Add \leavevmode to \color specification to preserve vertical alignment in columns. (https://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/328043/changing-the-text-color-for-a-cell-does-change-alignment)
diff --git a/R/column_spec.R b/R/column_spec.R
index eede10b..55e01a1 100644
--- a/R/column_spec.R
+++ b/R/column_spec.R
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@
   }
 
   if (!is.null(color)) {
-    color <- paste0("\\\\color", latex_color(color))
+    color <- paste0("\\\\leavevmode\\\\color", latex_color(color))
   }
 
   if (!is.null(background)) {