We all have our own favourite style of coffee but some work better than others when it comes to complementing food. Let’s start with breakfast. European tradition dictates that a milkier, milder cup fits the bill, a cappuccino with a croissant, for example. But there’s more to it than that.

The general rule is that a breakfast coffee should find the right balance of flavour so as not to overwhelm the palate before it has got started. While frothy lattes and cappuccinos are undeniably popular, with a dense creaminess to underscore the buttery nature of, say, a pastry, the less heavy flat white or closely related cortado are perhaps better suited to enjoying with food. Don’t discount non-milky styles, either. An americano is a good early-morning all-rounder while espressos can be used to counter the soft richness of avocado on toast, for example, providing you use the right roast (more on that later).

Later on in the day, you are probably only going to be drinking coffee with a sweet mid-afternoon snack or as a digestif with or after a dessert. Here, the options are a touch more straightforward: pastries and cakes are generally well served by creamier concoctions, while the rich bitterness of dark chocolate can be accentuated nicely by an espresso.

The ‘roast profile’ of the beans is vitally important when it comes to matching coffee with food — perhaps more so than any other factor. The term relates to the extent that the beans have been roasted, as indicated by their post-roast colouring. Simply put, the longer they have been heated the darker they will be.

This is important because the beans’ level of roast significantly impacts on the final flavour and strength of the coffee, which in turn determines how and when it should be consumed. Coffee connoisseurs have identified a million-and-one different roast profiles — Breakfast Roast, Cinnamon Roast, After Dinner Roast — but for simplicity’s sake we can categorise them into three types:

As with grape varieties in wine, coffee beans vary massively in terms of flavour and character. But once you know the kinds of beans you like and why, you can start thinking about which flavours will work with them and the time of day they are most suited to. There are no hard-and-fast rules for this, but there are a few things to bear in mind.

One is that there are two species of coffee bean in existence: arabica and robusta. Arabica beans are harder to grow but have a deep, complex flavour, whereas robusta beans are hardier but tend to be quite acrid. Though sometimes a mixing of the two can yield great results.

Then there is the region that the beans originate from. Very generally, beans from Central and Latin America tend to be highly acidic yet sweet, complementing breakfast foods and sweet dishes. Those from Africa and the Middle East are typically medium bodied, nutty and mildly bitter with notes of citrus. Beans from Asia and the Pacific Islands may be earthier and heavier in body – give them a go with a nice slab of chocolate.