Coffee and cuisine have always enjoyed a symbiotic relationship, is it taste, something chemical or tradition that leads us to order a coffee before getting the bill?

In France, as Romu points out, the lunch break is taken seriously and to get back to work after several courses of fine dining requires “a good kick”, which is where the coffee comes in. Erik agrees with the stimulant approach, especially for the morning routine. However, for the after dinner coffee: “It is a ritualistic moment of reflection of the delicious meal you’ve just eaten, enjoying those last few minutes with friend and family before you have to depart.” Both agree on one other vital issue, “Ensure you’re making good coffee to reflect the food.” Says Eric, while Romu reminds us “Yes, It is so important to have a good quality coffee after a meal as it’s the last thing you taste!”

When asked about which taste works especially well with coffee, Barista Erik has some strong opinions, “BUTTER, anything buttery or creamy. Nutty flavours also complement most coffees, in particular almond, as well as oranges and cherries.”

Which begs the question, can you pair coffee with food like wine? Erik is adamant, “Absolutely, there are so many variables affecting the end result of a coffees flavour the possibilities are endless.”

While coffee is a global phenomenon, it is anything but uniform. Erik took us on an odyssey, “I have experienced so many different coffee cultures around the world, from the traditional tea-like ceremonies of Ethiopia, to incredibly strong Turkish coffees, to Vietnamese iced coffees made with chicory, to the coffee I had out of a plastic bag and a straw with four sugars at the top of a mountain market in Bolivia. My favourite is the flannel drip style, where masters in quaint upstairs Tokyo bars serve the highest quality coffees brewed from a bag suspended high above the cup.”

As for coffee as an ingredient in the food itself, Romu favours several recipes, “I use a mix of coffee, salt, sugar and gin for a gravlax that I am working for autumn in Paris, I also use it with asparagus and mushrooms; we did a little coffee foam to go on top. Last summer I did a coffee oil to go with white asparagus, brassicas and lemongrass emulsion.” He also bows to the coffee experts, “I think the bean makes the difference but also the roaster you are working with plays a part. He’s the one who selects the coffee, each roaster has a different dynamic. The way he roasts will define the flavour profile.” And as Erik points out, cooking with coffee brings up another issue, heat changes the taste. “This significantly affects the way in which you are able to cook with coffee. Reheating already brewed espresso that has since been cooled will create a completely different flavour, it’s important to understand this before deciding what and how you will cook with coffee.”

And finally, the inevitable question for those who taste for a living, what, and where, is their favourite coffee? The Barista paints a picture, “Every single morning at 7am I get a long black from my local café Artificer in Surry Hills, this is my ritual, my happy place. This is what coffee is all about, enjoying the moment.”

For Romu, the very French chef, the best coffee is about those he enjoys it with. “On Sunday I go to the market (the Marché D’aligre Beauveau, next to where I live in Paris) with my wife, Liz and kids, Hazel and Marcel. We love going to Early Bird where Joseph, who used to live in Sydney, roasts and makes the coffee, on a La Marzocco incidentally. We take our time and chat in front the shop on a little wooden bench and everyone who passes by says “Hi”.

Coffee and cuisine seem to accompany the more memorable, enjoyable and fulfilling moments in our lives. Should you wish to enjoy one, consider the La Marzocco showrooms and Gaggenau flagships, in Sydney and Melbourne.