Why Coffee and Berries Make the Perfect Pairing

Coffee is one of the most interesting flavors in the world. Even on its own, you can experience an entire catalog of flavors from one simple bean in one small sip. Of course, this experience gets even better when you begin to incorporate other flavors from foods and drinks consumed alongside a fresh cup of coffee. From a hot croissant to a nibble of chocolate and perhaps most delicious of all, fresh fruit!

There’s no denying that one of the most complex and exciting combinations of flavors there is, is the pairing of coffee and fresh berries. One of the greatest partnerships to ever hit any breakfast table, it got us at the Flavor Nation thinking: what makes these two very different foods so fantastic when enjoyed at the same time? If you’ve ever found yourself wondering the same while munching on a bowl of those colorful little balls and sipping your morning brew, we’re here to help.

After thousands of hours of extensive research, many grocery produce aisle runs, and lots of coffee filters exhausted, we’ve examined just what makes these two so perfect for each other. What lies within the tiny berry and the coffee bean that makes them destined for each other? In that spirit, we’ve put together this list of everything that makes coffee and berries a match made in flavor heaven!

Opposites attract

Above all else, something our mouths love more than anything is the sensation of contrast. Two equally opposing flavors are fighting each other for control over every last taste bud. According to the Washington Post, our tongues and senses are first and foremost hardwired to detect the five key flavor profiles: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (Japanese for savory). When these groups of flavors enter the picture, signals are immediately sent to the brain, causing different feelings like joy in the case of sweet and shock in the case of sour.

When we do get to experience this kind of contrast, it creates a naturally balanced flavor in your mouth. We’re sure you’ve experienced this before in other kinds of dynamic duos like PB&J, chocolate-covered pretzels, or even a mango habanero hot sauce. It’s the way these opposing features both neutralize the things we don’t like and highlight the things we do that make us fall in love with them.

Coffee and berries are a phenomenal example of this scenario at play. Berries contain one of the sweetest flavors imaginable, like fresh sugar with a hint of wonderful tart. While on the other hand, coffee is distinctly bitter and bold. The combination of these opposite flavors brings out the very best in both of them without sacrificing anything. At the same time, it makes the sour and bitter notes of your cup more palatable and the sweetness of the berries less overwhelming.

Shared health benefits

There are also many shared qualities between both coffee and berries that make them natural partners in crime. One of the many reasons we love berries so much is the many health benefits we associate with them. Like fresh morsels of healing, sugar picked ripe from the vine; we can’t get enough of how rich in antioxidants they are! These antioxidants are perfect for lowering cholesterol, fighting inflammation, improving your skin, providing the body with essential nutrients, and even improving blood sugar levels.

What if we told you that coffee was also naturally filled with these same antioxidants? In fact, studies indicate that you often consume the majority of your antioxidants in beverage form on an average day. The main culprit for this is your daily cup of joe. Even though we all associate those nutrients with something like a handful of berries, we don’t always have those around on hand. Coffee, in comparison, is something many of us have once, twice, or even five times a day— okay, is that just us?

Even better is that coffee also carries with it even more incredible health benefits that often get overlooked. It can improve energy levels, help burn fat faster, and even contains many essential nutrients, much like our favorite fruits and vegetables! That’s right, according to science, you’re eating healthy every time you put a pot on. Now you can’t ever tell us we don’t eat our salad, especially when it’s right there in our cup.

Naturally, our brains and our taste buds associate these sorts of health benefits and nutrients from a similar source, so it seems only fitting that when we don’t have one, we might find ourselves craving the other. However, when consumed together, coffee and berries create not only fantastic flavor pairings but also powerful health benefits that are multiplied by the two combined. So have another cup and a few more bushels; it’s good for ya!

The natural flavor of coffee

A unique feature that is present in coffee, and not so much in berries, is how coffee can often taste like many other different things. In fact, this is a feature that we cherish in coffee. Depending on the bean, the roast, the preparation method, and so much more, coffee can taste like anything under the great flavor wheel. The reason for this forces us to return to those five flavor profiles we mentioned before. Coffee is one of the few examples of a food or drink that can feature any of those five profiles in a single cup.

But doesn’t coffee just taste like coffee? Not always!

From caramel to mocha, vanilla to citrus, nuts to spices, or even flowers to tobacco, there is almost no end to the possibilities present in every bean. You may already know where we’re going with this, but one of those many potential flavors is, naturally, berries! You guessed it: coffee can even, and frequently does, naturally taste like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, currants, and many more kinds of berries.

There are many examples of this across the world, and some geographic regions are actually famous for the fact that they commonly taste of fresh berries when brewed. Some countries that are known for their berry-esque java are Kenya, Colombia, Tanzania, Haitian, and Jamaican, just to name a few. These are not the only places you might find yourself tasting berries in your cup, and drinking coffee from these locales doesn’t always guarantee it either; that’s just the magic of coffee.

Coffee is profoundly influenced by where it's from, where it's going, and where it is. From the soil used to grow it to the conditions it is roasted in, and of course, the method that is used to prepare it, there is no end to the complexity of the flavor we are able to extract from it. While blueberries are just one example, feel free to explore coffees from around the world to unearth even more surprising similarities to other common foods and drinks that are hiding within that familiar brown bean.

Even more possibilities

If the mixture of flavor is something that you yearn for in your foods and drinks, then the journey doesn’t end here. Consider experimenting with even more combinations to be matched with your favorite cup of coffee. Like every breakfast food or afternoon snack, coffee is diverse and robust in its tasting potential. Explore every possible combination to see which is your favorite! From pastries to fruit and even more surprising possibilities like salted meats, there is a cup of coffee out there for every dish to be paired right alongside it.

We hope this settles this fascinating question of what makes such distinct tastes as coffee and berries so perfect together. From the many contrasting characteristics to the shared qualities that make them great, it’s clear now why these long-lost friends get along so well. Now just don’t go dumping your bowlful of them straight in your cup. Just take our word for it when we tell you that won’t go quite as you hope.

Exploring all of the different flavors of coffee is our passion, and we guess you could say that we’re a little obsessed. Follow us on Instagram to keep up with our journey to understanding everything coffee has to offer and to try out all of the different recipes we’re constantly unveiling for you to explore too. We can’t wait to see what exciting paths coffee will take in the future, and we look forward to sharing it with you!