Chocolate and Coffee - How do they go together

My ideal coffee-chocolate moment is to take a sip of my evening coffee and pop into my mouth a Lindt chocolate ball and let it melt with the warmth of the coffee. Mmmmm heaven!

But there is more to coffee pairing with chocolate than my little moment.

I was invited to an event with De'Longhi and Lindt and along with a Master Chocolatier and Master Coffee Blender we went through some of the aspects of how the coffee and chocolate go together.  Most of the examples we tasted were really defined coffee from countries like Ethopia and Baku to name a few.

My problem with this way of tasting coffee was that they were too strong for my taste buds so what could I do with all the lovely chocolate I got to take home and how to describe them.

Well in the words if a certain meerkat "simples"! I would do a coffee-chocolate comparison of my own!!

I chose to compare with the Lindt Excellence range.

Firstly I used my De'Longhi Icona vintage espresso maker and made my self a latte.  A latte is a very milky coffee and a sip of latte with a square of the dark (47% cocoa solids) especially Stawberry Intense from the Lindt Excellence range is simple a melting moment of summer and fresh strawberries.

Next I made a strongish coffee in my French press coffee maker and tried it with Lindt Excellence chocolate with chilli.  A dark chocolate with 49% cocoa solids and a hint of chilli. The smooth richness of the coffee melted the dark chocolate leaving a tingle on the tongue from the chilli!

47% cocoa solids feature in the Lindt Excellence chocolate with  A Touch of Sea Salt and with an Americano coffee (freshly made coffee from my De'Longhi machine with a touch of cold milk) left a haunting taste on the tongue in an interesting but still slightly dull background note of salt.

I followed on to the Lindt Excellence 70% chocolate which is smooth and velvety with slight undertones of vanilla, perfect with a hot steamy cappuccino and the chocolate with 85% cocoa solids which when melting in your mouth with a sip of hot coffee is just about as good as it gets!! This chocolate is neither bitter nor overpowering so neither should your coffee.  These latter two coffees also melt exceedngly well and make a chocolate cake so much more chocolatey and delicious!

What this all boils down to is that coffee and chocolate are two universal pleasures and at the same time are very individual. A great way to find out your tasting pleasures is to try a up of coffee that you really enjoy with a square of fine chocolate and let it melt on your tongue from the warmth of the coffee.

So put the kettle on or switch your coffee maker on and get tasting!!

 

Puro Fairtrade Coffee - coffee roasting and my caffeine fix!

There is a lot of talk out in the blogesphere about Fairtrade and as it has recently been Fairtrade Week I am pleased to have been sent a selection of coffee from Puro Fairtrade Coffee.

The mystery parcel as it was delivered!! What could be inside?

Well inside was a selection of coffees, hot chocolate, sugar, cups and a cafetiere for one (the glass of which unfortunately was broken upon arrival). All of the products bearing the fairtrade mark.

I do love my coffee and from the moment I wake up (Mr R) leaves a cup by my bedside and often keeps my cup toppued up till bedtime (yes, I have a coffee before bed and it never keeps me awake and it isn't decaf) I tend to drink only coffee.  I do have a particular habit of drinking it even after it has gone cold (well I did grow up in Ice Coffee land!).

Puro Fairtrade Coffee is committed to saving the Rainforest. Money from the sale of each cup has gone to set up Puro Reserves the size of 5,600 acres in Equador, Columbia and Brazil.  Each consumer is contributing towards the fight against poverty and supporting education and sustainability in these and other countries.

Puro was created in 2005 and has alway sourced Fairtrade and organic coffee. It is a company that promotes growing with an ethical and environmental awareness giving the consumer the knowledge that their purchase is paving a way for a better future. Puro are working alongside the World Land Trust to buy and protect areas of rainforest in South America.

Puro send me three different types of coffee, all ground for cafetiere to try: Puro Fuerte - with origins in Guatemala, Peru, Honduras and the Congo. It is a fragrant dark roast with a touch of spice; Puro Organhic whose origins are Peru and Honduras and is 100% of finest Arabica which combines soft notes of sweet chocolate with tangy citrus and Puro Noble a lovely shade grown coffee originating in Guatemala, Peru, Honduras and the Congo. This coffee is  a mix of the finest Arabica and premium Robusta. Its a rich and lively medium roast with hints of fruit and hazelnut.  This is the one that I have tried so far and being a medium roast is perfectly suited for me. In fact the kettle is on at this moment and I am going to have another cup!