Intelligentsia El Gallo Blend vs Intelligentsia Frequency Blend

people who want apple + raw sugar from a direct trade roaster

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

people who want chocolate + molasses from a direct trade roaster

• +Organic certification and Direct Trade on the same bag, for a dollar over the entry blends.
• +Roasted light and filed for a V60, which is unusual honesty about how it should be brewed.
• +Single country of origin, so the apple sweetness reads more clearly than in a multi-country blend.
• +Whole bean or ground at the same price, with a subscription and a 5 lb option.

• −A light roast pointed at pour over is more work than an automatic drip blend.
• −Wrong bag for espresso or for milk drinks.
• −Only two sizes, and the larger is 2.27 kg to keep fresh.

• +The cheapest Direct Trade coffee in the range, level on price with two blends that carry no trade tag.
• +Built as an everyday crowd pleaser, which is the right brief for a household bag.
• +Dried fruit and sugar give it more character than a neutral house blend.
• +Origins, roast profile, flavour profile and trade terms all published as tags.

• −Designed to please everyone, which means it is nobody's favourite cup.
• −No organic certification, where El Gallo and Illumination carry both that and Direct Trade.
• −Only two sizes, and the larger is 2.27 kg to keep fresh.