If you follow me on Instagram you probably saw this photo.
After months of reading, tasting, talking, exploring, and learning all I can about coffee (alone, and also coffee and Starbucks together) I am finally a certified Coffee Master. This journey focused on coffee history, geographic origins, coffee agriculture, sourcing and buying, green coffee quality, the art of roasting and blending, and my favorite part:
-coffee parings/tastings/flavors/notes.
One of my new aprons.
Coffee, like wine grapes, gets much of its flavor from the specific growing conditions and processing methods of whatever region it was produced in. Three of the main coffee producing regions are: Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Each of these regions have specific flavor characteristics that give each coffee blend its distinct coffee “notes.”
What’s a coffee note you ask? Certain flavors are detected in coffee’s that allow them to harmonize well with certain foods. Have you ever had a cup of Joe that just didn’t mesh well with your blueberry muffin? This is due to the specific notes present with each blend. Alone this coffee may be just what you’re looking for, but when shared alongside a meal you’ll want to be a bit more particular.
Coffee blends alone may survive just fine, but when you combine them with the right foods the harmony is out of this world.
This is a fantastic chart.
Lets break down the top three regions by their coffee notes.
Latin America – high balanced flavors of cocoa or nuts, as well as a crisp, bright acidity.
Africa – Floral and citrus characteristics.
Asia – Full body and spicy flavors with balanced acidity and herbal notes.
Part of my final certification was putting together a coffee tasting. As a food AND coffee lover you can imagine my excitement when the two come together. If anyone is interested in learning more about a proper coffee tasting with coffee alone, let me know in the comments.
I chose one coffee from each coffee region, plus one coffee that is multi-regional and paired each with different foods.
Kenya – An African grown coffee with complimentary flavors of grapefruit, berries, currants, raisins, and oranges.
For this pairing I made an orange and currant quinoa salad. Sounds bizarre right? Oranges, quinoa, and coffee? This went together SO well it was almost magical. I could have cried from the joy I felt.
Komodo Dragon – An Asia/Pacific coffee with complimentary flavors of cinnamon, maple, buttery breads, and pastries.
For this pairing I chose almond butter stuffed dates sprinkled with cinnamon. The flavors harmonized almost perfectly. This is a common breakfast pairing for me, except I also use a rice cake for my base.
Guatemala Antigua – A Latin American grown coffee with complimentary flavors of cocoa, apples, caramel, and nuts.
Organic Yukon – A multi-regional blend with beans from both Latin American and Asia. This blend is mellow and well balanced with complimentary flavors of cinnamon, raisins, oatmeal, and chocolate.
Due to the cocoa and chocolate notes in both of these coffee’s, they both paired well with some chocolate chip coffee cookies. I used fresh ground Yukon beans in the mix for these cookies. I also paired these two coffees with some toasted coconut cashews.
While these all balanced well together, I found that the Yukon paired a bit better with the cookie, and the Guatemala paired a bit better with the cashews. Guatemala has more nutty notes while Yukon has more chocolate notes so this made complete sense.
To conduct a proper tasting, each coffee should be brewed with high quality water, a proper grind for your brewing method, proper ratio of water to grinds, and your coffee should be fresh. Coffee should then be tasted in it’s pure form, without the addition of milks and sugars.
Lucky for me I am a black coffee connoisseur so conducting tastings is naturally one of my favorite things to do. Tampering (or destroying in my humble opinion) with the coffee by adding milk or sugar hinders the natural flavors from being detected. Not a fan of black coffee? That’s OK, I don’t like beer..we all have our downfalls. 😉
Q(s):
- What’s your favorite coffee pairing?
- Have you ever payed attention to how certain coffees can CLASH with certain foods? For example the orange quinoa salad would have been TERRIBLE with any of the other coffees I mentioned in this post.
- Would anyone like to see a short post in more depth about how to conduct a coffee tasting?
Blissfulbritt 
85 thoughts on “Coffee Master Certification: My Coffee Tasting/Pairings”
Amy @ A Desert Girl
Your passion for coffee and healthy food is inspiring! This is really interesting stuff. I’ll have to show the coffee connoisseur in my home – he’ll like it!
Brittany
You are too kind my friend, thank you!
