There's nothing quite like coffee and dessert to finish off a great meal. Whether you're hosting a large party or a simple get-together, it can still be challenging finding a good coffee to pair with the dessert you want to serve. Here are a few suggestions to help you pick a combination your guests will love.

For Cinnamon Desserts

Although cinnamon is sweet, it still has a little bit of a bite that would provide a nice contrast with mellower coffee flavors. Colombian and Guatemalan coffees tend to have a smooth chocolatey taste that counters cinnamon fairly well. If you want a more decadent feel, serve chocolate flavored coffee with your cinnamon dessert. You can do this by using a chocolate coffee mix (which may be easier if you're making cold drinks) or by adding chocolate syrup to the coffee.

Since cinnamon is commonly associated with fall and winter, you can generate that feeling by pairing your dessert with caramel or vanilla coffee. Both offer warm sweet flavors that bring to mind caramel dipped apples and other sweet treats created around the holidays when paired with cinnamon. This is a particularly good choice when your dessert involves whipped cream or also has hints of allspice and nutmeg.

For Berry Desserts

If you choose to take advantage of in-season prices and make a dessert from berries (e.g. blackberries, blueberries, raspberries), a good flavor choice to pair them with is hazelnut. The rich nutty flavor of hazelnuts does a great job of highlighting the berries' tartness. Another benefit of this flavor option is that hazelnut has a natural sweet aftertaste, so you may be able to get away with using a dessert recipe that doesn't have as much sugar in it.

Another option for berry-based desserts is Brazilian and Indonesia coffees. While typically not flavored, these coffees often have nutty undertones that provide the same delicious background for your berry tart, cake, or pie. For instance, Brazilian coffees tend to have notes of hazelnut, while those from Indonesia may have undertones of walnut or pecans.

As mentioned previously, you can get many coffee mix flavors to buy if you want to make cold coffee drinks since they much easier to make in large batches. However, you can also typically find syrups and regular coffee in the flavors you're looking for. For help choosing the right option for you or more advice on pairing them with your dessert, contact a local retailer.