Coffee and Dessert Pairing @ Pacific Coffee Malaysia, Paradigm Mall

Aloha!

Yes, some of you might have heard of wine pairing session, cocktail and spiritsdegustation or even liquor tasting session. However, have you come across any coffee pairing session (instead of coffee workshop), that guides you how to best pair your food, in this instance, dessert, with the complementary coffee beverage?

Therefore, this session of coffee pairing organized by Pacific Coffee comes inquisitively interesting to any coffee enthusiasts like me. As Pacific Coffee Company (PCC) aims to further enrich its customers’ coffee experience, PCC has invited its Coffee Ambassador, Mike Yung, all the way from Hong Kong, over here for a cordial sharing on his coffee knowledge as well as his passion for this black beverage with a group of invited bloggers and the media. It is definitely an eye-opening event by this certified barista of the Specialty Coffee Association of America that aim to sharpen us with better understanding on this stimulating aromatic drink.

We kinda occupied more than half the cafe's place in welcoming the distinguished guest.

 

In conjunction with this gustation night, three quality inhouse coffee blends are being showcased, namely from the SEA, Central America and Africa region, to be matched with its accompanying ideal desserts, that are sumptuously crafted by Chef Yoke Man. The chosen coffee beans are of the variety Sumatra, Costa Rica and Ethiopian mocha that are wonderfully marriage with Tiramisu, American Baked Cheesecake and Blueberry Cheesecake respectively.

First to tickle our palates is the Sumatra varietal.

This Vienna-roasted coffee is harvested from the highland tropical forests of famous Indonesian islands, which is native to the area of Lake Toba. This explains why the coffee has a fascinating reminiscent aroma of the complex herbal and earthy flavor.

Its full-bodied characteristic is best neutralized by sweet and nutty desserts, which in this case, Tiramisu comes into the picture. The velvet texture and smooth flavor unleashed by this traditional Italian dessert that comes with walnut, helps to inject some woody taste to enhance the Sumatran coffee.

Next on the list is the washed coffee of Costa Rica blend, which happens to be the personal favourite of Mike Yung himself. As an avid fan of luscious black coffee, he enjoys the bright and citrusy values exudes by this clean cup variant, that at the same time, boasts a somewhat fuller chocolaty body, that goes really well even with a contrast pairing like a chocolate brownie. Anyway, that would be the adventurous part of Mike, as the dessert that is to be savoured with this coffee during this session is the American Baked Cheesecake.

This typical baked cheesecake is rich and has a dense, smooth and creamy texture. One could expect a rather tart shade from this dessert as it actually relies on the citrusy to further heighten up the cheese flavours.

Last but not least, the Ethiopian Mocha blend round up that night’s coffee sharing session, which together forms a tangy fragrance with the mouthwatering Blueberry Cheesecake. This African coffee which has the reputation of a much more complex aroma, is usually produced by natural dry process. The cup is wild with notes of leather, wood, earth and nuance of berry fruit. Due to its unique range of a dry-processed coffee, it tends to produce a heavy-bodied coffee with exceedingly low acidity. Eventually, it strikes an ideal balance between the coffee sharpness and the sweetness from the cheesecake.

Subsequently, invitees are treated to an array of refreshment that includes sandwiches as well as flaky puff pastries, soon after the Q & A session with Mike.

Certainly, everyone went back with a whole new perspective on their own perfect cup of coffee. It was such an ultimate and insightful night in exploring the richness and aroma of the various coffee types that surely has sharpened the knowledge of this gourmet indulgence. Guess i would soon start to delve into the Single Origins and learn to appreciate them even more. (✿◠‿◠)

For more epicurean exploration, feel free to follow me at Carpe Diem. Till then, have another great week ahead! Cheers.........................

Location:

GF- 37, Ground Floor, Paradigm Mall, No.1, Jalan SS7/ 26A, 47301 Petaling Jaya.