Intelligentsia Illumination Blend vs Intelligentsia Organic Decaf House Blend

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

people who want apple + raw sugar 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.

• +Water process rather than solvent decaffeination, which is the more expensive and better method.
• +Organic certification and Direct Trade on a decaf, which almost no roaster bothers with.
• +Only a dollar over the caffeinated House Blend, a smaller decaf premium than usual.
• +Named origin and published roast and flavour profile, same as the caffeinated range.

• −Decaffeination costs any coffee some of its aromatics, whatever the method.
• −The only decaf in the range, so there is no choice of roast or origin.
• −Only two sizes, and the larger is 2.27 kg to keep fresh.