Even Great Coffee Can Go Average When It’s Pre-Ground: Intelligentsia
One of the first coffee shops that really blew me away was Intelligentsia in Chicago. I remember visiting it and think it was like traveling to Mecca. Opening the doors to their shop was like opening the doors to a brand new world.
And for me it was a brand new world at the time. It was the first place that I could go for a shot of espresso and really enjoy it. It was the first place that I could really soak up the magical world of coffee and marvel at all of the different coffees they carried and all of the different ways that they could brew those beans.
To this day, anytime I head back to Chicago to visit, I try to find time to visit their shop near Millennium Park.
So, it’s pretty safe to say that I was excited when NeedCaffeine.com, the only non-Intellgentsia distributor of their coffee online offered to send me some of their coffee to review. Unfortunately that excitement was muted when I opened up the box.
The Drink: Intelligentsia Lil’ Bit Lighter Blend Coffee
Type: Ground Blend
Overall Rating: 3.25 Out Of 5
The grin on my face shrunk as I took out the bag of Lil’ Bit Lighter Blend and I saw that it was pre-ground. I was still looking forward to trying it, but I knew that it wasn’t going to be the same as whole bean. I know I may sound a little bit like a spoiled child, but using whole beans and grinding it yourself right before you brew your coffee does make a difference.
Here’s an experiment to try: Buy two bags of the exact same coffee, one whole bean and one pre-ground. Brew them both up and I bet that you’ll be able to taste a difference. I’ll bet that the whole bean coffee will be more flavorful and enjoyable.
But that’s neither here or there now. (I just have to make a note to myself to always ask to review whole bean coffee in the future.) Now, I just have to move on do the review. I brewed it using a pour over, and read a little bit about the coffee. It still sounded like an interesting coffee.
Dominated by chocolate and a lingering finish of caramel and pecan, this full bodied cup enlivens the palate with fig, dried mango, and crisp acidity.
-NeedCaffeine description
As soon as I put the cup of coffee in front of my nose, I picked up on the nutty flavor. There was also a sweetness, that reminded kettle corn. I picked up on hints of grapefruit, honey and some spices. There was a lot going on, but it smelled toned down.
The nutty flavor came out in the sip too. There it mixed with a grapefruit flavor that came with a hint of tartness in an otherwise very smooth sip coffee. There was a fruity, wine like flavor in the background.
A 16 ounce bag of Intelligentsia Lil’ Bit Lighter Blend Coffee is $14.69 via Need Caffeine and is available in whole bean or ground.
Intelligentsia Lil’ Bit Lighter Blend Coffee was good, but it wasn’t great. I just felt like there could’ve been more to it. It earned just a slightly above average rating of 3.25 on the Daily Shot Of Coffee scale.
The Drink: Intelligentsia Flying Blend Coffee
Type: Ground Blend
Overall Rating: 3.25 Out Of 5 Coffee Mugs
Next up was the Intelligentsia Flying Blend. I’ll have to admit, I was a little bit curious about this one because there was no description about the beans or where they are from other than that they were grown at 1250-1800 meters and were from Latin America. However, just because I don’t know the origin of the beans, doesn’t mean that I’m just going to throw the coffee out. If it tastes good, where the beans are from matter a whole lot less.
A harmonious and versatile blend that offers a full, earth body with chocolate tones, hints of fruit and toffee.
-NeedCaffeine description
Flying Blend started off with a sweet honey like aroma. In the background there was an earthiness and the smell of vegetables. However, it was difficult to really pick up on exactly what I was smelling, I probably spent a few minutes just sniffing my coffee.
The flavors were a little hard to determine too, like they were all muted and blended together. I did pick up on a earthy and nutty flavor at the start of the sip. Towards the end their was a honey and wine like flavor.
It was an extremely smooth, clean cup of coffee.
Sixteen ounces of the Flying Blend is $14.69 via the NeedCaffeine website.
Overall, I liked the Flying Blend from Intelligentsia, but I didn’t love it. It ended up with a 3.25 rating also. It was good, but I think it was probably a lot better right after it was ground.
The Drink: Intelligentsia Infinite Festival Coffee
Type: Ground Blend
Overall Rating: 3.5 Out Of 5 Coffee Mugs
The third and final coffee that NeedCaffeine sent my way was the Intelligentsia Infinite Festival Coffee.
It was also pre-ground, but I did notice something on this bag (the other two also had it) that there was a roasted on date. My coffee was roasted on 1/11/2012. That’s something a lot of coffee roasters (even those who just sell whole bean) seem to be afraid to put on their labels, so they get a huge thumbs up for that.
