One of the first coffee shops that really blew me away was Intelligentsia in Chicago. I remember visiting it and think it was like traveling to Mecca. Opening the doors to their shop was like opening the doors to a brand new world.

And for me it was a brand new world at the time. It was the first place that I could go for a shot of espresso and really enjoy it. It was the first place that I could really soak up the magical world of coffee and marvel at all of the different coffees they carried and all of the different ways that they could brew those beans.

To this day, anytime I head back to Chicago to visit, I try to find time to visit their shop near Millennium Park.

So, it’s pretty safe to say that I was excited when NeedCaffeine.com, the only non-Intellgentsia distributor of their coffee online offered to send me some of their coffee to review. Unfortunately that excitement was muted when I opened up the box.

The Drink: Intelligentsia Lil’ Bit Lighter Blend Coffee
Type: Ground Blend
Overall Rating: 3.25 Out Of 5

The grin on my face shrunk as I took out the bag of Lil’ Bit Lighter Blend and I saw that it was pre-ground. I was still looking forward to trying it, but I knew that it wasn’t going to be the same as whole bean. I know I may sound a little bit like a spoiled child, but using whole beans and grinding it yourself right before you brew your coffee does make a difference.

Here’s an experiment to try: Buy two bags of the exact same coffee, one whole bean and one pre-ground. Brew them both up and I bet that you’ll be able to taste a difference. I’ll bet that the whole bean coffee will be more flavorful and enjoyable.

But that’s neither here or there now. (I just have to make a note to myself to always ask to review whole bean coffee in the future.) Now, I just have to move on do the review. I brewed it using a pour over, and read a little bit about the coffee. It still sounded like an interesting coffee.

Dominated by chocolate and a lingering finish of caramel and pecan, this full bodied cup enlivens the palate with fig, dried mango, and crisp acidity.
-NeedCaffeine description

As soon as I put the cup of coffee in front of my nose, I picked up on the nutty flavor. There was also a sweetness, that reminded kettle corn. I picked up on hints of grapefruit, honey and some spices. There was a lot going on, but it smelled toned down.

The nutty flavor came out in the sip too. There it mixed with a grapefruit flavor that came with a hint of tartness in an otherwise very smooth sip coffee. There was a fruity, wine like flavor in the background.

A 16 ounce bag of Intelligentsia Lil’ Bit Lighter Blend Coffee is $14.69 via Need Caffeine and is available in whole bean or ground.

Intelligentsia Lil’ Bit Lighter Blend Coffee was good, but it wasn’t great. I just felt like there could’ve been more to it. It earned just a slightly above average rating of 3.25 on the Daily Shot Of Coffee scale.

The Drink: Intelligentsia Flying Blend Coffee
Type: Ground Blend
Overall Rating: 3.25 Out Of 5 Coffee Mugs

Next up was the Intelligentsia Flying Blend. I’ll have to admit, I was a little bit curious about this one because there was no description about the beans or where they are from other than that they were grown at 1250-1800 meters and were from Latin America. However, just because I don’t know the origin of the beans, doesn’t mean that I’m just going to throw the coffee out. If it tastes good, where the beans are from matter a whole lot less.

A harmonious and versatile blend that offers a full, earth body with chocolate tones, hints of fruit and toffee.
-NeedCaffeine description

Flying Blend started off with a sweet honey like aroma. In the background there was an earthiness and the smell of vegetables. However, it was difficult to really pick up on exactly what I was smelling, I probably spent a few minutes just sniffing my coffee.

The flavors were a little hard to determine too, like they were all muted and blended together. I did pick up on a earthy and nutty flavor at the start of the sip. Towards the end their was a honey and wine like flavor.

It was an extremely smooth, clean cup of coffee.

Sixteen ounces of the Flying Blend is $14.69 via the NeedCaffeine website.

Overall, I liked the Flying Blend from Intelligentsia, but I didn’t love it. It ended up with a 3.25 rating also. It was good, but I think it was probably a lot better right after it was ground.

The Drink: Intelligentsia Infinite Festival Coffee
Type: Ground Blend
Overall Rating: 3.5 Out Of 5 Coffee Mugs

The third and final coffee that NeedCaffeine sent my way was the Intelligentsia Infinite Festival Coffee.

It was also pre-ground, but I did notice something on this bag (the other two also had it) that there was a roasted on date. My coffee was roasted on 1/11/2012. That’s something a lot of coffee roasters (even those who just sell whole bean) seem to be afraid to put on their labels, so they get a huge thumbs up for that.

