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Intelligentsia Coffee

Ethiopia Kirite Washed

WashedLight67Noted
Ethiopia Kirite Washed by Intelligentsia Coffee
Origin
Guji, ET
Producer
METAD
Farm / Co-op
—
Process
Washed
Altitude
2000–2200 m
Varietals
heirloom
Harvest
—
Weight
283g
Bag price
$25.00
Price / oz
$2.50/oz
Brew
filter

As cupped

honeysuckle · green apple · red currant

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Roasts to order · ships in ~3d

Your bag is roasted after you order; expect a short delay before it ships, but it arrives as fresh as the roaster can make it.

“signature blends, roasted to order” source ↗

Cherry's Index

Evidence-of-quality score, not a cup score. Methodology

67

Noted

Confident

Confidence53% coverage / 4 of 7 signals

Enough independent signal to score at face value; no shrinkage applied. Coverage is signal availability, not cup quality; missing sources are dropped, the remaining weights are renormalized, and the result is shrunk toward a neutral 50 baseline by 0% so a single thin signal can’t carry the score on its own.

Missing: SCA grade, Buyer reviews, Cherrybook tastings

  • YouTube reviews
    Sentiment from third-party YouTube reviewer mentions
    85/ 19% weight
  • Reddit sentiment
    Sentiment across specialty-coffee discussion
    75/ 34% weight
  • Roaster transparency
    Producer / farm / lot disclosure depth
    65/ 9% weight
  • Coffee Review
    Mean score from coffeereview.com
    45/ 38% weight

Bonuses applied

  • Sprudge press coverage
    This roaster has been featured by Sprudge
    +2
  • Editorial coverage cluster
    This roaster has 3+ recent editorial mentions across trade press
    +1
  • Stale-stock demotion
    This lot has been listed in stock for an extended time; specialty coffee freshness degrades over weeks
    +-1

Base weighted score: 64.6 + bonuses = 67

Sensory profile

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Comps & alternatives

Tasting flight

Taste this against three others Cherry picks.

Brew a set side-by-side. Cherry varies the picks along axes that pair with this lot; origin, process, roast, or producer; so you learn the difference, not just drink four good cups.

Build the flight

Reference · About the varietal & origin

About Intelligentsia Coffee

Community reputation · Reddit

Well-regarded· sentiment 75/100

Intelligentsia is widely recognized as a foundational player in the specialty coffee industry. While some discussions focus on their business challenges or shifts in brewing methods at specific locations, they remain a standard benchmark for quality and are frequently grouped with other respected national roasters. Their resources, such as their cupping forms and training programs, are also highly regarded by the home-roasting community.

pioneer of specialty coffeewidely available high-quality beansrespected training and resourcesbenchmark for industry volumeexperimental brewing approaches
Threads cited (10)

Press · Sprudge

On YouTube

7 videos · 23538k combined views

Outside coverage consistently identifies Intelligentsia as a pioneer in the direct trade model. Reviewers emphasize the roaster's commitment to building long-term, transparent relationships with producers in Latin America and East Africa. The company is frequently portrayed as a bridge between high-end culinary coffee experiences and broader consumer accessibility. Coverage also highlights their technical focus on seasonality and the meticulous restoration of roasting equipment.

Pioneering direct trade modelEmphasis on coffee seasonalityProducer relationship transparencyCulinary approach to coffeeBoutique quality at scaleVintage equipment restoration

From Intelligentsia Coffee

Coverage from others

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