Kauai Coffee and Holiday Dessert Pairings

Someone once said, "drinking good wine with good food and good company is one of life's greatest pleasures." We certainly agree but drinking exceptional coffee with decadent desserts and outstanding company is even better! Bring a little aloha to your family festivities this holiday season with our coffee and holiday dessert pairing menu.

How to Pair Coffee with Food

There is no doubt that Hawaiian coffee is delightful to drink anytime, but it is even more delicious when paired with dessert. Knowing how to pair different coffee notes and flavors with desserts like an expert can make the experience even more enjoyable. So how do you match coffee and sweets like an expert? It is not as hard as you may think. One simple method for pairing coffee with food is to look for similar flavors you can layer together to build depth.

For example, if you serve a caramel cheesecake or flan, that dessert will taste creamy and tangy and have lots of vanilla and caramel flavors. Serving a coffee with caramel, vanilla, or acidity notes would be a good choice because the flavor characteristics are similar. Another way to pair coffee and food like an expert is to look for flavors that create contrast—for example, pairing a coffee with notes of berry or citrus with a rich chocolate cake or brownie. The brightness of the coffee will contrast with the rich and creamy chocolate for a complex flavor profile.

Kauai Coffee and Holiday Dessert Pairing Menu

Now that you know more about pairing coffee and food flavors, here are a few of our favorite coffee and dessert pairings. What combinations will you try? Let us know what you create on Facebook and Instagram @KauaiCoffeeCo

Holiday Blend and Bundt Cake

Our Holiday Blend is 50% dark and medium roast coffee with a rich aroma and nutty notes. Its bright, fruit-toned acidity with lingering hints of toffee and caramel will pair well with your favorite bundt or crumbly coffee cake. Add this combination to your holiday morning routine if your traditions include munching on something sweet while exchanging gifts. Buy Holiday Blend here and our Eggnog Latte Bundt Cake recipe here.

Hawaiian Holiday Spice and Pumpkin Crunch

In Hawaii, no holiday get-together is complete without pumpkin crunch at the dessert table. A cross between traditional pumpkin pie and buttery shortbread, this sweet treat is popular at Thanksgiving and Christmas but enjoyed year-round throughout the islands. Pair Kauai Coffee Holiday Spice with your pumpkin crunch for layers of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger spices. Buy Holiday Spice here.

Peaberry and Buttery Shortbread or Sugar Cookies

Peaberry coffee is a naturally occurring mutation in arabica and robusta coffee varieties where only one bean develops inside the coffee cherry instead of two. Because peaberries are the only seed inside the coffee cherry, they tend to be smaller, rounder, and denser than their two-seeded counterparts. Peaberry lovers and some professional coffee graders believe that because the single peaberry bean receives all the nutrients of the coffee cherry rather than sharing with another seed, peaberries can have more caffeine and taste sweeter than other beans as well. Estate Reserve Peaberry brews an arousing cup of coffee with a sweet fragrance and bright, citrusy flavor notes. It is a coffee brimming with tropical sunshine! Pair it with jam-filled shortbread or buttery sugar cookie.

Kauai Blue Mountain and Fruit Tarts, Pies, and Cheesecakes

Estate Reserve Kauai Blue Mountain Coffee is the top of the crop and a must-try for any coffee lover. This unique and well-balanced coffee is the ultimate expression of Island coffee – smooth, mild, and subtle with a pleasantly bright aftertaste. Its malty flavor and fruity notes will pair well with any fruit tarts, pies, or cheesecakes you serve this season. Try Kauai Blue Mountain today.

Rum Barrel Aged Coffee and Artisan Cookies

This small-batch coffee is crafted and roasted here on our Kalaheo Estate only after the green coffee beans have aged in charred oak barrels used to create Koloa Rum, our neighbors located right here on Kauai. Rum Barrel Aged Coffee carries unique tasting notes that will impress even the most discriminating coffee drinker. Pair this complex coffee with a delicate floral-infused cookie like a lavender French macaron or orange blossom glazed madeleine.

We hope you enjoy exceptional coffee and amazing desserts with your 'ohana this season — happy holidays from Kauai Coffee.