Jayda
These all look amazing! I worked at Starbucks for awhile, and the tastings are what converted me from being completely disgusted by coffee to a total addict. Your tasting looks so much cooler and fancier than mine was 🙂
Heather @ HeatherRunsFast.com
I had a Komodo Dragon drip iced coffee today and I wish those dates came as a side, haha. Dark roasted coffee’s have my heart. I would LOVE to learn how to do a proper tasting! Seems like a fun girls night (or morning might be more fitting). Share you knowledge Master 😉
Lauren @ ihadabiglunch
This is SO COOL! What a unique thing to do and skill to have! The first thing I thought about when you posted this was how much it sounds like wine and wine tastings. And that’s exactly what it is! I used to be a fan of black coffee (plus maybe a little stevia) but nowadays I’ve gotten into the terrible habit of ALWAYS adding half and half. For shame, I know. I really loved reading about this and would love a more in-depth post on it. Congrats!
Coffee pairing? I love a cup of coffee and a chocolate chip cookies 🙂 I don’t know what kind of coffee haha but that’s why you need to do another post. Educate me!
Brittany
Oh yes, you my friend need to look for coffee with cocoa notes. These make chocolate chip cookies taste like pillows of pure heaven. Cafe Verona at good ol’ Starbucks is my GO TO for chocolate chip cookie pairings.
Nguyễn Ngọc Phước
Tôi nghĩ bạn sẽ thích cà phê đen lại đấy, bởi ly cà phê đen của tôi hậu rất ngọt ngào mà không cần cho thêm đường, hoặc sữa.
Nguyễn Ngọc Phước
I think you will like black coffee, because my black coffee is very sweet without added sugar or milk.
Domi
Yes yes yes to more posts on coffee tastings! I’m a slave to the green siren, too… I’m only a barista, and although the job is not really the epitome of my career passions, I am a coffee lovahh. And food lovahh, but that goes without saying. Great post, great info, and now I’m off to brew a cuppa.
Brittany
ONLY a barista!?! There is no such thing as ONLY a barista. We baristas work hard for our money. Literally! 🙂 I love my job, and LOVE everything about coffee, but it’s definitely not my final stop in life. For now it keeps me happy and healthy! Starbucks baristas unite!
katalysthealth
No but seriously, why are there so many wine tasting and never any coffee tastings? That’s just so not right. I don’t freaking drink wine! lol
Brittany
I don’t either, I don’t even like wine. I should totally open a coffee bar that does tastings….
Food, Booze, & Baggage
This is so cool! Congrats on getting your master apron! I’ve never really consider pairing coffee with anything other than sweets…very interesting.
The Vegan 8
Chocolate Chip coffee cookies….oh yeah, now we are talking! Look at you go you Coffee Expert, yeah!!
An Unrefined Vegan
You. Are. Amazing.
Choc Chip Uru
Haha I love reading about your coffee tastings, it makes me grin 😀
And makes me want to try coffee!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Aja
That is so cool!
Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets
I think you need to come taste test the coffee in Cleveland, and then make me all these pairings please. A second opinion could only be a good thing. 😉
Brittany
If you keep dropping Cleveland bombs on me I will legit buy a plane ticket. I’m not even kidding. Mark my words!!
Ellie
I love black coffee with a sweet breakfast and sweet coffee (vanilla, caramel hints) when I have a savory breakfast. I actually pair two types of coffee together to make my favorite cup. I like Columbian paired with a vanilla coffee. Tastes great!
Khushboo Thadani (@KhushbooThadani)
OMG this is so awesome- as a black coffee drinker, I love this…and would love to see a short post on coffee tasting! I feel so silly that I never even thought about how different coffee beans would affect how well a cup of coffee pairs with a certain food. Generally speaking, nothing beats a cup of coffee with a slice of freshly baked banana bread….mmm!
kathy@vodka and soda
coffee is my jam. i legit go to bed at night excited that i can drink coffee when i wake up. these pairings are interesting; i never thought that it could clash with food.
Brittany
You and I are one in the same my friend. Going to bed each night knowing that my morning is just around the river bend is similar to the going to bed knowing the next morning is Christmas when you’re a kid. Except this is EVERY DAY.
