Intelligentsia Analog Espresso - January 2013
- Spitz.me
- Posts: 1963
- Joined: 14 years ago
Anyone else have the latest iteration at home and find it unbearably smoky, tobacco bitter? Also, the roast looks off, but it may just be because the different beans were roasted separately, I don't know. I've gone down this path before with Analog. It's a path of uncontrollable bitterness, even at it's most balanced, it screams in only ONE ear.
I've tried it all... or so I think.
I was pulling into a double basket, Synesso, about 19g going for 60% and I've tried cooler and hotter temps. I've adjusted the grind to be coarser to reduce the smoky, tobacco bitterness... nothing.
I than use my triple basket, OEM, and about 22g, all time/weight parameters worked out, definitely a slightly coarser grind and man... I just can't win with this blend.
NOTHING is working to truly balance this bitterness, usually I can tell if I'm getting close, but when I think I'm closer the blend starts to taste BLAH. It's like I'm just trying to make an inoffensive shot now, which is the opposite of why I buy fresh, artisan roasted beans.
This kind of thing has happened before with this blend, highly smoky, tobacco bitter. This is true even for the cafe that pulls it, so I know it's not just me and I know the owner of that cafe knows what he's doing behind the machine.
Anyway, I guess it's mostly a rant, but if anyone can help with suggestions - I'm not sure they'd be any I haven't tried already, but maybe we can all vent? hahaha
I've tried it all... or so I think.
I was pulling into a double basket, Synesso, about 19g going for 60% and I've tried cooler and hotter temps. I've adjusted the grind to be coarser to reduce the smoky, tobacco bitterness... nothing.
I than use my triple basket, OEM, and about 22g, all time/weight parameters worked out, definitely a slightly coarser grind and man... I just can't win with this blend.
NOTHING is working to truly balance this bitterness, usually I can tell if I'm getting close, but when I think I'm closer the blend starts to taste BLAH. It's like I'm just trying to make an inoffensive shot now, which is the opposite of why I buy fresh, artisan roasted beans.
This kind of thing has happened before with this blend, highly smoky, tobacco bitter. This is true even for the cafe that pulls it, so I know it's not just me and I know the owner of that cafe knows what he's doing behind the machine.
Anyway, I guess it's mostly a rant, but if anyone can help with suggestions - I'm not sure they'd be any I haven't tried already, but maybe we can all vent? hahaha
LMWDP #670
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- Posts: 4
- Joined: 11 years ago
I've been working on a batch roasted 12/18. The key for me was to keep the shot short, no more than 23 seconds and a ratio closer to 80%. This 23 seconds included a 3 second pre infusion. I've been using 19g@199F in a 20gVST basket for a small shot at 23-24g. anything longer and I would get that crazy bitterness you mentioned. Not sure if you've tried the "break the shot into thirds and taste". The final third is horrible....
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- Posts: 12
- Joined: 11 years ago
I just finished pulling shots on mine a couple days a go that was roasted on 12/18 and this was my note that I took with Evernote after my favorite shot from it....
18.5g - 27s (7s P.I.) - Yield 29.6g - Great shot! fantastic crema, thick mouth feel, bold flavor reminds me of 80% cacao. Slight fruity aroma, but no fruitiness in the taste. Quickly dissipating sweetness aftertaste.
Wondering if you had a bad batch? Other note I have here is that I had a hell of a time getting it dialed in and had to go significantly coarser that I ever had with other beans.
18.5g - 27s (7s P.I.) - Yield 29.6g - Great shot! fantastic crema, thick mouth feel, bold flavor reminds me of 80% cacao. Slight fruity aroma, but no fruitiness in the taste. Quickly dissipating sweetness aftertaste.
Wondering if you had a bad batch? Other note I have here is that I had a hell of a time getting it dialed in and had to go significantly coarser that I ever had with other beans.
- Spitz.me (original poster)
- Posts: 1963
- Joined: 14 years ago
#1 - I wouldn't be surprised if my batch is relatively worse. Mine was roasted, I think, around the beginning of the year. I forget because I throw out my bags and it's been about a week since I got it.
I did get a fruity sweet aroma after some aggressive stirring with my coarser 22g in and 30g out shot. But, it was non-existent in the taste. It was reminiscent of smelling a sweet chocolatey cigar and only tasting the smoke.
I'll try cutting it early, I should really try the whole 'divide the shot into thirds' thing because I'm sure it would help with difficult blends, I'm lazy...
I'll try upping that ratio and cutting it at a point where I think the blonde may hurt the shot. See how it goes...
