Pair-fect Pastries for a Pair-fect Christmas Coffee

An idea for a perfect Christmas table is to try the best pastry and coffee pairings there could possibly be. But if you’re not yet well-versed in looking for a balanced flavor profile for your Christmas cafe meals, this article will help you in starting out! Read on to know the basic formulas and suggested pairings for a perfect holiday breakfast or afternoon snack. 

A helpful way to guide you in reading this article is to remember a simple formula:

The essential thing to remember is to avoid overindulging in everything sweet without anything to balance it out, and vice versa, as this can lead to an overwhelming taste in the mouth. The key to an unforgettable pairing is to have them complimentary – very much like a yin yang.

Here are suggested pairings for your favorite cup and why:

Bread and coffee

Like any bread, really. And any coffee. This classic choice may be the only exception to the above mentioned formula. It’s a perfect segue to why this is the first thing on this list! Whether you like bagels, croissants, toasted baguette slices, or the good ol’ monay and pan de sal, you’ll never go wrong with pairing these to your favorite cup! Whether toasted or not, this classic pairing will surely meet the breakfast standards of almost anyone you know. 

Fresh and tangy desserts

Whether your dessert be fruit tarts, lemon bars, lemon cake, dayap cake, or whatever freshness you bring into your dessert, you might as well pair it with a caffe latte! These two are not essentially very sweet, so there’s not much possibility of an overwhelming sugary taste. The steamed milk in your cafe latte brings the silky texture we love with fresh-tasting baked desserts!

Coffee-infused pastries

Coffee-infused or coffee-based desserts are heaven-sent for coffee lovers. But when you try to pair it with a coffee beverage at the same time, there is a possibility of drowning in too much coffee-flavors (it’s possible for some people!).

So for desserts like tiramisu, espresso cake, mocha cake, coffee chocolate chip blondies, coffee cream cheese frosted desserts, coffee panna cotta, the best pairing would be drinks similar to cafe au lait, or cafe latte, or other medium roasted coffee.

Sweet & heavy desserts

Rich chocolate desserts such as moist chocolate cakes, chocolate chunk brownies and cupcakes, as well as vanilla buttercream cupcakes, snickerdoodles, and gingerbread cookies are best paired with full-bodied, concentrated drinks like Cafe Americano and Black Coffee. 

The heavier and creamier the desserts would be, the better decision to make your coffee more concentrated. It balances out the sweetness you’ll get from your sweet dessert. If you do so, you’ll surely have an unforgettable meal. You might even never go back to pairing drinks with toffee nut or caramel syrups in them with sweet and rich desserts. 

Savory sandwiches 

Perfect breakfasts such as avocado toasts, bruschettas, bacon & cheese omelettes, hummus toasts, grilled paninis and everything similar to that is best paired with your coffee of your choosing. 

Cappuccino tends to be best paired with baguettes, especially for breakfasts! (Cappuccino is considered a breakfast coffee in Italy). Simply add bacon and eggs with your favorite dressing or vinaigrette, or even an easy buttery garlic and herbed baguette – no matter what, you will have the best breakfast ever.

Clubhouse sandwiches are best paired with lattes. The savory and juicy chicken and crispy bacon with lettuce and tomatoes in toasted bread bring out the savory and non-soggy afternoon snack. This combination will definitely and perfectly satisfy your cravings and hunger.

Caprese toasts (or mozzarella, tomato and basil) can be paired with decaf cafe especially for the evening when you feel like you still need a cup of joe. Or if you’re able to drink whatever coffee anytime of the day, just any will be perfect with savory toasts as this. Prepare then serve immediately to bring out the best flavors possible. 

Paskong Pinoy desserts

What other way to celebrate Paskong Pinoy than to eat lots of Paskong Pinoy breakfast and merienda favorites! The freshly cooked bibingka right after Misa de Gallo to be paired with bright brewed coffee screams Merry Christmas! While the favorite Christmas staple puto bumbong is paired with kapeng barako (or decaf if you’re sensitive to caffeine effects), it just reminds of a special meal after Simbang Gabi. The aroma of these combinations and the cold-breeze nights perfectly embrace you like a warm hug. It’s totally the holidays.

It doesn’t even end there! Have you tried eating leche flan while drinking coffee? Of course, it’s suggested to pair it with a less sweeter coffee to avoid overwhelming sweetness. Others have even tried incorporating coffee to their flans – thereby making coffee flans. Have you tried this too? Let us know what you think!

And lastly for Paskong Pinoy favorites,  for the fans of savory sandwiches, Christmas ham and Quezo de Bola sandwiches go well together with the likes of Cappuccino and Cafe Mocha! The perfect balance there could be with savory and a little salty flavors harmonizing with the sweet and milky coffee drink, there’s no better way to spend Christmas breakfasts and meriendas!

But isn’t taste subjective?

You know what, feel free to pair your coffee with what you want. Ultimately, we judge according to our own taste preferences. The abovementioned formulas and general rule of thumb are just guides for you to try and explore in your coffee pairing journey. Feel free to test out more pairings! As they say, taste is subjective. So you do what makes you happy. 

Share with us your favorite coffee and pastry pairings! You might have just discovered a revolutionary coffee and pastry pairing. Tag us on your Facebook and Instagram posts and tell us more about your pair-fect pairing!