Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday, specifically) is often celebrated with a King Cake, which is a delicious oval cake that tastes like coffee cake and a French pastry combined. It's often marked with it's signature purple (symbolizing "justice"), gold (symbolizing "power"), and green (symbolizing "faith") frosting and has a small plastic baby baked inside.
You may be wondering the significance of the cake's colors, or why there's a baby baked inside -- well, Mardi Gras season officially begins on January 6th, or the "Ephiphany", when Christians believe that The Three Kings visited baby Jesus for the first time -- hence why there's a tiny baby hidden inside of each cake. The person who gets the baby in their slice of cake gets to be "king" for the day (and has to buy the King Cake next year).
So, now that you know the history of the King Cake, you have to pair yours with the right coffee to make it taste even more special! Our Master Roaster Stacy Hawkins says that the light pastry in a King Cake pairs well with a full-bodied medium roast coffee because it'll help cut through the sweetness and bring out the cinnamon and vanilla flavors.
We paired our King Cake with our H.C. Valentine Costa Rican Tarrazu, but our Caribbean Blend would be great too. Happy Mardi Gras!
