Intelligentsia Kid-O espresso... Bear "tested and approved"

[jesawdy]

So, we have spotted a few adolescent black bears in the neighborhood the last few days. Two bears went past the deck near the dining table as we ate dinner last night within a 5 minute span (about 10 feet from where we sat). They were not big fellas, about the size of a large dog. While they are not uncommon, we haven't been around to see them up that close too often.

So tonight, my wife came home to this :


Intelly box under the grill, UPS driver presumably left the box on the back door stoop about 12 feet away


Two pounds Intelly Kid-O!


Mmm... yummy [said the bear(s)]

At least the free espresso cup and saucer survived the bear "attack" in their bubble-wrap cocoon. The saucer was still in the box, my wife recovered the cup from the yard. OTOH, the grill is toast until I can get a new burner.

Thankfully, I had just picked up some 'spro beans from a local roaster.... I've been out at the house since Sunday! Trying the Kid-O will have to wait.

Needless to say, I think I should have future coffee orders delivered to me at work!

[TimEggers]

What a heart breaker! Luckily the cup was ok...

[gtrman]

Uh oh now I'm worried

I have my Black Cat supposed to be delivered today, with cups of course. Its not bears that worry me, just the neighborhood dogs/cats/12 year olds.

[RapidCoffee]

My condolences on your loss. Consider it part of the price you pay for living in such a beautiful part of the country.

Whitewater kayaking was a big part of my life when I lived in Tennessee. I fondly remember the occasional forays into North Carolina to run the French Broad. What an absolutely gorgeous region! I sure do miss it.

[Cathi]

My inlaws used to live in rural Montana a regularly had "visits' from bears. It seemed like the grill was always a target (along with the obvious bird feeders and trash cans - duh) Trash cans quickly went into hiding (the garage) and when my father-in-law removed the drip can from the back of the grill, it stopped getting pounded on by the bears. Just a thought. I know even residual food smells are a big target.

[Kaffee Bitte]

I used to live in Missoula Montana. I had numerous similar occurances when I lived in a canyon just outside town. Black bears, racoons, and skunks have amazing abilities to figure ways of getting into human goodies. The bears were bad, but racoons were the worst. They are like monkeys!
On the bright side you probably don't have to worry about mountain lions as much I did. There was a denning mother that resided within a quarter mile of my old place. Always had to keep a close eye on the pets.
I would recommend being very careful leaving anything that might smell of food outside. Black bears are just as likely to attack you as a Grizzly would be.

[IronBarista]

I wonder if the bears were running around faster than normal.

[Tim356]

Jeff,

Sorry for your loss of those primo beans. All you can do at this point is just grin and "bear" it!

Tim

[jesawdy]

Shout out to Matt (and Dave Stephens) for replacing the Kid-O. It is pretty awesome!

I know now how the bears felt.... when I opened the box I wanted to take a bite out of the bag myself (seriously) .

I'm experiencing lots of fruit, especially apple, more fruit than the label would suggest. I've been pulling at 199-200F, but I think it might go lower still. I say that because I think the superauto at work runs cold... and it pulled a pretty sublime double shot (believe it or not!).

[Niko]

Call me crazy but...I would've kept those beans!
People are selling animal excreted coffee all the time but bear attack blend is something you don't see eveyday. Anyway, thanks for sharing the pics and story, I really enjoyed it.