JVBorella Senior Member Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 474 Location: northeastern CT. Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: LaSpaziale S1 Vivaldi 2 Grinder: Mazzer SJ,KA Pro,Zassenhaus... Vac Pot: Press Pots/Finum Filters Drip: No Thanks Roaster: Before Long
Posted Mon Sep 1, 2008, 7:09am Subject: Re: New Black Cat Blend
Here's some info from Kyle @ Intelligentsia that may save those not familiar with B/C a few headaches if you are trying to get good shots in the first week after roasting.
"We actually never touch the coffee before day 8 out of the roaster, and prefer to use it at day 10. We usually keep the coffee locked up in the valve bags until the evening before, when we dump it all into large, slightly breathable tubs to finish all necessary degassing and moisture homogenization."
groomcreek Senior Member Joined: 8 Dec 2004 Posts: 54 Location: Northern AZ Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: La Spaziale S1 Grinder: Macap
Posted Sun Sep 7, 2008, 1:15pm Subject: Re: New Black Cat Blend
Thought I'd update my original post:
First, thank you Mark Prince and Dana Leighton for your aphoristic comments.
I gave BC another try - hey, after years of loyalty as my 'house blend' I only thought it was fair and I really was hoping Intelly heard the pleas of protest and returned BC to it's roots. NOT!
Into my 3rd pound and, although a pleasant enough blend, still not the BC of yore.
Between my BC orders I tried Vivace's Dolce & Vita - the closest to true Northern Italian espresso (took me back to a Venezia café!) Very, very smooth - my wife's new favorite. Also tried Counter Cultures Toscano - closest to the original BC that I've tasted with very nice chocolate notes.
Need to order something tonight. Any suggestions would be greatly welcome. Maybe Paradise or Terroir?
benm5678 Senior Member Joined: 4 Aug 2008 Posts: 54 Location: saint louis Expertise: Just starting
Posted Sun Sep 14, 2008, 1:26pm Subject: Re: New Black Cat Blend
wow - glad i ran across this thread.... as i'm a newbie struggling with BC...
i'll try ordering Vivace Dolce.
also trying Kyle's suggestion... i've been using BC on day 4 - 7.
it's actually perfect timing! :) i have a 10 day old sealed bag i JUST opened today and put an in airtight click clack container. So i flipped the lid so it let's it air out and try using it tomorrow.... will be interesting to see if it tastes better.
singforsupper Senior Member Joined: 22 Feb 2005 Posts: 489 Location: NY State Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Fiorenzato Bricoletta Grinder: Mazzer Mini E Vac Pot: - Drip: French Press Roaster: Caffe Fresco-Tony Sciandra
Posted Sun Sep 21, 2008, 7:26am Subject: Re: New Black Cat Blend
I'll second Tony Sciandra's Daterra. When he has his grand re-opening, I would urge people who have not, to check out his work. he really is very skilled and produces consistently rich deep roasts. Black Cat is my back-up and I have some now since Tony is offline for a few weeks to prepare for his re-opening. I do like Black Cat. I actually like the new flavor too. The old was a little to acidic for me. This has some sweetness and some chocolate in it.
Coffee, I must have coffee, And if anyone wants to give me a treat, Ah!, just give me some coffee!
ddr Junior Member Joined: 17 Sep 2008 Posts: 3 Location: Seattle Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: Pasquini Livia 90 Grinder: Mazzer Mini Manual
Posted Sat Oct 4, 2008, 10:47am Subject: Re: New Black Cat Blend
Vivace has two blends (plus a decaf). They recommend Vita for drinks with milk, and Dolce for drinks without milk. I bought some of each yesterday and think both are wonderful. I also really like the blend from Caffe Lusso in Redmond WA. (I live about equal distance from Seattle and Redmond, so I buy from either one depending on where I happen to be headed when I run low on beans). Both Caffee Lusso and Vivace are happy to ship freshly roasted beans. I prefer to drop in and have a chat with Phil at Caffee Lusso as I am very new to extracting and he is a great guy to learn from. It would be more cost effective for me to have the beans shipped (based on $3.80 per gallon gas vs. $5 - $7 shipping). I don't have enough experience to offer a suggestion about whether or not a named blend should always be the same, all I can say is that my feeling is that trying different blends from different roasters is a fun way to experience different tastes.
singforsupper Senior Member Joined: 22 Feb 2005 Posts: 489 Location: NY State Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Fiorenzato Bricoletta Grinder: Mazzer Mini E Vac Pot: - Drip: French Press Roaster: Caffe Fresco-Tony Sciandra
Posted Sun Nov 9, 2008, 7:04am Subject: Re: New Black Cat Blend
I agree with others here that the original black Cat blend was better than where they have taken it. The last order I received was pretty bad. Flat taste with little complexity. Very disappointing. No more BC for me until the return to their original blend.
Coffee, I must have coffee, And if anyone wants to give me a treat, Ah!, just give me some coffee!
Posted Sun Nov 9, 2008, 8:57am Subject: Re: New Black Cat Blend
Since Intelligentsia has gone Direct Trade, I wonder if that creates a barrier from going back to something closer to the version from a few years ago that I remember learning with. They do offer a "Classic" Black Cat now in addition to the Organic (used to be Kid-O's blend) - I'm going to have to try some to get an opinion on it, but I can definitely appreciate their move to Direct Trade. The Classic might be closer to what people remember.
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