you can drink a European-style coffee while enjoying chocolate-covered strawberries, or eat chocolate-covered pretzels with a Colombian coffee.
Chocolates to choose according to the type of coffee
For those who love sweet treats at the end of a meal, chocolate with coffee is a must. Depending on your favorite types of coffee, you can choose the chocolates that will bring you the most delicious combinations.
With an espresso, you will need to counterbalance its very full-bodied aspect with an extra bit of sweetness. A fruit coated in a chocolate topping is a good idea in this regard, like orangettes, these slices of candied orange peel covered in dark chocolate. Known for its bitterness, Robusta coffee is best taken with a chocolate that is slightly sweeter than normal. A good milk chocolate will work wonders to balance the power of the heavily roasted coffee beans. Sweet and aromatic, Arabica can be consumed with a crunchy treat for a most enjoyable tasting. We can recommend chocolate-covered almonds here.
Also, don't hesitate to favor associations based on common terroirs. A Colombian coffee can be taken with a dark chocolate from Ecuador with a high cocoa content, while an Arabica and a dark chocolate both from Mexico will make a perfect match.
With all these tips in mind, you will no longer have any difficulty choosing your little chocolate to accompany your coffee.
