Valentine's Day 2023: All You Need Is A Cheesy Coffee Date!

Meghana Dayanand

Updated:Feb 13, 2023

Coffee has the power to create memories that will last a lifetime, whether it's over a cup of coffee in a cozy café or cuddled up on the couch with your significant other, a first date over coffee, or a proposal in a café. Here are two unusual coffees to enjoy this Valentine’s Day.

Valentine's Day 2023: All You Need Is A Cheesy Coffee Date!

Image Credit: Image Credit: Meghana Dayanand

Love and coffee share many similarities in the way they bring warmth, comfort, and joy to your lives. Just like a cup of coffee can start your day with a burst of energy and positivity, love can fill our lives with meaning and happiness. While both are rich, complex, and multi-layered, offering endless possibilities for exploration and enjoyment, coffee and love both have the power to keep conversations alive and bring people together.

Having grown up drinking filter coffee, I was only made aware of speciality coffees and various other types and styles of drinking coffee in the 1990s, when a popular coffee and cafe brand introduced the Indian palate to a range of coffee preparations, including the Italian variants in their cafes like cappuccino, affogato, mocha, latte, frappe, espresso, and more. Strapped for cash most of the time during our years in college, getting one cold coffee or cappuccino at a cafe seemed feasible. It seemed possible to spend hours talking with friends or a potential date over a single cup of coffee. Those were the good times, where sharing a single coffee brewed a lot of love and added a special touch to the celebration. It also showed us that a lot could happen over coffee, which has now evolved to an era where a lot is happening with new-age coffee.

Recently, when I started a wellness programme about 6 months ago, I was advised to start my day with a version of black coffee called bullet-proof coffee. Being familiar with filter coffee, cold brews, civet, and even decree coffee, this was a shocker! When I looked it up, it was surprising to see that bulletproof coffee, which is black coffee blended with a dollop of butter or coconut oil, makes for a rich coffee that is popular among fitness enthusiasts and avid keto followers. I must admit that I have grown to enjoy and love this hot cup of goodness first thing every morning.

On that note, starting your day with an adventurous cup of java can kickstart Valentine's Day with a love rush. Unusual and quirky coffee drinks can be a great way to add some excitement to your Valentine's Day celebration, especially if you and your partner are coffee enthusiasts. "We feel that people connect and bond with something new. We have seen that some of the quirky combinations we create with coffee wow people more, and couples bond over different kinds of coffee that they may not have tried earlier. They try a new kind of coffee with their partner, and a lot of conversation flows over coffee afterwards," says Ganga Prabhakar, co-founder of Coffee Mechanics in Bengaluru.

She started the venture with her husband, Pavan, for the sheer love of coffee and with the purpose of giving a personalised coffee experience to their customers similar to the one they experienced growing up on a coffee plantation. "We brew quirky combinations to experiment and try time and again, rather than just brew a fancy cup of coffee. We've seen people come in as friends, become couples over coffee, and grow apart as they travel to different places, only to return years later to catch up over their favourite cup of joe at our cafe. We were one of the initial ones to introduce barrel-aged coffee into the Indian market and have been brewing the currently trending nitro coffee since 2016," she says with pride, adding, "Our love for coffee keeps us driving to give the best coffee experience. While bullet-proof coffee has been a hit with health enthusiasts and keto fanatics, couples and friendly lots seem to prefer the blueberry coffee tonic with smoked rosemary. It's fruity, has a surprise element, and a flavour play that adds to the vibe of Valentine's Day."

Just as coffee can be tailored to individual preferences, love can be tailored to fit the unique needs and personalities of each relationship. There has been a rise in innovative coffee-making methods, such as pour-over, cold brew, and nitro coffee, which offer new and unique flavour profiles and experiences. Whether it's a bold, dark roast or a light and sweet latte, there is a coffee for everyone, and the same is true for love. Each relationship is unique and special, and love can be moulded to fit the needs and desires of each couple. So, whether you're starting your Valentine's Day with a cup of coffee or snuggling up with your loved one after a few cold brew cocktails at the end of the day, it might be vital to remember that both love and coffee are gifts to be cherished and appreciated.

Bengaluru and many other cities across the country are home to numerous coffee shops and cafes that offer a wide range of coffee and non-coffee beverages, snacks, and desserts. Coffee-based shots like the B52 and cocktails like the Brandy Alexandra, the Cold Brew Bourbon Cocktail, and more are trending across many restaurants and watering holes. I have been trying some kinds of coffee around the city of Bengaluru, and one of the popular brews was the Mazagran. "With winters fading away, Mazagran is a refreshing coffee beverage to enjoy on a lovely spring evening," says Nimisha, a climate scientist, as she sipped on her coffee soda with lime and sweeteners at one of the trending cafes in Bengaluru. So, whether you're looking for a quiet and intimate setting or a bustling and energetic atmosphere, there's a coffee shop or a bar in Bangalore that's perfect for you!

If you're feeling adventurous, you could brew a coffee drink with your significant other by experimenting with a few unexpected ingredients, such as black sesame, lavender, or cheese. That's right! With so many coffees to choose from, I thought cheese coffee, or Kaffeost, was an odd coffee. The Swedish Kaffeost, or cheese coffee, that is popular in Scandinavian countries got my head reeling a bit and made me curious. It turns out that these unique flavours can add a touch of excitement to your coffee and be a fun and romantic way to celebrate your love.

I tried making two versions of cheese-based coffee. One was a koffeost but with cheddar cheese instead of Swedish bread cheese, which was a hot black coffee variant. The other was an iced coffee with a topping of cream cheese foam. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The hint of salt in my version of koffeost sweetened the bitterness in the hot black coffee, and the velvety cheese added a rich buttery taste to the coffee that was soul-warming. Eating the cheese between sips of coffee felt like breakfast done right!

The iced coffee topped with cream cheese foam was delightful enough to satiate one's sweet tooth. The rich and buttery flavours of coffee and a creamy aftertaste accompanied by the subtle pungency of the cream cheese seemed like a sweet indulgence that could provide a new and customised coffee experience.