Intelligentsia Birthday Cat... Anyone tried it?

Discuss flavors, brew temperatures, blending, and cupping notes.
User avatar
canuckcoffeeguy
Posts: 1286
Joined: 10 years ago

#1: Post by canuckcoffeeguy »

Hey folks.

Has anyone tried Intelly's Birthday Cat espresso yet?
http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/pro ... t-espresso

I picked up a bag today at Manic Coffee in Toronto (roasted Oct. 19th). But they haven't pulled it yet at the shop. So they don't have any tips or thoughts on it.

Intelly's parameters are very basic on their site. Just curious if anyone has dialed it in.

Cheers!

joalepins
Supporter ♡
Posts: 102
Joined: 10 years ago

#2: Post by joalepins »

Intelly's parameters are : 17.5g yield of 36g, basic 27 seconds

So you should aim for a 2X ratio

Start from 18g and see from there ...

Advertisement
User avatar
canuckcoffeeguy (original poster)
Posts: 1286
Joined: 10 years ago

#3: Post by canuckcoffeeguy (original poster) replying to joalepins »

Yeah I saw their parameters. Was curious if anyone had more specific insights into this blend. I typically prefer between ristretto and normale ratio. And Intelly doesn't even list any tasting notes for Birthday Cat. So I'm curious what it even tastes Ike.

brianl
Posts: 1390
Joined: 10 years ago

#4: Post by brianl »

This one has an Ethiopian and the original has a Brazilian instead. Should taste more bright/fruity with less of the chocolates i'd assume? why don't you try it :) Based on this, you should probably pull it more towards the normale range.

I might stop by the store for some as i'm a fan of Gedeb.

ps- intelligentsia tells you to look for birthday party time. this isn't good enough for you? :P

coffeemmichael
Posts: 393
Joined: 9 years ago

#5: Post by coffeemmichael »

Just finished my pound. Really sweet espresso. It was my first pound through my new burr set-- swapped my forte' steel set for ceramics. Followed their parameters, though had better success when I dosed my 18g VST basket at 18g instead of 17.5g.

brianl
Posts: 1390
Joined: 10 years ago

#6: Post by brianl replying to coffeemmichael »

of course. You should dose to your basket's size and then adjust the brew ratio based on the recommended parameters.

Im very tempted to pick this up as intelly is down the street from me. I hope they carry it in store though.

User avatar
Spitz.me
Posts: 1960
Joined: 14 years ago

#7: Post by Spitz.me »

canuckcoffeeguy wrote:Hey folks.

Has anyone tried Intelly's Birthday Cat espresso yet?
http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/pro ... t-espresso

I picked up a bag today at Manic Coffee in Toronto (roasted Oct. 19th). But they haven't pulled it yet at the shop. So they don't have any tips or thoughts on it.

Intelly's parameters are very basic on their site. Just curious if anyone has dialed it in.

Cheers!
Thanks for the heads up Ryan. Going to go grab a bag or two myself.
LMWDP #670

Advertisement
User avatar
canuckcoffeeguy (original poster)
Posts: 1286
Joined: 10 years ago

#8: Post by canuckcoffeeguy (original poster) »

Spitz.me wrote:Thanks for the heads up Ryan. Going to go grab a bag or two myself.
Np!
brianl wrote:This one has an Ethiopian and the original has a Brazilian instead. Should taste more bright/fruity with less of the chocolates i'd assume? why don't you try it :) Based on this, you should probably pull it more towards the normale range.

I might stop by the store for some as i'm a fan of Gedeb.

ps- intelligentsia tells you to look for birthday party time. this isn't good enough for you? :P
So I finally got around to pulling some Birthday Cat shots, although I've only pulled a few. I wasn't thrilled with the results at first, but then I remembered I hadn't cleaned my grinders (K10PB and ceramic Vario) in a while. And I hadn't done any detergent backflushing on my E61 in over a month! However, I always do plain water backflushes after each session.

Anyway, I'm simultaneously going through a bag of Black Cat Classic, too. And I only had time this morning for one shot before heading out the door for work. Bottom line, the Black Cat classic tasted MUCH, MUCH better today after the full cleaning I did last night.

So I can only assume the Birthday Cat will taste better, too.

Normally I keep my equipment very clean. But like the rest of my life, including my kids, everything has been neglected recently with the Blue Jays first playoff run in 22 years. :P Now that they're out, I can piece my life back together. Once I get over their devastating loss to the Royals.

brianl
Posts: 1390
Joined: 10 years ago

#9: Post by brianl »

any updates? I got a bag and im at 4 days post roast and getting some early blonding. hopefully clears up in a day or two

It sounds like this might require higher doses than normal due to the high density beans. 18g in my 18g vst looks under dosed

coffeemmichael
Posts: 393
Joined: 9 years ago

#10: Post by coffeemmichael replying to brianl »

I originally tried pulling shots the day I got my bag (4 days post roast) and had tons of blonding and excessive crema-- to the point where I won't hit my target weight without overflowing my demitasse. Still had this on day 6, day 7 it was noticeably less. I always get this issue when pulling black cat as well.

Post Reply