Cherrybook.
Intelligentsia Coffee

Organic Black Cat Espresso

WashedMedium71Cherry's Index

Cup profile

caramel · honeydew · grape

  • Fruit
  • Sugar and spice
Organic Black Cat Espresso by Intelligentsia Coffee
Origin
CO
Farm / Co-op
—
Process
Washed
Altitude
1600–1900 m
Varietals
—
Harvest
—
Weight
340g
Bag price
$18.50
Price / oz
$1.54/oz
Brew
espresso

from the roaster’s storeread by Cherrybook from the listing“estimated” below = inferred, not stated

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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 ↗

Cherrybook last checked this listing 4 days ago.

Cherry's Index

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

71

Noted

Preliminary

Confidence33% coverage / 3 of 7 signals

Score is partially shrunk toward a neutral 50 — read directionally until more source families land.

How confidence affects the score

Coverage measures signal availability, not cup quality. Missing sources are dropped, remaining weights are renormalized, and the result is shrunk toward a neutral 50 baseline by 18% so one thin signal cannot carry the score on its own.

Missing: SCA grade, Coffee Review, Buyer reviews, Cherrybook tastings

  • YouTube reviews
    Sentiment from third-party YouTube reviewer mentions
    85/ 30% weight
  • Reddit sentiment
    Sentiment across specialty-coffee discussion
    80/ 55% weight
  • Roaster transparency
    Producer / farm / lot disclosure depth
    50/ 15% 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
    +-4

Renormalized base 77.0 shrunk to 72.3 at 83% confidence + bonuses = 71.

Sensory profile

Body
4
Sweetness
4
Balance
4

Flavor wheelestimated

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 80/100

Intelligentsia is consistently recognized alongside pioneers like Stumptown and Counter Culture as a foundational name in specialty coffee. Community members frequently reference them as accessible, high-quality beans available in grocery stores, while also noting their historical role in shaping the industry. Discussions mention their educational materials (like cupping forms), experiments in cafes (such as shifting focus to Aeropress at their original location), and placement among favorite legacy roasters.

pioneer of specialty coffeewidely available in grocery storeseducational resourceslegacy roasterconsistent quality
Threads cited (10)

Press · Sprudge

On YouTube

8 videos · 23616k combined views

Reviewers and featured talks describe Intelligentsia Coffee as a pioneer of direct trade models, focusing particularly on producer relationships in Latin America and East Africa. Outside coverage highlights their emphasis on culinary complexity, seasonality, and long-term producer partnerships. Shop tours and customer reviews also note their welcoming cafe environments, knowledgeable staff, and efforts to balance boutique quality with broader retail availability.

Pioneers of direct trade sourcingEmphasis on coffee seasonalityFocus on Latin America and East AfricaCommitment to producer education and relationshipsBoutique quality meeting wider retail availabilityWelcoming cafe environments and knowledgeable baristas

From Intelligentsia Coffee

Coverage from others

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Intelligentsia Coffee

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