{"id":693,"date":"2015-06-29T20:00:50","date_gmt":"2015-06-30T01:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=693"},"modified":"2015-10-15T21:57:15","modified_gmt":"2015-10-16T02:57:15","slug":"follow-up-review-intelligentsia-black-cat-classic-espresso-chicago-il","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=693","title":{"rendered":"Follow-up Review: Intelligentsia Black Cat Classic Espresso (Chicago, Illinois)"},"content":{"rendered":"

I hope you all enjoyed reading my friend David Cooper’s excellent guest post<\/a>\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 I remember why – I spent $27 on this bag of Intelligentsia’s Burundi Bwayi<\/a>!). Reading David’s review made me want to experiment with this blend myself, so when I saw\u00a0fresh bags at West Oak Coffee Bar<\/a>\u00a0in Denton, TX, I jumped at the chance.<\/p>\n

My previous experience with Black Cat has been limited to a visit to one of Intelligentsia’s\u00a0cafes in Chicago. On that trip, I had a doppio espresso and a latte to compare and contrast what I thought of it vs. the offerings at Metropolis Coffee<\/a>. My impression of Intelligentsia’s espresso that day was\u00a0that it tasted\u00a0a bit one-dimensional; more akin to comfort food vs.\u00a0the rather more complex and challenging Metropolis Redline blend. Both blends were\u00a0a little bright for my taste, but both cafes served\u00a0well-pulled shots with plenty of crema.<\/p>\n

Whole beans: These smell AWESOME. I loved the buttery richness and the sweet toffee-like fragrance coming from the bag.<\/p>\n

When I am experimenting with\u00a0a new bag of espresso, I adjust\u00a0the following parameters: temperature, grind size, dose (amount of beans in the portafilter), extraction time\/volume. Here’s my log for Black Cat:<\/p>\n

\"IMG_1108\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(FYI – all of the 2-I, 2-K, 2-M codes refer to the grind setting on my Baratza Vario.)<\/p>\n

As you can see, I played around with the parameters for 8 doubleshots. I may continue to play, but thus far the shot that I thought was the best was #7, at 200 degrees F, 19 gram dose, 27 sec extraction (which, probably not coincidentally, is quite close to Intelligentsia’s suggested parameters). It still only got a “hey! not bad!” comment from me, but that was definitely better than “lemon” or “WINCE.” This espresso is quite bright, verging on sour to my palate, even in its “best” rendition. I don’t think this blend can reach the sweetness of my current favorites (Stumptown or Vivace) no matter how I change the dose or temperature. #7 tasted much like the shots of Black Cat that I’ve had out at cafes, by baristas that presumably know how to work with this blend and get the best\u00a0flavor out of it. Not bad, but it’s not the general flavor I personally prefer in an espresso.<\/p>\n

However, does this mean I hate this coffee? No, and let me elaborate! I also opted to try this blend in the AeroPress and WHAT A DIFFERENCE. All those rich, toffee\/caramel\/buttery aromas from the whole beans definitely took center stage when I brewed this in the AeroPress. No sour\/lemon notes here; my mouth was shocked by how much this tasted like english toffee + chocolate with just a little bit of cherry flavor on the finish. The AeroPress extraction made this coffee taste how it smells. If I could find a way to get THIS flavor in my espresso shots, I would be a very happy camper. Perhaps I don’t have a good enough grinder\/machine combo at home to do it, but even the shots of Black Cat that I’ve had at coffee shops have been overly bright for my taste.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/strong>: I have a hard time getting along with this espresso blend with my espresso equipment. However, it tastes terrific in an AeroPress!<\/p>\n

From the roaster:\u00a0This syrupy and sweet espresso blend has been the staple of our lineup since the very beginning. It is a product of intensive lot selection and close, direct work with the farmers who produce its components. The Black Cat Classic Espresso\u2019s hallmark is its supreme balance and wonderful sweetness.<\/p>\n

Dark chocolate. Ripe cherry. Brown sugar.<\/p>\n

Intelligentsia Black Cat Classic Espresso<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 I remember why – I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"This is a chronicle of my attempt to tame Intelly's Black Cat. Moral of this story: cats do what they want. LOL!","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[158,8,3,154],"tags":[108,26,28,36,195,33,25],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/tn_IMG_1104.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5923,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=5923","url_meta":{"origin":693,"position":0},"title":"Review: Intelligentsia Coffee Black Cat Analog Espresso (Chicago, Illinois)","date":"September 2, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AeroPress"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/IMG-7216-e1562605959648.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":902,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=902","url_meta":{"origin":693,"position":1},"title":"Review: Ascension Peruvian Silk Blend (Dallas, Texas)","date":"July 25, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I don't visit too many coffee shops in Dallas regularly, but Ascension is one of my favorites when I do go out for a cup. You can taste the great care that they put into their craft in every drink you receive at their cafe. They feature various roasters from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AeroPress"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/tn_IMG_1136.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5738,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=5738","url_meta":{"origin":693,"position":2},"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":231,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=231","url_meta":{"origin":693,"position":3},"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":5666,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=5666","url_meta":{"origin":693,"position":4},"title":"Review: Ipsento Coffee Roasters Wildfire Espresso, now known as Cascade Espresso (Chicago, Illinois)","date":"March 28, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Ipsento Coffee Roasters is another Chicago-area coffee roaster I wanted to visit on my trip, but when I discovered I could order fresh beans from Ipsento via Javaya, it was a no-brainer. Since I purchased this bag of Ipsento's Wildfire Espresso, they've apparently renamed the blend and are now calling\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AeroPress"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coffeecantata.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/IMG-5991-e1550451744799.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":206,"url":"https:\/\/coffeecantata.co\/?p=206","url_meta":{"origin":693,"position":5},"title":"Online coffee tutorials","date":"May 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Whenever I want to learn a new skill (like how to clean a dishwasher, how to tie a fancy knot, etc.), I invariably consult Google and YouTube for help. Online tutorials can be extremely helpful, but they're only as good as the people posting them. 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