In November, Kyle, the Director of Innovation at Intelligentsia Pasadena, hosted a Coffee Tasting and asked Matt to pair the featured coffees with food. The best part of this extravaganza was that Matt was invited to attend a “cupping” beforehand where all the coffees were tasted. Now the point of cupping is that you spit out the coffee after swishing it in your mouth to experience it’s flavor components otherwise you risk sending your body into a e-ticket jolt of what can feel like a heart attack or a seizure even. Lover of coffee that he is and not one to waste it, Matt swallowed it all and couldn’t eat or sleep for about 36 hours afterwards, but in that time created a thrilling menu that complimented all of the coffees so that guests hardly touched their wine as they eagerly awaited their next course’s offering. Here was the Menu:
Course 1
Mokha: Sweet, floral, lemon, lavender, honey, berry, anise
Served with wild boar tartar on grilled bread with house cured guanciale hollandaise
Course 2
Typica: Well composed, citric, fig, dry fruit, nectarine, hard candy
Served with savory bread pudding with persimmon chutney and crisp virginia ham
Course 3
Sudan Rume: Enzymatic, floral, jasmine, tarragon, lavender, green apple, ranier cherry
Served with crispy duck confit, apple slaw, walnut and tarragon aioli
Course 4
Mibrizi: Mango, sweet clemetine, raspberry, fresh basil
Served with a salad of butterleaf lettuce, radish, turnip, house-made cream cheese, beet reduction and spicy peptitas
Course 5
Icatu: Pineapple, crumb cake, cherry, dried strawberry, toffee, apple, sage
Served with brown butter, marjoram, chestnut, kuri pumpkin agnolotti
Course 6
Erecta: Caramel, orange, tomato, almond
Served with almond romesco, eggplant terrine, fried basil
Course 7
Maragogipe: Herbal, lemon, tangy, hibiscus, tangerine
Served with charred cap steak, pickled fennel, sweet and sour baby carrots, fried cavalo nero
Course 8
Bourbon: Dried strawberry, floral, cherry, grapefruit, sparkling, grape
Served with chocolate ganache cake with white chocolate mousse and pistacchio tuille
