It’s not uncommon to find espressos served with chocolate at many of Toronto’s craft coffee bars, but how about pure cacao beans? Starting Monday, espressos at Sense Appeal Coffee Roasters will be served with roasted cacao beans that have been flavour-paired with the coffee blend. “I used to be a sommelier,” says co-owner Peter Adamo. “I’ve never seen a pairing as dramatic as what I’ve seen with cacao and coffee.”
Sense Appeal’s experiments in pairing the two are still underway, but Adamo claims that cacao does something to the palate that allows coffee to be tasted completely differently. He recommends the following ritual: stir the espresso and take a sip. Take a second sip to get used to it; then take a bite of the cacao. “That’s when everything completely changes,” Adamo says. By the third and final sip, the symbiotic relationship between coffee and cacao will, apparently, enhance the overall flavour profile.
Sense Appeal’s cacao beans are single origin Criollo – known as one of the best cacao varieties in the world – either from Mexico or the Dominican Republic. A single bean will be served with the espresso at no extra cost. The idea is for a pure, profound experience. “You’re tasting cacao in its purest form,” Adamo says. “And espresso drinkers are purists.”