Intelligentsia El Diablo Blend vs Intelligentsia Organic Black Cat Espresso

people who want chocolate + molasses from a direct trade roaster

people who want caramel + stone fruit from a direct trade roaster

Scores higher on sourcing transparency & ethics, value per kilo.

• +A dark roast priced level with the medium blends rather than discounted below them.
• +Single country of origin behind a dark blend, which is more coherent than most.
• +The only dark filter blend in the range, so it fills a real gap on the menu.
• +Roast profile, flavour profile and origin all published as structured tags.

• −Dark roasting narrows what any coffee can show, whatever the roaster intends.
• −Only two sizes, and the larger is 2.27 kg to keep fresh.

• +Certified organic and Direct Trade on the same bag, which is an uncommon pairing.
• +Ethiopian and Mexican components give the Black Cat profile a different route to the same place.
• +Tagged Comforting rather than Traditional, so it keeps more character than the darker Analog.
• +Only a dollar over the standard Classic for the certification.

• −About $44.75 a kilo, above the standard Black Cat and well above supermarket espresso.
• −Organic certification narrows the farm pool, which can make a blend harder to hold steady across seasons.
• −Only two sizes, and 5 lb is a lot of an espresso blend for a household.