If you’re looking for a delicious new way to enjoy sharp, aged cheese consider pairing it with a delicious coffee. The fat in cheese can help soften some of the stronger coffee notes, while the salt helps enhance a coffee's natural sweetness.
One of my favourite pastimes is popping over to a local Italian store to try new and interesting cheese. Lately i’ve tried some of these cheeses with different roasts and I’ve found that the inherent sweetness and smooth taste of my Guatemalan beans really go nicely with semi-hard cheeses, and some of the interesting funky soft cheese as well. Here’s a few of my favourite combinations.
For all pairings, I made sure to let the cheese come to room temperature.
Pecorino and walnut with Hello Operator Dark Roast – Pecorino is a sheep’s milk cheese that has a salty, sharp taste and pairs really nicely with sweet subtle notes of the dark roast. This particular cheese was aged in fresh green walnut leaves and had pieces of walnut in the pecorino. It certainly added a nice texture paired with my robust dark roast.
Oregon Blue with Secret Weapon Espresso Roast - A sweet blue cheese, and one of my favourites. This cheese from Rogue creamery has some subtle caramel like flavours and a fudgy texture that gives just the right amount of funk to pair nicely with a double shot of Secret Weapon espresso.
Gruyère with Good Morning Captain Medium Roast: A nutty, slightly sweet flavour profile that matches the toasted chocolate notes of the medium roast without getting overpowered. The bit of saltiness in this cheese also really adds a nice finishing note to the tasting.
Double Gloucester with Almost Crimes decaf: a smooth, tangy hard cow’s milk cheese that pairs really nicely with the decaf. The buttery and silky taste helps bring out some of the complex baked apple and hazelnut flavours of the decaf.
I hope you enjoy trying out some different pairings! I’d love to hear what sort of things you’d pair coffee with and if you have a favourite cheese you like.
One of my cheeseboards from a get together with friends.