Barbara Bamber | justasmidgen
Congratulations!! It looks so complicated, I’d be happy just following your recommendations and enjoying those recipes!!
charissarunning
This is amazing! I love coffee (especially Starbucks!) and thankfully, I love to drink it black. I agree that milk/sugar can definitely destroy the natural flavors that are meant to be savored… also, I never thought about being a Coffee Master before, but it sounds like such a fun thing to be able to tell people 😀
Hannah
Love love love this post! I’m also a black coffee drinker, and can’t imagine fouling it with milk or sugar regularly anymore. You simply can’t taste the coffee. The only time milk and sugar comes near my coffee is if I’m craving a sugared coffee bomb around Christmas with whipped coconut milk and chocolate chips. Lets be real – at that point it’s not the coffee I’m after. ANYWAY – I loved reading about pairing coffee with foods. It never occurred to me to do this, but it makes complete sense considering how different coffees tend to be from one another. I would love a short post in more depth about how to conduct a coffee tasting 🙂
Brittany
I completely agree, anytime I am feeling wild and decide to get a soy latte it’s because I want a treat. It’s never for the coffee aspect.
kcriemer
can i have your life for a few days? how i would love to be in the starbucks mecca of the world and learn all this information about it!
maybe, as a freshly minted coffee master, you can tell me why the past few weeks i’ve had an aversion to hot coffee and can only drink it cold now 😉 … no but really, its a tragedy.
rika@vm
I love this post, it’s nice to know which dish pairs well with a specific type of coffee! I think I would go for the quinoa & Kenyan coffee! I’m not a huge coffee drinker, but I like that you are able to pair coffee with anything just like wine or sake or even beer!
Rach @ This Italian Family
So I literally read every word of this post to Christopher (who is a HUGE coffee fan/snob). He appreciates all the advice! 🙂
GiGi Eats Celebrities
OMG my cake balls, DIPPED IN COFFEE – swoon! THIS IS HAPPENING!!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
it’s so interesting reading all the Starbucks. I love their coffee, but wouldn’t usually get to hear about this kind of stuff.
B
Yay! Congrats! I’m actually not much of a coffee drinker except for Pumpkin Spice and frapps! LOL
di @ life of di.
I think this is absolutely awesome. What a great resource you’ll be to all of your coffee addict friends 😉 I still really want to work for Starbucks but have never gotten an interview 😦 I wish I could walk in and interview/fill out an application instead of doing it online. Wah-wah.
Brittany
AHH I have some advice for you…GO into the store you want to work at and talk to the manager. Seriously, you will never get an interview if you just fill out the application online. It’s necessary, but honestly there are SO many on there that it will never be found unless you show your face in person. Bring a resume, and make sure you know the manager will be there. That’s your best bet! That’s what I did, and was lucky enough to snag an interview and well, the rest is history!
allieksmith
My husband and I just sat down and read this post together! He saw me looking at your blog and saw the komodo dragon blend in a picture and was like “that’s my favorite” (he drinks it every morning), so this was fun to read :).
So, what would pair well with hazelnut flavored coffee? Or does it depend on where the beans are from/what kind of roast it is? I’m such a n00b!!
I would LOVE to read about conducting a coffee tasting!
Brittany
This comment made me swoooooon. I love that you guys read it together. I also LOVE that you said “husband.” As for your hazelnut coffee, since it’s not plain coffee beans the hazelnut will probably dominate the flavor of any kind of natural flavors the beans have. I would pair it with anything else nutty, caramel, or buttery. I think it could depend on the beans too, but overall a safe go to would be similar flavors!
allieksmith
I love saying husband, too! It’s kind of my favorite, haha. And okay! I like to drink hazelnut coffee, so I’ll try and go with what you said :). Thanks!!
Meredith
You go girl, that is awesome! I want to visit your starbucks and taste this greatness! Love the apron too!
Femme Fitale Fit Club
You know my pallet is so basic – I did not realize there were different “flavors” of coffee. It all tastes the same to me. Lame I know. Congrats Coffee Master!
P
Congrats on becoming a coffee maestro! Love the pictures!
Amalia
This made me miss my coffee pairings at work. I should work more to do notes and tastings at home! Also, the black apron makes everything totally awesome. I’m always reminded about pairings because the coffee at work only tastes good to me with citrusy fruits – everyone else loves it all the time, but I hate it unless its with something lemony.
apartmentwife
oh brit, how awesome is this? the certification combines your love for food and coffee, and the pairings show-off how well you truly know your stuff 🙂 congrats to you!!
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Amanda @ Diary of a Semi-Health Nut
So so late to the party but I found your blog through Clean Eats Fast Feets and am loving it! I had no idea you could become a coffee master at Starbucks…serious business!! I work at Lifetime Fitness cafe so we have coffee and lattes…but not the same thing at all!