Is it Intelly or me? I find Black Cat and Analog are hit or miss lately. When they're bad, they're really frustrating... Not in the way where you're happy to be challenged, in the way where you wonder 'what the hell?!?'
/edit I'm away from my 18g VST at the moment. I hate it's restriction on dose and I really liked how another coffee was pulling with my LM double ridgeless.
My notes say to coarsen a grind that is aggressively bitter in the smoke/tobacco way. So, I'm not surprised that a very coarse blend is the only thing that makes this coffee palatable without milk.
I did get a fruity sweet aroma after some aggressive stirring with my coarser 22g in and 30g out shot. But, it was non-existent in the taste. It was reminiscent of smelling a sweet chocolatey cigar and only tasting the smoke.
I'll try cutting it early, I should really try the whole 'divide the shot into thirds' thing because I'm sure it would help with difficult blends, I'm lazy...
I'll try upping that ratio and cutting it at a point where I think the blonde may hurt the shot. See how it goes...
Is it Intelly or me? I find Black Cat and Analog are hit or miss lately. When they're bad, they're really frustrating... Not in the way where you're happy to be challenged, in the way where you wonder 'what the hell?!?'
/edit I'm away from my 18g VST at the moment. I hate it's restriction on dose and I really liked how another coffee was pulling with my LM double ridgeless.
My notes say to coarsen a grind that is aggressively bitter in the smoke/tobacco way. So, I'm not surprised that a very coarse blend is the only thing that makes this coffee palatable without milk.
LMWDP #670
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- Posts: 12
- Joined: 11 years ago
It is interesting that you say that because my wife just reminded me that at Christmas I was attempting to get my family into espresso and my mother in law tried Analog straight up and said it smell like a cigar, impressive nose mom-in-law. I'm only 4 1/2 months old with espresso so my palate is probably not the best as I continue to taste roasts from all over the country. What I can say is I do remember it not being as bad as you're describing it and I enjoyed the straight up shots as well as cortados. Black Cat on the other hand was fantastic and I loved every shot I had with it, but again I'm new so I can't compare to the previous years. I remember reading that Black Cat tasted significantly different a few years ago and a lot of others raved about the previous incarnations of it, which I'm sure you can attest to.Spitz.me wrote:#1 - I wouldn't be surprised if my batch is relatively worse. Mine was roasted, I think, around the beginning of the year. I forget because I throw out my bags and it's been about a week since I got it.
I did get a fruity sweet aroma after some aggressive stirring with my coarser 22g in and 30g out shot. But, it was non-existent in the taste. It was reminiscent of smelling a sweet chocolatey cigar and only tasting the smoke.
I'll try cutting it early, I should really try the whole 'divide the shot into thirds' thing because I'm sure it would help with difficult blends, I'm lazy...
I'll try upping that ratio and cutting it at a point where I think the blonde may hurt the shot. See how it goes...
Is it Intelly or me? I find Black Cat and Analog are hit or miss lately. When they're bad, they're really frustrating... Not in the way where you're happy to be challenged, in the way where you wonder 'what the hell?!?'
My notes say to coarsen a grind that is aggressively bitter in the smoke/tobacco way. So, I'm not surprised that a very coarse blend is the only thing that makes this coffee palatable without milk.
- Spitz.me (original poster)
- Posts: 1963
- Joined: 14 years ago
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Black Cat and Analog are BAD. I'm making an observation about their consistent 'goodness' relative to my preferred tastes. Black Cat is an odd 'cat' if you do remember when it was the IT comfort espresso. Analog, however, yes I take it I'm not handling the blend as best I can, but it's just not easy for me to balance this blend. I've been around a while and have had the privilege of trying countless awesome blends and SOES and as well as being able to experiment with them at home. I know how well a beautifully balanced chocolate/comfort espresso can taste, and to be quite frank, the Analog has been missing more often than it hits lately. Analog, from what I've heard, is supposed to be a continuation of Black Cat of old.
LMWDP #670
- Spitz.me (original poster)
- Posts: 1963
- Joined: 14 years ago
Alright, so thank you to everyone who has helped.
I pulled quite the ristretto and got the sweetest shot, it was quite enlightening to say the least.
It's a ratio I've never attempted at home, but have had at places like Cafe Grumpy and Culture Espresso in New York - more so Grumpy.
I only measured my second shot, which was still better than anything I did before today, but not quite as good as my first shot. Judging by my second shot, I'd say the following is what I did:
22.6g dry into Triple basket OEM
WDT
Tamp
~18-20g of liquid (about 125% brew ratio)
Fruity sweet aroma, more of a subtle aroma however.
