Description
For an interesting alternative to a wine-tasting party, try this unusual pairing.

Ingredients

• Coffee press or automatic drip coffee maker
  
• 1/2 pound Starbucks Aged Sumatra Lot 523 coffee
  
• 1/2 pound fresh Gouda and aged Gouda cheese
  
• Small tasting cups or demitasse glasses

Preparation
1. Brew coffee in coffee press or automatic drip coffee maker according to The Four Fundamentals:

Proportion: Two tablespoons ground coffee for each 6 ounces water. If this makes coffee too strong for your taste, add some hot water after brewing. For standard 12-cup coffee press or automatic drip coffee maker, add 16 tablespoons coffee (or 8 standard coffee measures).

Grind: Different brewing methods require different grinds. Automatic drip coffee makers require medium grind. Coffee presses require coarse grind.

Water: While it may not seem an important ingredient, coffee is 98 percent water. Always use clean, fresh water, filtered or free of impurities.

Freshness: Coffee's biggest enemies are oxygen, light, heat and moisture. Always store in airtight containers at room temperature. Coffee should be ground fresh each time it is made.

2. Slice cheese into bite-sized pieces.

3. Pour coffee and invite guests to follow three tasting steps:

Smell: Place nose directly over mouth of cup. Inhale coffee, evaluating aroma. Aged Sumatra should have an earthy quality, like freshly cut mushrooms, and some cedary aroma characteristics.

Slurp: In order to evaluate coffee's flavor, it is important to involve olfactory senses. Slurp coffee and make sure it covers entire tongue and palate.

Swish: Move coffee around in mouth, experiencing flavor and nuances on different parts of tongue.

4. Taste cheeses - first fresh cheese, then aged cheese. Notice how taste changes from fresh to aged. Changes are similar to how Sumatra coffee changes when aged. Flavor intensifies and becomes spicier, fuller.

5. Now taste coffee and cheese back and forth, discussing similarities in texture and flavor. Invite guests to join in.

Nutrition
no information available

Serves
Serves 8

Variations
no information available