A harmonious and versatile blend that offers a full, earth body with chocolate tones, hints of fruit and toffee.
-NeedCaffeine Description

The Infinite Festival Blend greeted my nose with a wine like aroma. I also picked up on a sweet, milk chocolate. It was good, but it still seemed like it was muted.

As far as flavors, I picked up on an earthiness, cigar like flavor (imagine chewing on the end of a fine cigar) and a wine flavor. It was a smooth sip, with just a hint of citrus tartness towards the end. It was a fun coffee to drink, but it tasted a little mellowed out.

Intelligentsia Infinite Festival Coffee is $14.45 for a pound.

Overall, Intelligentsia Infinite Festival Coffee was my favorite one in this group. It was a good coffee and earned a respectable 3.5 on the 5 point scale. It would probably beat out a lot of whole bean coffees, but I still feel like it had this toned down quality to it.

Fine Print.

Even Great Coffee Can Go Average When It’s Pre-Ground: Intelligentsia is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee



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Interview With Chase Mann, The Coffee Pro

by Mike on January 26, 2012

Chase Mann

Chase Mann

 And What He Can Teach You About the Coffee Biz

Over the past week or so, I’ve interviewed via email Chase Mann, aka the Coffee Pro. Chase is loaded with information about the coffee business and there is a lot that anyone looking to get into the coffee business or move up in the coffee world could learn from him.

Chase was kind enough to let me pick his brain so that I could share some of that information with you, so a huuuuuge thanks goes out to him for taking the time to chat with me.

Enough of me talking, let’s get to the interview…

What’s your role in the coffee industry?

Creative Coffee Pro & Consultant … barista, customer service, trainer, and social media manager all for Cafe Moto … coffee business consulting on the side with non-competitors to Cafe Moto.

Did you need an specific training for the position before you got started?

I’ve worked for 14 years as a barista and in management of coffee shops & coffee roasters. You need to keep abreast of changes and keep working as a barista to truly keep your pulse on the industry. I always tell coffee enthusiasts that they should start as a barista in the industry because most companies offer specialized training that helps you get a solid foundation to build upon and to advance upward from.

What’s your favorite part of working in the coffee industry?

Meeting coffee enthusiasts and sharing my coffee passion with them and hopefully educating them even more about the bean, it’s history, the origin countries and the coffee industry as a whole.

What is one thing that you know now, that you wish you knew when you started?

During years 2 through 5 of being a barista and coffee industry worker, I thought I knew it all about coffee and I think I was somewhat arrogant with that knowledge. I was a little arrogant coffee snob barista. Once I realized that coffee knowledge is a continual growth field and accepted the fact that your tastes are different than my tastes, I became much less of a know-it-all coffee snob and much more open to other people’s methods and tastes. I wish I had my coffee humbleness from the get-go and approached other people’s methods and tastes the way that I do now. I don’t know it all and I can learn a lot from truly studying why other baristas may do something different than I. Some people like a flavored coffee or a flavored creamer in their coffee … get over it coffee snob baristas … it’s their mouth, their tummy, and their preference … serve it with a smile :-)

Can you tell us about a mistake/funny story about something that happened when you were just getting into the industry. Something that we can learn from?

A mistake that the owner of my first coffee job, a coffee roaster, made was to open a second location solely because of the success of her first location. She picked a decent location, but it had high overhead costs. She had no training manuals and no systems in place to replicate the success of her first location and had to close the second one within 2 years. Systems need to be in place before you even consider expanding.

Any tips that you have for someone looking to get into the coffee industry?

Any company worth working for will hire you based most on your personality … coffee knowledge can be taught to anyone, but you can’t teach someone to have a personality. Exhibit energy, nobody wants to hire a slacker as the face of their coffee business, be positive, smile a lot, truly listen when people are talking to you, repeat questions back so they know you’ve understood them, express your interest in making an experience for the customer each time they visit, and always ask questions … never say “no” when you’re asked in an interview “do you have any questions?”.

Where do you hope to be in five years?

I hope to be the nationally recognized Headmaster of the Cafe Moto Coffee Lab & Barista Training Academy … which I envision creating over the next few years. Or creating my very own Barista Academy if needs be.

Would the Barista Academy be online or in person?

