Stop and smell the roasted coffee?

What doesn’t go with coffee? That is the question. An opportunity to drink all the Starbucks I could hold came along in the form of a Coffee Tasting and Pairing event at Starbucks in Bonifacio Global City — it was timely, too, because I really needed to stay alert that day.

Frankly, my concept of coffee is limited; I am not one of those people who go up to the barista and say, “Venti double shot, with soy, two pumps vanilla, hazelnut syrup, 75 degrees Celsius, and a foam portrait of my Terrier Elton.” With my coffee knowledge on the level of basic, I wondered why there would be any need for a crash course on coffee pairings — what doesn’t go with coffee, anyway? (Aside from fresh oranges, but maybe that’s just me.)

At the event, I learned there’s more than just two kinds of coffee (read: hot and no good), and that it’s not just something you drink to keep you awake.

Dark roasts are sexy but blonde roasts have more fun 

If coffee and tea had a child, her name would be Willow. Starbucks Willow Blend is a “blonde roast,” which means it has a shorter roast time, lighter body, and mellow flavors. Forty-three years of sourcing, roasting and blending coffee has led to the Starbucks Roast Spectrum, organized in three roast profiles: Starbucks Blonde Roast, Medium Roast, and Dark Roast. These are beans sourced from Latin America, Africa, and the Asia Pacific regions, which produce coffees with distinctive aromas, acidity, flavor and body. When paired with different dishes, the flavors dispersed by coffee can enhance every bite; when paired wrongly, it can hijack your meal.

“Willow Blend pairs well with anything citrusy,” said Third Villaflor, Starbucks Coffee Ambassador. (Yep, baristas go through different levels of tests, and the person who proves he knows the most about coffee becomes an Ambassador. Ask Third anything, he will have an answer.) With the Willow Blend came the first course, grilled scallop and baby prawn marinated in garlic honey butter, topped with mango salsa and black balsamic pearls, straight out of the Starbucks kitchen where Gourmet Garage’s chef Booj Supe was stationed.

Third asked us to swish the coffee in our mouth a bit, then, with the coffee still in there, take a bite of scallops. It didn’t sound so appetizing, but the result was mind-blowing. The scallops tasted creamier, even more buttery, and the coffee tasted sweeter. Why had I not known this before? I shall gargle my coffee with my food every time henceforth.

The second course, still served with Starbucks Willow Blend, was smoked salmon salad in Manuka honey and lemon vinaigrette, fresh orange Supremes, cheese pearls and melon rondelles. I’ve never had coffee with salmon — it just didn’t seem like a no-brainer combination, but the lightness and freshness of blonde roasts work well with salmon. They don’t overpower the fish, like a darker roast would. It’s not bitter enough. The salmon enhanced the flavors of the coffee as well; it made it taste creamier and less acidic.

Next came Starbucks South of the Clouds Blend, a medium roast from Asia with herbal flavors and crisp acidity, paired with almond-crusted sea bass topped over mushroom and cheese risotto. Why have South of the Clouds instead of Willow Blend, when sea bass is also fish? Because it’s not served with anything citrusy —instead, with earthy mushroom and rice, which goes well with South of the Clouds’ herbal flavors.

After cleansing our palate with strawberry mint sorbet, we get right to the main course: grilled beef tenderloins strip served with Starbucks Guatemala Casi Cielo, which is actually best as an after-dinner dessert coffee with its dark cocoa flavor, floral aroma, and smooth, lemony acidity. It made the beef taste like chocolate, and therefore even more wonderful. (Note that taste is not absolute — the experience varies from person to person.) For me, though, the main course turned into a savory pre-dessert dessert.

Then, finally, dessert: Blondies with vanilla ice cream and a shot of rich and caramel-y Starbucks Espresso Roast, a dark, sexy roast that languidly draped itself over the ice cream like edible, sizzling satin. As far as my taste buds could tell, only a dark roast can handle vanilla, or any sweet flavor that’s as pronounced. The Starbucks baristas took us behind the counter and assembled the dessert before our eyes. They told us we had to eat it really fast, or else we’d miss the experience of hot and cold, sweet and bitter. I finished it in a minute, flat. No need to tell me twice.

To most of us, coffee is a vitamin — a vital part of our day-to-day. Drinking it has become more of a necessity than a leisurely activity. We need to rethink this. There’s a whole world of roasts to get a kick out of, beyond the standard cappuccino or the 3-in-1s. There’s a science behind them, too, and an art to enjoying them — and it starts with not rushing.

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Starbucks Willow Blend, Guatemala Casi Cielo, South of the Clouds Blend and Espresso Roast are available at Starbucks branches.