IntelligentsiaCoffee, Light Roast Whole Bean Coffee - Black Cat Classic Espresso 12 Ounce Bag

I'm honestly so shocked this espresso has a 3.9 rating. I think it has lot to do with the fact I'm guessing people aren't pulling the shots correctly and following the right process with espresso. This is by far the BEST espresso I've ever had outside of an actual coffee shop. I don't even go get coffee/lattes anymore I just make it at home. I always check the date obvs to make sure it's fresh, but the taste is great. It's very smooth, and smells like espresso you'd grab from your fav coffee place. And, the price is perfect for the quality. I use the Breville Barista Express machine, and this espresso has pulled the best shots. Thank you!

We were gifted this coffee and enjoyed it so much we purchased it for ourselves. I’ve tried many, many coffee beans for espresso and this is one of my favorite brands. It’s not overly expensive but has a great taste. I’ve found a lot of other coffee brands around this price range to be oily and/or burnt beyond reason. These have a great taste without feeling like they’re overly flavored with a bunch of additives.

I’m going to give them credit and assume they didn’t send me beans from 2020, but that the year was cut off. Either way, beans from December when this is April, are old. They weren’t stored properly and we couldn’t get 1 cup to brew. My husband used half the bag in our Breville, trying to get 1 cup of coffee. Coarser grinds produced a few drips of espresso while standard 9 to 10 grind settings produced nothing. Yesterday he decided it wasn’t worth it and threw the rest of it in the garbage. Today he brewed coffee beans we bought from Costco and it was perfect! These were shipped from Amazon and I try to get food items shipped from Amazon to increase my chances of quality. This was a mistake and the worst part is they are selling old items, then, they will not refund your money. This is why I cancelled my prime. Amazon sells too many low quality items and won’t stand by it. I looked up new coffee brands to try out and this was recommended in several posts. Because of this experience we will not be buying food items and honestly most items from Amazon. Selling old food that can’t be returned should be illegal. A waste of money and time.

Pros:Very complexRichExcellent for doubles and triplesCons:A bit expensiveMerely adequate for singlesOverall:I very much like Black Cat Espresso. I consider it the bar against which other espressos are measured. I like it more than Kicking Horse, Lavazza, and Stumptown. Its flavor profile is very complex. It has its fair share of caramel and chocolate, but it also has a spicy, savory nature to it, and very fruity notes that come out well in singles.This is not a large-scale, homogenized coffee. Different regions and roasts result in different flavors from each bag. Sometimes that spiciness becomes a sort of salty flavor, and the fruits can turn very flowery. It is an easy espresso to make. Even shots that aren't perfect come out tasting pretty good. It's also a forgiving blend in that the shots are not prone to channeling.Singles are good, because any good coffee becomes light and toasty in a single, as opposed to the rich, crema-bombs of doubles and triples. Still, this espresso is very much intended for doubles or triples.In drip coffee, it's alright. And by drip, I mean any immersion process, be it French press, Aeropress, drip, pour-over, etc. The flavors get blown out, with the spices overwhelming the chocolates and caramels and resulting in a coffee that's not terribly smooth. Of the immersion processes, Aeropress tasted the best, probably because it most closely approximates espresso.Black Cat is a bit expensive, but not terribly so. Especially when one considers the increases in coffee as of late, -even Starbucks Tribute was $14 per pound- the price isn't crippling, but it is definitely above many other brands. You can save a little money by buying in five-pound bulks on Intellgentsia's website, but it's not a good idea to keep coffee beans around for that long when you can just as easily get it fresh.All said, Black Cat is espresso that more often than not finds its way into my machine.UPDATE:Something that I forgot to mention in my initial review is that Black Cat is a very complex blend. That means that cheap stepped grinders WILL NOT grind the coffee correctly for espresso. Some higher-end stepped grinders will do the job, like the Rancilio Rocky, but you'll want a good, stepless grinder to fine-tune the grind. This is especially important if you have an espresso machine that's very picky about grind.Finally, this is not a terribly cremariffic espresso, which means to get a good amount of crema out of it, and thus really have a good canvas for latte art, you're going to have to prepare triples.UPDATE #2 ABOUT WEIGHT:It is very important to realize that the various sellers selling this are NOT SELLING THE SAME PRODUCT. The beans are the same, and most of the sellers are selling freshly-roasted beans. They are selling different weights, though. Need Caffeine is selling one-pound bags (16oz), whereas Trade Concepts and Abernook are selling 12oz bags for the same price.If different sellers than the above mentioned become available, e-mail the seller to ask the weight of the bag. It's the only way to ensure that you are getting a full pound. This is supposed to be the product page for the full-pound bag. That's why there is a separate product page for the 120z bag. I am very disappointed in Trade Concepts and Abernook.

I’m not a coffee snob. I can’t tell you if these beans have hints of caramel, leather, or “equestrian." I’m just a guy with a Breville Barista Pro, a caffeine habit, and a love for a solid dark roast. These beans hit the spot. Bold, rich, and reliable. They make a great espresso and hold up well in an iced americano too.That said, I’m not loving the new packaging. I’ll admit it—I’m a label guy (same with wine), and the old design was way more appealing. If I had seen the current branding on the shelf, I probably would’ve kept walking.

Meh. Winey and acidic and not a dark roast. Poor crema. Won't buy again. Was curious due to name brand but give me Peet's and my own roasts ..

Ordered it on a whim, then read the reviews and wasn't sure what to think. The coffee arrived, the "best by" date is 4 months away, so.. not super fresh but not expired. Then I made a couple pots.. I love it! I'd give it an A, definitely. No complaints, wonder how much better it would be if it were fresh. I'm considering making it a go to favorite.

Loved it