Growing up and into my 20s I never got into the 'coffee habit' or enjoyed/appreciated the flavor. As I got older I began to enjoy the 'flavor/taste' of coffee-esque things (coffee ice cream, sweetened/milky coffee drinks).
A friend is coffee fan and in trying to educate me he brought be by a Peet's in the area a few years ago, so I started occasionally getting a latte there and beans to press pot at home. I've tended towards using more grinds to get a stronger brew in the press pot as I like being able to taste a little 'coffee' through all the crap I end up putting in.
=)
Then I went by an Intelligensia a few months ago and thought I'd give their latte a try.
Wow.
No sugar or extra H&H needed and it was complex and wonderful! The flavors of bitter, acid, sweet all seemed to dance around in interesting ways and allowed me to appreciate them. I figured I'd spring for some beans and this is where my question comes in.
There is an exquisite scent to the beans in the Celebration Blend that (for lack of an informed term) I'd call fresh baked bread-like. This has me over the moon and I want to fill my house with this scent. I wonder if anyone can clarify which of the beans (Kenya, Ethiopia, Colombia) that might be coming from, as I want more!
=)
I swung by another little coffee boutique in town and tried their latte and it was OK, but didn’t knock my socks off. Smelling their beans also didn’t give me that delicious ‘bready’ scent so I’d really like to identify that component and seek it out.
In any blend in a top tier shop, they will work each year to get something that 'fits' I guess is the best word. It might not taste the same as the last batch, but it works.
Intelli is nothing like Peets. Peets was a first, a ground breaker. But it is no longer what many of us look for in a coffee. The quality of the beans places like Intelli buy and the master-roasters who roast then are a distinct cut above the standards set by Peet's years ago.
Coffee's come a long way baby.
Go down there and just buy some. Tell then what you had and what you liked, they can guide you. If you're going to Silverlake, go in off peak times if you can. My personal preference for the 3 is Pasadena, just because I felt I had a touch more customer service every time I've been ther.
I'm sure Intelligentsia would like to hear your compliments. Why not call them, maybe someone there will give you some insight. Not sure you know this, but blends will occasionally change during the year, due to availability of the components of the blend, so if you like this blend, you might want to purchase 5#'s and freeze some. Are you brewing this blend press pot style? You can also try a manual pour-over like Chemex. Very simple, quick cleanup...much faster than press pot. A cleaner cup, less oils.
I really like the mouth feel and the oils the press pot offers, and I can't seem to get behind the idea of running coffee through paper (as much as it is the darling of the 3rd wavers).
I tried asking a gal at the Pasadena location, and she seemed unclear on what components might be contributing to that aroma. I'll try again.
consider trying the Espro press. it gives you the best of both worlds (the cleanness of paper filter, with the oils and flavor of presspot). There is a great review on www.espressomyespresso.com I bought the single serve one about a month ago and it's been the best non-espresso coffee I've ever had.
Mr. Bastid, sorry, no idea about LA smellers. But you could get the scent I mentioned on the cheap along with 5 others here (free shipping, too, with code C92247):
consider trying the Espro press. it gives you the best of both worlds (the cleanness of paper filter, with the oils and flavor of presspot). There is a great review on www.espressomyespresso.com I bought the single serve one about a month ago and it's been the best non-espresso coffee I've ever had.
Mr. Bastid, sorry, no idea about LA smellers. But you could get the scent I mentioned on the cheap along with 5 others here (free shipping, too, with code C92247):
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