Brittany
Being a coffee master is SO much fun. Working with coffee in general is fun though, as I am sure you know! 🙂
veggiechaser
Love the aroma chart! Thanks for sharing!
sociallyjamie
I have dates, I have sunbutter and I have a shit ton of cinnamon! THIS may be the next best thing since gorgonzola stuffed dates wrapped in turkey bacon (i eat meat..on occasion) love your site girl…whats personal is most universal and I feel like we are a lot alike!!! Cheers and nice to meet you. P.S. I found you because you liked a post of mine on Instagram! woop
nataliekelzinga
First time checking out your blog! I love it! Love reading about people who share my love for healthy food and coffee!!!
thesnowwoman
Great post to read with my coffee! I love the Turkish proverb.
Thanks for stopping by my blog!
Tara@LittleHomeKitchen
Amazing! I loved the pairings. I’m going to rethink my measly two-cup-a-day habit!
Diana
Thank you so much for publishing this! I am about to do the coffee masters certification myself! I was looking for other foods besides the original starbucks food! This gave me so great inspiration!
Brittany
This makes me so happy! Best of luck, it’s a fun journey!
dmaiflores
Hi Brittany,
I’m going through my coffee master certification as well and I have no idea what’s in store and it doesn’t seem like my manager has much clue either since I’ll be the first coffee master at our store in a long time. What should I look for during the certification? I am trying to come up with coffee tasting ideas. My boss suggest ideas of making my own dishes as well for the food tasting…now that you’re a coffee master would you have done anything differently?
Thanks!
Demi
Brittany
Hi Demi!
How exciting for you to be going through the certification, it certainly was a fun process for me. The store I work at has a fantastic coffee culture, and I use my knowledge from the program to conduct coffee tastings with partners and customers, help my manager sell at home coffee, and ensure that our machines and such are working properly.
I’m not sure what stage you’re at, but after you complete your book of reading you should be given a written test, along with a project. When you present your project to your manager you’ll conduct a coffee tasting with her and anyone else she invites. Some managers invite the DM, but thankfully mine didn’t. HA. I LOVE making my own foods for tastings, granted I don’t eat dairy so that eliminated 99% of the food that Starbucks sells, but making your own food allows for a lot more creativity.
I wouldn’t have done anything differently with my certification, it went great! I hope this helps, and if you have anymore questions let me know!
Still a Runner
Thanks for the information. I am a coffee lover and this explains much about how a specific cup tastes with a certain food. BTW, the quinoa & orange salad sounds fantastic. Recipe?
Brittany
It’s so fun to try different pairings!
I was inspired for the quinoa salad by this recipe: http://www.afamilyfeast.com/quinoa-salad-pecans-orange-currants/
However I changed a few things.
Amanda
Brittany,
Your pairings are magnificent, but caught me off guard. I am now on that road to the black apron, but never imagined that it would be allowed to pair foods not found in the corporate line-up. How was that received? with enthusiasm, a sense of normalcy, barely tolerated though accepted?
Brittany
Thank you! I don’t eat any of the foods at Starbucks, so this was my only option. For my certification my manager at the time LOVED my outside of the box pairings, and I’ve found that it’s actually normal and appreciated when you make something unique for your final pairing. While at work I still do tastings with in store foods for customers and fellow partners, but I also bring a lot of my own stuff to try with the crew. It’s always accepted with enthusiasm by my crew, and if you have the coffee passion and get really into pairings it’s usually met with excitement and respect! Best of luck, it’s a fun journey!
blairerun
Hah, never knew coffee functioned lime wine and I DO LIKE MY COFFEE. Cool post.
jenny
hi partner,
Tomorrow is my recertification as well..and kinda nervous about it..but you inspired me. i choose kenya for my coffee tasting.i hope you can help me with it.
thank you..
keep your passion burning
Brittany
You’ve got this!!! What are you pairing with it? Have you thought about trying it iced? I much prefer Kenya iced, but that’s just me. 😝
jana
ok so its 2016.
are you still out there????
Brittany
You betcha! 🙂
Raymund Dantes Abejo
hi partner
im from starbucks philippines .,., tomorrow is my certification ..could you please help me ..i choose komodo dragon blend and i still don’t have another coffee to contrast with ..
Brittany
Hello! How exciting, and congrats on the certification. Komodo is one of my favorite blends, and if you’re looking for a coffee that will contrast it I would choose something from Latin America. Komodo is a great Indonesian coffee that brings out the herbal and spice notes, and a good comparison would be something like Guatemala or house blend to highlight the cocoa and nutty notes of Latin American beans. I also love showcasing house blend because it was the blend that started it all! Best of luck.
