A sweet tone with hint of rich caramel, espresso has unique flavor compared to regular coffee. With a bold and less acidic taste, the well-rounded and full-bodied finish complements well with sweet and savory dishes.
Having a shot or two with a bite to eat is quite nice, but not every snack brings out the rich flavor of espresso. The thickness in espresso makes it more unique and better-tasting, hence making the pairing quite essential.
What do you eat with espresso? Espresso pairs well with fruit, chocolate, bread, dairy, baked goods, savory, and desserts. For the best taste, include apples, bananas, chocolate caramel bar or toffee, cinnamon rolls, cheesecake, oatmeal, chocolate chip cookies, and dark chocolate.
On the savory side, whole wheat toast, beef, bacon, or sausage complements well with hint of caramel and sweet chocolatey flavor of espresso.
Espresso shots are light caffeine beverages that do not contain milk, therefore it brings about the feeling of being rejuvenated. Typically, the hot beverage is consumed at the end of a meal to help to overcome sleepy feelings due to heavy eating.
With bold coffee like this, baked cakes and cookies are not the only example of sweet desserts that go well with espresso. This article discusses classic flavors and snacks to pair with espresso.
What do you serve with espresso?
Consider the strength of the espresso and the origin of the coffee. The taste of coffee beans varies significantly from different regions of the world, and has a slight effect of the food pairings as a whole.
Espresso is served in demitasse cups, which are specially made cups for espresso. There are two types of espresso, the one-ounce shot and the two-ounce double shot, and the strength can affect what you serve with it.
If you have only been consuming espresso with sweet baked goods, review these ingredient pairings that taste good with espresso:
- Fruits: berries, stone fruit
- Nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans
- Cheese: ricotta
- Chocolate: dark, white
- Dairy: cream, custard, ice cream, milk
- Liqueurs: Kahlua, Tia Maria
- Alcohol: bourbon, brandy. rum, cognac, Irish whiskey
- Spices: cardamom, chicory, cinnamon, nutmeg
- Sugar: brown, white
What snacks go good with espresso?
When enjoying a double shot of espresso, try pairing it with one of these snacks that won’t disappoint.
Since espresso does not contain milk, it goes well with cakes to finish the meal. Here are classic cake flavors to serve with espresso:
- coffee cake
- chocolate cake
- tiramisu
- carrot cake
- cheesecake
- caramel cake
What flavors goes well with espresso?
Talking about flavor, everybody has a different taste. Espresso has more caffeine per unit volume than most coffee, hence having a strong flavor.
Try nutty and mild flavor nuts such as hazelnuts and almonds. Other flavors include caramel, frosting, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
With this in mind, here are classic flavors to pair with espresso:
- espresso + vodka + syrup
- espresso + vanilla ice cream + dark chocolate + coffee liqueur
- espresso + dates + almonds
- espresso + chia seeds + almond milk + maple syrup + cacao
- espresso + cinnamon + cream + lemon + sugar
Eat With Espresso: Conclusion
Whether sweet or savory, different snacks and food items can be paired with espresso to complement its darker, fuller and richer flavor. Espresso can be drunk even after heavy meal since its pure coffee with no additional dairy included in the beverage.
Though espresso has a higher amount of coffee, it does not have higher caffeine than regular coffee. This is because espresso is served in tiny cups with a much small quantity than regular coffee.
Pairing food with espresso depends on your palate. Try a shot of espresso with berries or stone fruit, chocolate, baked goods, and desserts such as toffee, caramel bar, cinnamon roll, cheesecake, oatmeal, chocolate chip cookies, and simple slice of dark chocolate will do an excellent job to complement together.
Because of subtle but bold flavors found in espresso, flavor from nuts, spices, and sweet caramel taste good with the beverage.
When it comes to snack pairings, consider a slice of cakes. Coffee cakes, chocolate cakes, or tiramisu is the classic baked cakes that has creamy dairy in it that complement excellently with a shot of espresso.
Espresso also goes well with savory snacks such as sandwiches with egg, ham, or bacon, plain croissant, or ricotta cheese. Use this classic flavor combinations the next time you are searching for what to serve with a shot of espresso, and we promise you won’t be disappointed!