{"id":5923,"date":"2019-09-02T10:00:29","date_gmt":"2019-09-02T15:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=5923"},"modified":"2019-08-15T20:46:16","modified_gmt":"2019-08-16T01:46:16","slug":"review-intelligentsia-coffee-black-cat-analog-espresso-chicago-illinois","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=5923","title":{"rendered":"Review: Intelligentsia Coffee Black Cat Analog Espresso (Chicago, Illinois)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The first time I tried Intelligentsia’s Black Cat Analog Espresso was in a coffee shop. I was in Northern California for work back in 2015 and had a beautifully pulled shot at Vero’s Coffee Bar<\/a> in San Jose. I enjoyed it so much, I use the photo of it that I took as an example of what a good espresso ought to look like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Since then, I’ve seen Intelligentsia on the espresso menu at a handful of coffee shops, but it’s always been their Black Cat Classic<\/a>, so I made a point of ordering some coffee from Intelligentsia online so that I could try the Analog again, this time at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whole bean: Beautifully roasted, not oily or too dark. These beans smelled strongly of chocolate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Espresso: I got a very tasty result on my first try, which happened to be a ristretto shot that smelled like caramel and tasted sweet and syrupy. When I made the grind a little coarser to bring the proportions more in normale territory, the shot had a delicious bittersweet cocoa flavor to it. I pulled a few more shots after this, changing the temperature, and all of the shots were good, but I still think that the first two shots were the best of the lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Favorite parameters for this blend:
– Ristretto: 18 grams in, 16 grams out, 207 degrees Fahrenheit, 30 seconds from first pour.
– Normale: 18 grams in, 34.6 grams out, 207 degrees Fahrenheit, 30 seconds from first pour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With milk: I added 4 oz of milk to a doubleshot of the Analog, and it was great… very chocolaty and creamy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AeroPress: Super smooth and laden with chocolate flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summary<\/strong>: The Analog Blend is less complex than the Classic – the Classic has more fruity notes that mellow with the use of an AeroPress; the Analog is simpler with its focus on chocolaty flavor. It feels old-fashioned, in a great way. Comfort food in a cup! For straight espresso consumption, I’d definitely go for the Analog all the way. For AeroPress consumption, I slightly prefer the complexity of the Classic, but the Analog also makes a satisfying (if a bit more one-dimensional) brewed coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the roaster: Full-bodied, dark chocolate, balanced<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intelligentsia Coffee Black Cat Analog Espresso<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Review conducted 7 days post-roast.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first time I tried Intelligentsia’s Black Cat Analog Espresso was in a coffee shop. I was in Northern California for work back in 2015 and had a beautifully pulled shot at Vero’s Coffee Bar in San Jose. I enjoyed it so much, I use the photo of it that I took as an example […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5943,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"The better-known Black Cat Classic blend has a great balance of rich low and fruity high notes; this Analog blend is \"all about that bass.\" It makes an espresso that is full of chocolate and caramel sweetness if you do it right (which isn't hard to do!).","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[158,87,157,8,3,154],"tags":[235,63,26,18,71,36,268],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG-7216-e1562605959648.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":231,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=231","url_meta":{"origin":5923,"position":0},"title":"Review: Intelligentsia Black Cat Classic Espresso (Chicago, Illinois)","date":"April 19, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"(Guest post from David Cooper, principal horn of the Dallas Symphony!) There is nothing better than a good friend showing up at your door at 10 pm with freshly roasted Intelligentsia coffee! Saturday night after my concert I had just made it home and was sitting on the couch when\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AeroPress"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/IMG_0894-e1430540633125.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5738,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=5738","url_meta":{"origin":5923,"position":1},"title":"Review: Intelligentsia Coffee Honey Badger Espresso (Chicago, Illinois)","date":"April 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"During my short visit to Chicago in February, I popped into Intelligentsia Coffee's Monadnock location and picked up this bag of their Honey Badger Espresso. They had lots of really fresh beans that day, but I was curious to see if I would like this better than their Black Cat\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AeroPress"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG-6143-e1554254844613.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":693,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=693","url_meta":{"origin":5923,"position":2},"title":"Follow-up Review: Intelligentsia Black Cat Classic Espresso (Chicago, Illinois)","date":"June 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I hope you all enjoyed reading my friend David Cooper's excellent guest post\u00a0on Intelligentsia's Black Cat Classic Espresso back in April. This espresso\u00a0blend\u00a0is a celebrity as far as espresso blends go, and for some reason I didn't buy a bag of this for myself on that trip (oh yeah, now\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AeroPress"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tn_IMG_1104.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2551,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=2551","url_meta":{"origin":5923,"position":3},"title":"Review: West Oak Coffee Milk and Honey Blend (Denton, Texas)","date":"March 14, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Every time I visit Denton, Texas, I marvel at how much it's changed since I was doing graduate work at the University of North Texas in the early 2000s. Denton has always had a counterculture vibe, with people taking pride in their differences and individuality, but the city has grown\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AeroPress"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Milk-and-Honey-e1489524794477.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":216,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=216","url_meta":{"origin":5923,"position":4},"title":"Review: Counter Culture Hologram Espresso (Durham, North Carolina)","date":"April 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm excited to check another roaster off of my coffee bucket list. Counter Culture is a major player in the specialty coffee world. Unlike Stumptown, Blue Bottle, Intelligentsia, etc., they do not seem to run their own cafes;\u00a0they instead seem to focus their efforts on the roasting and on their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AeroPress"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/IMG_0869-e1430540623304.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":102,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=102","url_meta":{"origin":5923,"position":5},"title":"Review: Klatch Coffee Panama Elida Honey (Upland, California)","date":"March 12, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I have been looking forward to trying Klatch Coffee ever since I started reading up on specialty coffee roasters. Klatch is a name I saw mentioned\u00a0repeatedly, along with Intelligentsia, Verve, Counter Culture, Madcap, and Stumptown (especially in an espresso context). 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