Dae
Nice blog. I will put a link on your website to my website later on so stay tuned. I love your blog.. I like how you added Starbucks. Starbucks are awesome. Also thank you checking out my blog. You are the best! ❤
Sarah
Thank You so much for your sharing !!! So amazing what did you do ! 😀 Can you pleaseeee tell me the recipe of the quinoa salada *.* so yumiiiiii I want to do at home ahah 😀
Continue to do what you love ! ❤
Brittany
Aww thank you! I think I linked the recipe a few comments up! ❤✌🏻
Nguyễn Ngọc Phước
Hi Brittany.
My name is Nguyen Ngoc Phuoc, I come from Hanoi, Vietnam.
A powerhouse of green coffee, especially Robusta. I know that although we are strong in green coffee, but economic value as well as enjoy the excellent coffee, we are modest, and this makes me feel anxious.
Before, I did not like coffee either. I do not know what I like about it.
And casually I knew the idea of coffee, and then I knew that I had to invest in the time, energy and hope for a better thing from the coffee that would bring me, to the peasants. Coffee grower in a coffee empire.
And I started with it, with the flavor of roasted coffee, the time went by, I was still struggling with it, still trying to find a strange coffee flavor.
And I recalled my life, that my life would later be sweet, that I would have better material and spiritual life. That gave me the motivation to associate that there would be an incense. Taste like coffee A mellow coffee taste, and a very sweet aftertaste without adding sugar or milk.
And I’m really happy, I do not know how to describe it when I did it.
And started my search online, with the keyword “sweet coffee” I found a few people talk about it, as if wanting to enjoy the whole coffee without needing, without milk.
And today, I happened to find your article, your joy for coffee. I know your post is not paying attention to sweet coffee. But I only know that I am happy to read it, so I boldly write a few lines with the desire to invite you to my sweet coffee for you. I know this will be difficult, but I still like the saying: “Do not do it will never work, and if I do then I will have the opportunity to achieve it”
Thank you very much for listening!
If you come to Vietnam, I hope you will find me: my phone number: 0917.055.567, or 0974.088.121. Address: No. 45, Lane 43, Lane 488, Tran Cung, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ngocphuocnguyen88
Mail: phuocchomo@gmail.com
Thank all ^_^
Brittany
Hi Nguyen, thank you for this lovely comment! Your coffee journey sounds wonderful. I am inspired by your passion, keep it up! If I ever find my way to your country I’ll surely say hello.
Nguyễn Ngọc Phước
I am happy to meet you and will be more than happy to invite you to use sweet black coffee ^ _ ^
Good luck
Nunzio Ruggiero
This type of coffee is the best, i drink it every day
https://www.nunzioruggiero.com/
Patty
I used your quinoa salad idea for a Kenya tasting. Being the early am, i used currants/strawwberries, lime juice and fresh basil. YUMMO. Thank you for the inspiration
Brittany
WOW, that sounds great! Well done. 🙂
gpavants
HI Brittney,
Great combos. Coffee and goodies.
Like your pairings.
Gary
Brittany
Thanks!
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evans443
Wow!!! I love this blog posting. I drink coffee every morning, and after reading your post I wanted to go blend coffee. I never thought about eating while having my morning coffee. Let’s just say I have a diffrent perspective and a new found appreciation for coffee.
Brittany
YAY!!! I hope you find some wonderful coffee pairings. Coffee pairings are some of the highlights of my life. LOL
James Odhiambo
Wow! You are God sent. I’m actually from Kenya and I recently became a coffee lover. In one of my blogs, SILENT, I briefly talked about my love for coffee in the first paragraph. I don’t know so much yet about coffee, but it’s a journey I have just started and I loved it so much. And also being a food lover and even having studied food production before I changed to being a journalist, I think we now share two things in common, which is very awesome.
Brittany
You come from an amazing country for coffee! The coffee journey is one that can evolve and change as we evolve and change. I hope you continue to find what you enjoy and can find foods you enjoy with your coffee as well!
Stacey
thank you for visiting my blog to lead me to yours, Brittany! Congratulations on completing your coffee Master certification- what a unique accomplishment.
Have a great day!
Brittany
Thank you, this was so long ago, but the memories stick with me fondly! Such a fun time of my life.
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