As a nation drink up to 70 million cups of coffee every day, whether we drink it at home, or on our daily commute to work, or when relaxing in the chilled atmosphere of the British coffee shop, we really do love our coffee.
Now if you’re like me, and coffee is your best friend in the morning, then you’re going to love this gorgeous tale about Vincent’s Coffee.
A couple of weeks ago, I was seeking a Yorkshire brand of coffee, I know what you’re thinking, how hard can it be? Well, I’m the typical, picky consumer, I know what I want and I love knowing the details; where was the bean grown? Who has grown it? What are the brands ethics? I can’t help it, I’m just made that way, and that’s when I found Vincent’s Coffee. Perfect! I instantly fell in love with their packaging, and their exotic range flavours! I knew I had to try them!
After a few emails back and forth to Bethan (founder of Vincent’s Coffee) we discovered non of us had ever tried each others products, how is this possible, we just knew we had to meet up.
Bethan came to us, bringing her fabulous range of coffee’s with her…
Coffee & Chocolate… are they really the perfect combination?
Sidamo Blend
We started with the Sidamo Blend, to find the perfect pairing. Due to the strong caramel, buttery flavours, all finished with a burst of citrus zing, and we chose 2 chocolates to try.
The fruity burst of the Orange & Geranium was no match at all, as the orange overpowered the more delicate citrus notes of the coffee, and quite honestly left the coffee behind.
Our Colombian 33% Milk offered a delightful match, note for note the strong caramel flavours turned into a smooth, creamy butter like toffee, and softened any bitterness of the coffee. This combination was the winner by far.
Floral Kaffa
Next to try was the Floral Kaffa, light and aromatic with flowery and fruity tones, blended perfectly with a lingering mocha caramel after taste. For this we tasted 4 chocolates; 2 darks and 2 milks.
Salted Caramel, worked incredibly well with the caramel being heightened when lingering in the mouth with the coffee, and the salt still coming delicately through. The buttery notes in both coffee and chocolate brought out the best in one another.
Colombian 33%, again worked well, with the caramel notes turning almost hazelnut like, when paired. Strong and distinctive, this was a wonderful combination.
Colombian 65%, with it’s bitter after taste, was softened by the coffee, and the fruitiness of the chocolate came to the fore. A residual mouth feel still lingered, due to the cocoa solids, yet wasn’t unpleasant. If you prefer a dark chocolate, this is a good combination.
Bergamot, chosen because of it’s flowery notes to match the florals in the coffee became stronger on the palette, and overpowered the flavour of the coffee, leaving a residual aftertaste.
Pasqua blend
Fruity Pasqua blend, offers a lively sweet and complex profile, and for this we felt a milk would work. The milk ginger proved to be the one, with it’s gentle warmth and the creaminess of the milk chocolate, it gave the desired effect of a delicious, complementary taste pairing.
Northern Star
Then Bethan threw in the wild card, the Christmas Northern Star blend, with its lovely rich berry notes. There was only one thing for it and we opened a Raspberry & Rose milk chocolate, and what a match! The coffee, seemed to make the already delicious chocolate be smoother than ever and it became hard to distinguish between the raspberry and the rose as the two blended together, fusing perfectly.
This led to our having to put the solid 33% Colombian Milk to the test and again this proved a strong, and comfortable pairing. It seems as if this Colombian is a winning combination with all 4 coffee blends, so maybe one to have in the cupboard!
Finally for the dark chocolate lovers, the Colombian 65% matched, and was softened by the coffee somewhat, although left a residual dryness in the mouth after the finish.