VERY sweet, lots of chocolate, molasses, caramels.
I'd say that the bitterness/sweetness was best balanced in that shot, but not the best it could be.
The second shot, I weighed the output and aimed for 100%, which I luckily got at the 30s mark. It wasn't as nice and the bitter was more apparent. Still a much better shot than anything from 60-80% that I've been trying.
I have to say, I'm going to experiment more with ristretto shots. It just dawned on me that those are my favourite and I don't usually pull those at home. I usually have them at cafes that only pull ristrettos.
Does this mean I'm an idiot and it was the mano all along? I have to say, I've seen more scorched beans in this bag than I've ever seen in any Intelly bag in my life....
I pulled quite the ristretto and got the sweetest shot, it was quite enlightening to say the least.
It's a ratio I've never attempted at home, but have had at places like Cafe Grumpy and Culture Espresso in New York - more so Grumpy.
I only measured my second shot, which was still better than anything I did before today, but not quite as good as my first shot. Judging by my second shot, I'd say the following is what I did:
22.6g dry into Triple basket OEM
WDT
Tamp
~18-20g of liquid (about 125% brew ratio)
Fruity sweet aroma, more of a subtle aroma however.
VERY sweet, lots of chocolate, molasses, caramels.
I'd say that the bitterness/sweetness was best balanced in that shot, but not the best it could be.
The second shot, I weighed the output and aimed for 100%, which I luckily got at the 30s mark. It wasn't as nice and the bitter was more apparent. Still a much better shot than anything from 60-80% that I've been trying.
I have to say, I'm going to experiment more with ristretto shots. It just dawned on me that those are my favourite and I don't usually pull those at home. I usually have them at cafes that only pull ristrettos.
Does this mean I'm an idiot and it was the mano all along? I have to say, I've seen more scorched beans in this bag than I've ever seen in any Intelly bag in my life....
LMWDP #670
- TheSunInsideYou
- Posts: 253
- Joined: 12 years ago
It's not you. I work with BC at least 5 days a week and taste anywhere from 10-20 double shots on those days (I never liked spitting when dialing in ), and it's something that my coworkers and I have been discussing a lot lately. Ever since Intelli changed the crop, it hasn't been consistent. The shots were difficult to dial in and difficult to keep consistent all the way up until the 12/18 roast date, which were just a complete pain. No matter how much we tweaked it, we were getting grassy bitterness and saltiness at its worse. We got them to be drinkable, but they were boring at best. Then we got the 12/21 roast date, and it was like a completely different coffee: easy to dial in, consistent, sweet and full, cherry and chocolate, everything BC should be. So no, it's not you. As someone who works intimately with BC specifically on a daily basis, I can assure you of that.Spitz.me wrote:Is it Intelly or me? I find Black Cat and Analog are hit or miss lately. When they're bad, they're really frustrating... Not in the way where you're happy to be challenged, in the way where you wonder 'what the hell?!?'
Honey Badger, on the other hand, can be a finicky blend, but after romancing her a bit, she's been producing some of the most syrupy sweet shots I've had in a while. I've had this same experience with multiple roast dates. I don't know why BC is so all over the place.
-Dave-
Caffeine is proof that God loves us.
- Spitz.me (original poster)
- Posts: 1963
- Joined: 14 years ago
I guess I'm happy to hear...
I don't know if it's obvious, but I am upset about, what I perceive to be, a lower quality of care going into the Intelly offerings. I think they WERE my favourite roasters, but now I don't have one.
Here's a picture of the rest of my Analog, which I believe was roasted on something like the 28th of December.
They look rough right? I'm not sure the picture is doing my depiction of these beans justice...
I've continued to pull 120-130% type ristrettos with the Analog and it is definitely better this way.
I don't know if it's obvious, but I am upset about, what I perceive to be, a lower quality of care going into the Intelly offerings. I think they WERE my favourite roasters, but now I don't have one.
Here's a picture of the rest of my Analog, which I believe was roasted on something like the 28th of December.
They look rough right? I'm not sure the picture is doing my depiction of these beans justice...
I've continued to pull 120-130% type ristrettos with the Analog and it is definitely better this way.
LMWDP #670
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- Posts: 968
- Joined: 13 years ago
Thank you for sharing your experience, I have been running through the Boss from Barefoot and my experiences are similar using their suggested dose and output, ash ash ash, will have to try something similar to those pulls of it before it becomes stale.