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Tips & Tricks

Perfect Chocolate and Coffee Pairings for Valentine's Day

February 04, 2022

Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to indulge in decadent treats. While many are sure to receive boxed chocolates on this day, you can make the celebration extra special by creating a coffee and chocolate pairing that is sure to delight your date’s senses.

If you want to ensure your chocolate and coffee pairing is as lovely, tempting, and tasteful as the rest of your Valentine’s Day, then check out how to pair these two delectable beans in a way that helps one complement the other.

Do Coffee and Chocolate Go Together?

The short answer is yes.

Part of this is that coffee beans and cocoa beans share a similar chemical composition and flavor profile. However, pairing coffee and chocolate together can help to enhance and bring out new flavors in each.

Basics of Coffee and Chocolate Pairings

When pairing chocolate and coffee, there are some factors to consider, including:

Flavor

Flavor combination is one of the primary things to keep in mind. Start by determining which base flavors you want from your pairings, such as sweet, nutty, bitter, or the like.

Acidity

Levels of acidity play a significant role in the enjoyability of coffee. Therefore, it is important to only use high-quality, freshly roasted beans to get the best cup of coffee possible.

Complexity

Some coffees have deep and complex layers. These flavors might range from chocolaty to earthy and everywhere in-between.

Coffee and Chocolate Pairing Ideas

Based on the coffee that you choose for your lovely little celebration, here are some pairing ideas you might want to try:

Nut-Toned Coffees

Nut-toned coffees pair quite nicely with milk chocolates, fruity chocolates, slightly dark chocolates, or even those with a bit of spice to them. Therefore, some excellent pairing options might include brownies, chocolate cookies, truffles, or chocolate cake.

Fruity and Floral Coffees

Fruity and floral coffees will also pair well with light and milk chocolates. This is because darker varieties of chocolate can easily overpower the light and delicate flavors of this type of coffee.

Earthy or Spicy Coffees

Spicy and earthy style coffees lend themselves to being paired with slightly more bitter chocolates due to their low acidity and heavier mouthfeel. Therefore, it is best to serve with chocolate pairings that contain between 50 and 70 percent cocoa. Alternatively, you might opt to contrast the coffee with chocolate and dried fruit offerings.

Dark Roasts

Dark roasts pair perfectly with dark chocolates when it comes to coffee and chocolate. This is particularly true for French roasts (which most espresso blends are) as they feature a combination of sweet and bitter notes.This means that this type of coffee goes excellent with chocolates with 70 percent or higher cocoa content.

Other Valentine’s Day Treats to Try

If you aren’t sold on the whole coffee and chocolate pairing idea but are still looking for a great way to heat up your Valentine’s Day, consider these other delectable treats:

Ember Mug²: Copper Edition topped with whipped cream and red sprinkles sitting next to several slices of Red Velvet Cake on a pink background.

Red Velvet Latte

Our recipe for a red velvet latte is perfect for Valentine’s Day, using beetroot juice to achieve a thematically red tint on this unique version of a caffe mocha.

Ember Mug²: Copper Edition next to a blue bottle of Italicus Bergamot Liquor on a pink background.

‘Til There Was You Hot-Tail

For something still lovely yet completely different, try out our Valentine’s-inspired Hot-Tail recipe, which blends passion fruit puree, cream of coconut, and other floral flavors into a warm and creamy love potion sure to ignite the evening.

No matter which of these heavenly drink options you decide is right for you and your Valentine, keep the evening warm by serving your beverages in a metallic Ember Mug².