Customer Reviews

Intelligentsia Coffee Black Cat- Regular, Whole Bean Blend

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have been making and drinking espresso for well over 15 years. As I am sure many of you know, the keys to good espresso are: a good machine, a good grinder, a fresh roast, and freshly ground coffee.

I use a Pasquini Livia 90 and a Mazzer Mini grinder. This coffee is not designed for presses or drip coffee makers.

That said, short of what you might experience in Tuscany or Northern Italy, this is the best espresso you might hope to make at home.

When fresh, as it should be bought, the aroma from the bag is enough to convince you of the coffee's character.

The crema is thick, the flavor is rich and full without the bitter aftertaste you experience with many of the Seattle blends (including Starbucks). This coffee is to be enjoyed on it's own, with maybe a touch of sugar or possibly as an Americano, it may be OK as a macchiato, but does not hold up as well as a cappuccino, or a latte, since the milk has a tendency to overwhelm the delicate flavor of this coffee.

Once you have experienced Black Cat, it will make an indelible impression on your palate and you will likely become a Black Cat aficionado trumpeting it's amazing flavor to all your friends.

I can not tell you my love for Black Cat!!!! I mean I'm ordering espresso beans online come on I think that says it all! I first ran into this at Whole Foods and decided to try it, hands down one of the better beans out there. There is no bitter after taste and your breath isn't stale for days afterwards, also has an excellent crema oh and the beans aren't oily which ruins machines and gives you crappy espresso! If you like espresso I really recommend getting a bag of these you won't be disappointed!

The price definitely worths it. This coffee is pure crema. The flavor is in its point. The texture is unparallel. If you gather with friends to share good espresso shoots or lattes, this is the bean you must acquire.

Suggestion: This coffee should be use JIT (just in time). Order it once you are running low of beans and you'll always have fresh coffee.

After having Intelligentsia about a year ago in LA, I was hooked. I never got around to getting my own espresso machine until the first quarter of 2011. After going through Starbucks's bitter espresso and local roasted espresso, I can unequivocally say there is nothing that really comes close, commercially, or locally. After several hundreds shots, Black Cat is the benchmark I compare all high quality espresso to, and rightfully so.

My espresso machine isn't near as fancy as I wish, or anything like the ones in Intelligentsia Coffee shops, but Black Cat is the most forgiving espresso I have worked with. I will get some sub-par pulls, but each cup is just as good as the previous one. The espresso starts off sweet and syrupy, then mellow (yes mellows) out to a candy bold finish. There is no awful bitter bite at the end, or burnt over-roasted taste. Each sip is rich and satisfying, with no horrible "coffee breath" after taste. Take proper care when preparing each pull, and you'll be delighted by a wonderful cup of espresso.

I must qualify my review by stressting the fact that this is an expensive espresso. If you want to get everything out of each cup, take the time to prepare each pull with diligence and care. If you have a quality grinder, buy the beans whole. Or, if you're a penny pincher (but uncompromising on your espresso), buy it ground. Only a high quality grinder will really prepare the grind fine enough since the beans are very oily. Also, this IS NOT the espresso to use if you're going to be making lattes. Black Cat is very sweet and stands on its own without sugary sweeteners or dairy. Make no mistake, Black Cat is best for straight espresso shots, and americanos.

Overall, you get what you pay for. If you want a high quality, rich cup of stellar espresso, then buy Black Cat.

This is the only espresso bean I've bought, so I can't really compare it to other beans. But I like it. I just make regular coffee with it.

Despite the instructions for my French Press to brew for only 4 minutes, I found that I had to brew for longer to bring out the rich sweet chocolatey taste. I let it stew for at least 8 minutes, but 15 minutes tastes good too. Brewing this bean for only 4 minutes results in a relatively diluted, tasteless coffee. I use a ceramic grinder to grind the beans immediately before brewing.

It has a thick, mouthy texture. The beans smell strongly of smoky chocolate/truffle, almost cloyingly so. The taste is thick and sweet. I would recommend brewing for longer if possible to try and bring out more flavor.

You get a 16 oz. (1 lb.) bag for the price, so it ended up being $20+ after shipping.

Wow, the first time I had this coffee was at a cafe in my town, it was used there as a regular coffee, meaning that they brewed it for whole pots not just for espresso, and it's fantastic as just coffee... But I was blown away by the alternatives as well, it's my first expirience with an espresso that has all of the layers when it is made, from the deep brown espresso to the creamy foam called crema, it's a beautiful coffee that I suggest to anyone who is a true espresso fan...

This is not a planted review, I just love this coffee and want to share it with the world as it should be...

This is what I drink (I usually rotate between Illy, Caribou's Sumatra and Black Cat). I first found it fresh in the Intelligentsia's Chicago Loop shop location, and now always buy it as fresh as I can. When I can, I prefer some of their single plantation beans, but the Intelligentsia Black Cat serves as nice everyday espresso.

Sweet, a blend of several beans (Minas Gerais, Brazil and Santa Ana, El Salvador in this case), it finds an excellent balance that successfully avoids the burnt-bitter taste of other espressos.

Feel good about it being direct trade, but buy it because of the quality. Help yourself enjoy it by purchasing it with as few middlemen as possible. I often get mine at a local grocer, but it is already a week old.

--Brockeim

Since I first bought my espresso machine two years ago, the only coffee I have used has been Intelligentsia. Black Cat Regular. Not only the best coffee I've ever tasted in Southern California, it's the best coffee I've ever tasted!

I have searched high and low for a bean that gives me that carmel brown crema and it has a deep- smooth flavor. Black cat won!

After reading so many positive reviews on coffeegeek and wholelattelove I decided to try this coffee and i must say that they were right. My espresso came out excellent. I woulso like to thank the seller for the extra coffee!!