Intelligentsia Organic Black Cat Espresso vs Intelligentsia Organic Decaf House Blend

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

Scores higher on value per kilo.

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

• +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.

• +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.