Intelligentsia Illumination Blend vs Intelligentsia Organic Black Cat Espresso

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

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

Scores higher on value per kilo.

• +Ethiopian coffee in an everyday blend, at well under single origin prices.
• +Organic certification and Direct Trade on the same bag.
• +Caramel gives the stone fruit a base, so it works in a drip machine rather than needing a hand brew.
• +Origins, roast profile, flavour profile and trade terms all published as tags.

• −$2.50 over the entry blends, and El Gallo carries the same two certifications for $1.50 less.
• −An Ethiopian-led blend varies more between harvests than a Brazilian one.
• −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.