The Barista Academy will have both online and offline elements, including ebooks & ecourses (I’ve already been working on these for MyCoffeePro.com). The Barista Academy for Cafe Moto would be in an actual school onsite for 3 day, 4 day, and 5 day courses … and special Advanced Courses available on a per day basis. Cafe Moto has a separate building on site already that just needs to be outfitted properly. Having the school onsite at Cafe Moto gives students access to our Cafe, our Cash & Carry, our Roasting Plant & Production facilities … they can be truly immersed in the major aspects of the coffee business.

What’s your favorite coffee and why?

Ethiopian … since it’s the motherland of known coffee species.

Tell me about where we can find you online and your online projects.

My main website is www.mycoffeepro.com, but I also own and operate many others.

You can find out more here: http://about.me/MyCoffeePro

What can I find at mycoffeepro.com and why should I visit there?

The Average Joe (coffee enthusiasts) will find a basic understanding of coffee … what I call “Coffee Class”: history, beanology (science of the bean), cultivation, processing, espresso knowledge, frothing techniques, brewing methods, latte art tips, coffee terminology, coffee recipes … it’s all a work in progress and will continue to always be so I think.

Coffee Pros (coffee professionals) will find posts which further educate seasoned baristas and posts for coffee business owners with tips & suggestions on marketing and operating a coffee business.

If you work in the coffee world and would like to be interviewed, shot me a message via the contact form. I would love to talk to you next.

Interview With Chase Mann, The Coffee Pro is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee



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Hawaiian Kona Blend

January 25, 2012
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DSOC Podcast 2: Barista On Duty (BODY) And More Than Fair

January 25, 2012

 This week’s Daily Shot Of Coffee Podcast features a name that is probably familiar to any long term readers of this blog. It’s Johnny Milton the main man behind the Barista On Duty (BODY) an independent coffee roaster based that focuses on high quality small batch coffees. I’ve had a number of Barista On Duty [...]

DSOC Podcast 2: Barista On Duty (BODY) And More Than Fair is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee

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What is Bird Friendly Coffee?

January 25, 2012

Thanks to environmental advocate groups promoting Fair Trade and Organic coffees as well as the internet’s accelerated dispersion of information, many customers are looking for “Bird Friendly Coffee”.
But what exactly does this mean?
Bird Friendly, Shade Grown Coffee
Bird friendly coffee refers to coffee beans that are grown in shaded areas where the forest above and surrounding [...]

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How To Upgrade Your Coffee Without Spending An Arm And A Leg

January 24, 2012

I’ll admit that I’m a little bit of a coffee nerd now, but not too long ago, I was the guy pulling into the Dukin Donuts drive-thru and asking for extra cream and sugar for my coffee. Even at home, I would make my coffee then drown it cream and bury it in sugar. I [...]

How To Upgrade Your Coffee Without Spending An Arm And A Leg is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee

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Loaded With Flavor And Information: El Salvador Santa Ana From REV Coffee

January 23, 2012

The Drink: El Salvador Santa Ana From REV Coffee Type: Whole Bean Single Origin Overall Rating: Four Out Of Five Coffee Mugs Last week, the cool people over at REV Coffee (I’ve never met them so I’m just assuming they’re cool, but I think it’s a safe assumption), a roaster in Smyrna, Georgia sent me [...]

Loaded With Flavor And Information: El Salvador Santa Ana From REV Coffee is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee

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Standing The Test Of Time: Henry’s House Of Coffee

January 20, 2012

Most of the coffee roasters and companies that I encounter to have been in existence for just a few years or less, probably ten at max. I sometimes forget that the coffee industry as I know it, hasn’t been around forever. But then again there’s roasters like Henry’s House Of Coffee in that have been [...]

Standing The Test Of Time: Henry’s House Of Coffee is a post from: Daily Shot Of Coffee

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What do you mean “Acidic Coffee”?

January 20, 2012

Have you ever wondered what people mean when they say that coffee is acidic or high in acidity?
Perhaps you have experienced heart burn after drinking a cup of coffee and know first hand that certain coffees can be acidic.
Coffee Cupping Characteristics
Just like wine tasting, coffees can be tested and described using a number of cup [...]

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Has Coffee Really Changed America?

January 19, 2012

Today National Geographic News online writer Brian Clark Howard posted a News Watch article titled, “How Coffee Changed America“.
The article starts off with sharing an infographic of the time line of coffee in America which some interesting coffee statistics are presented:

Coffee is the 2nd most traded commodity in the world
US coffee drinkers consume 3.1 9-oz [...]

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