This coffee and chocolate pairing took place at Cabana Coffee in Wayne, NJ and featured some really great dark chocolates:

Meet the Cacao:

• Cocoa Legato 70% Nib Crunch - This chocolate bar originates from Colombia and has some cocoa nibs in it, giving it a little extra texture. It has notes of cherry and walnut with end notes of earthiness and wood. Very smooth.

• Dick Taylor 72% Belize - smells fruity, like red fruit or berry. Has a very chocolately and cocoa centered taste with finishing notes of plain Greek yogurt.

• Mission Chocolate 70% Brazil - has a nutty smell up front with a very smooth and creamy texture. Tastes floral, like lavender, with a toffee finish.

Say Hello to The Coffees:

• Light Roast Ethiopia Sidamo - elevation 1500 to 2000 meters. This coffee was very nutty and smooth, with Earthy tasting notes like wood

• Medium Roast Legender Brazil - elevation 800 to 1200 meters. Roasty and warm. Very middle ground.

• Dark Roast Chiapas Mexico - elevation 900 to 1000 meters. Very bold with graham cracker tasting notes.

Now for the pairs: 

• Light Roast x Cocoa Legato - this coffee brings out the walnut tasting notes in the chocolate and compliments well.

• Light Roast x Dick Taylor - it took away the dairy aftertaste but kept the fruitiness exactly the same. It wasn’t a bad pair, just an interesting one.

• Light Roast x Mission - Made this one less fruity and brought out the caramel and toffee notes.

• Medium Roast x Cocoa Legato - it did absolutely nothing at all for either, a very ehh pairing. Not good or bad.

• Medium Roast x Dick Taylor - this went totally tropical. Somehow the coffee brought out and pineapple and almost citrusy taste in the chocolate. It was an incredible pairing.

• Medium Roast x Mission - created a roasted chestnut taste. Very nutty.

• Dark Roast x Cocoa Legato - made this one taste like a chocolate chip cookie. Brought out the chocolatey, fudgey notes and increased the grainy taste of a cookie.

• Dark Roast x Dick Taylor - created a fruity taste of cherry and orange, still kept the Greek yogurt finishing notes.

• Dark Roast x Mission - very complimentary, made this one taste exactly like a butterscotch hard candy. It was delicious and nostalgic, reminding me of a Werther’s caramel hard candy.