A harmonious and versatile blend that offers a full, earth body with chocolate tones, hints of fruit and toffee.
-NeedCaffeine Description
The Infinite Festival Blend greeted my nose with a wine like aroma. I also picked up on a sweet, milk chocolate. It was good, but it still seemed like it was muted.
As far as flavors, I picked up on an earthiness, cigar like flavor (imagine chewing on the end of a fine cigar) and a wine flavor. It was a smooth sip, with just a hint of citrus tartness towards the end. It was a fun coffee to drink, but it tasted a little mellowed out.
Intelligentsia Infinite Festival Coffee is $14.45 for a pound.
Overall, Intelligentsia Infinite Festival Coffee was my favorite one in this group. It was a good coffee and earned a respectable 3.5 on the 5 point scale. It would probably beat out a lot of whole bean coffees, but I still feel like it had this toned down quality to it.
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Category: Coffee Reviews
About the Author (Author Profile)
Mike Crimmins is the highly caffeinated blogger behind Daily Shot Of Coffee. Besides drinking way too much coffee, he's obsessed with the Yankees and getting dirty on his mountain bike.Subscribe
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Mike, thanks for your review. I know what you mean about something getting lost in the grind when you don’t start out with beans. FRESH beans.
My pleasure Dottie. Lost in the grind is a good way of putting it!
well the supplied can take some comfort in knowing
that all their products had a 3.25-3.5 rating even in ground shape.
maybe the’ll man up and send you beans to compare?
As far as ground coffees go, it was pretty good.
I wouldn’t complain if they did that, but at the same time I don’t expect it. I do expect the roaster/company/etc that sends me the coffee to send me the best version available, so that’s what I rate it on.
Good old Intelligentsia. Sad to say this, but they’re actually losing their footing here in Chicago. I think Chicagoans are tired of them pandering to a bigger audience and all of their corporatization. They’re not as “Chicago” as they once were. However, they still make great coffee. Certainly not the best in the city, but still pretty darn great.
It’s really upsetting that they didn’t send you whole bean, because they were one of the companies that really pushed for that when they started getting big. I can’t imagine that the online place you got them from received the beans, ground them, then shipped them to you… But I just can’t imagine why Intelligentsia would grind them either.
I’m sad to hear that they’re changing. However it does happen to everything in life.
I’m heading back that direction in April, what coffee stops should I make in Chicago?
Oh man, where do I even start? Let’s start with the three best cafes that do their own roasting: Bridgeport Coffee Company, Star Lounge Coffee Bar, and Metropolis Coffee Company. There are a ton of cafes that are really cool too, but I figured you’d probably be more interested in the ones that do their own roasting. Let me know when you’ll be in town, maybe we could meet up for a cup or two!
Metropolis was on the top of my list. Those are exactly the kind of places I was looking for.
I know it’s in late April, I’ll let you know when I have a better idea of what my schedule is going to be like. I’m up there for a wedding, so I don’t know how much control of my schedule I’m going to have yet.
Psh. Weddings are for SUCKERS. Coffee is for WINNERS! You don’t want to be a sucker, do you…?
Well, definitely get to those three places if you can. Metropolis is pretty good, but I think Bridgeport has better quality beans, and I think Dark Star Lounge is the best example of really great fluid bed roasting.
fluid bed roasting
OK Mike – what’s this?
first i’ve heard the term in any activity other
than coal and wood power plant burner discussions.
Howard,
There are two different methods to roasting coffee: fluid bed, and drum. I’d say about 80% of roasters nowadays use drum roasters, because fluid bed is so scoffed at (which is completely unfair – both methods have their merits and their downfalls).
Think of every coffee roaster you’ve every seen a picture of – that’s probably the drum roaster. There’s a big round surface and a mill with three wings. The surface of the bed heats up (like a skillet), then the wings go round and round for 6-10 minutes to rotate the beans so that they’ll roast evenly. It’s just like cooking veggies on the stove – you put them in a skillet, then push them around with a wooden spoon so they cook evenly.
Fluid bed, on the other hand, is more like a popcorn popper. You beat the beans inside a holding chamber, then strong and violent hot air blows into the bottom of the chamber, hits the opposite wall (which is curved), picking up the beans sitting at the bottom, and sending them into tailspin. It’s called “fluid bed” because there’s a fluid bed of air that is constantly in motion. Since the beans are constantly in motion, they roast much more evenly.
Two different methods, two different results.
Drew, huge thanks for stepping in and explaining the difference between the roasting methods. That’s about a dozen times better than I could’ve explained it!