Tres Santos is a coffee competition in Colombia organized by Intelligentsia green coffee buyer Geoff Watts designed to uncover the finest lots of coffee from small-holding farmers on a seasonal basis in the Huila (and in the case of this coffee) Cauca growing regions and reward them with recognition and high purchase prices. This prize-winner is from the farm of Javier Ladino. Intelligentsia is a
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Juan Valdez’s Progeny: Micro-Lot and Other Fine Colombias
This month's cupping of coffees from Colombia confirms that this giant among coffee producers has successfully turned at least a portion of its industry from supplier of immense quantities of good-but-not-great generic "100% Colombian" coffee to prized source of smaller (sometimes tiny) lots of subtly distinctive specialty coffees. Handsome symbol Juan Valdez and his photogenic mule are being
Black Cat Espresso
Intelligentsia is a leading Chicago-area roaster with a contemporary attitude, excellent coffee, and a commitment to quality epitomized by the practice of printing roast dates on coffee packaging. Black Cat is its signature espresso blend. Visit www.intelligentsiacoffee.com or call 888-945-9786 for more information.
Italy Seen from America: Nine (Genuine) Italian and Three American Espressos
Italians must both wonder and cringe when they observe the amazing globe-trotting journey of espresso, a beverage system so quintessentially (and once so exclusively) Italian. Setting aside the implied stereotype that associates Italian-Americans with gangsters, the scene in an early episode of The Sopranos in which Silvio encounters a Starbucks-style espresso bar for the first time and wants to
Tres Santos Colombia
Intelligentsia is a distinguished Chicago-based specialty roaster and a leader in sourcing and roasting small, exceptional lots of coffee like this one. Visit www.intelligentsiacoffee.com or call 888-945-9786 for more information.
El Salvador Pacamara Los Planes
A prize winner in the 2006 El Salvador Cup of Excellence competition, where as a green (unroasted) coffee it placed second out of hundreds of entries, attracting a score of 93.52 from an international jury. Produced from trees of the Pacamara variety at an elevation of approximately 5,300 feet by farmer Sergio Edmundo Ticas Reyes on the Los Planes farm. While El Salvador is rightly famous for
Now or Never: Special Reserve Coffees
Special seasonal offerings of small lots of exceptional coffees are a sure sign of coffee's coming of age as true specialty beverage. These coffees, often described using wine-influenced language like "Special Reserve," "Limited Edition," "Roastmaster's Reserve" and so on, represent coffee from a single crop and single place, often a single hillside, and are sold not on the basis of consistency or
Papua New Guinea
Intelligentsia is a leading Chicago-area roaster with growing national reputation, a Keith Haring-style logo, outstanding coffee, and a commitment to quality epitomized by the practice of printing roast dates on coffee packaging. Visit www.intelligentsiacoffee.com or call 888-945-9786 for more information.
Colombia Tres Santos Micro-Lot Melange
A blend or "melange" of two coffee lots purchased by Intelligentsia based on its exclusive relationship with a group of seven small Colombian cooperatives. These two lots, chosen by Intelligentsia coffee buyer Geoff Watts, were produced respectively by farmers Jair Garcia and Alciabiades Garcia. Intelligentsia is a leading Chicago-area roaster with a Keith Haring-style logo, excellent coffee, and
Romance and Perfection: 2006 Readers’ Choices
Several exceptional coffees and some interesting subplots emerged in our annual cupping of coffees nominated by Coffee Review readers (in this case, coffees intended for non-espresso brewing methods). Readers showed their usual good taste, with none of the thirty-six coffees we cupped attracting a rating under 80, and four scoring 90 or better. Some of this month's subplots and coffee
Colombia Tres Santos Micro-Lot Almaguer
This coffee is a very small lot purchased by Intelligentsia based on its exclusive relationship with a group of seven small Colombian cooperatives of small holders. This particular lot, chosen by Intelligentsia coffee buyer Geoff Watts, was produced by small farmer Alciabiades Garcia at an average growing altitude of 5,400 feet from trees of the Caturra variety. Intelligentsia is a leading
Guatemala El Cuervo
Huehuetenango averages some of the highest growing altitudes in Guatemala and produces coffees that many insiders prefer to the better-known coffees of the Antigua region. El Cuervo is a special selection of Huehuetenango coffee imported only by Intelligentsia Coffee Roasters, a leading Chicago-area roaster with a Keith Haring-style logo, excellent coffee, and a commitment to quality epitomized by
Nicaragua Las Termopilas
A prize winner in the 2005 Nicaragua Cup of Excellence competition, where as a green (unroasted) coffee it placed 12th out of hundreds of entries, attracting a score of 86 from an international jury. Intelligentsia, under the leadership of coffee buyer Geoff Watts and president Doug Zell, has become a leading supporter and buyer of Cup of Excellence coffees. Visit www.intelligentsiacoffee.com or
Honduras El Puente
A prize winner in the 2005 Honduras Cup of Excellence competition, where as a green (unroasted) coffee it placed second out of hundreds of entries, attracting a score of 92-plus from an international jury. Intelligentsia, under the leadership of coffee buyer Geoff Watts and president Doug Zell, has become a leading supporter and buyer of Cup of Excellence coffees. Visit
Kenya
Despite national coffee leadership marred by confusion and accusations of corruption, Kenya cooperatives continue to produce some of the world's most elegant and distinctive coffees. Intelligentsia is a leading Chicago-area roaster with a Keith Haring-style logo, excellent coffee, and a commitment to quality epitomized by the practice of printing roast dates on coffee packaging. Visit
New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, which occupies the eastern half of the huge island of New Guinea stretching above northern Australia, produces some of the world's finest and most distinctive coffees. Intelligentsia is a leading Chicago-area roaster with a Keith Haring-style logo, excellent coffee, and a commitment to quality epitomized by the practice of printing roast dates on coffee packaging. Visit
Decaf Librarian’s Blend
No decaffeination method is noted on the package, which probably means this coffee was decaffeinated by the conventional or direct solvent method. Intelligentsia is a leading Chicago-area roaster with a contemporary attitude, excellent coffee, and a commitment to quality epitomized by the practice of printing roast dates on coffee packaging. Visit www.intelligentsiacoffee.com or call 888-945-9786
Top Twelve Coffees of 2004
Here are twelve of the most exciting coffees that we reviewed over the past year. Perhaps they illustrate a paradox, a version of the old saw about when the going gets tough the tough get tougher. Although green coffee prices generally spent a good part of 2004 exploring all-time lows and growers as a group suffered greatly, more really distinguished coffees showed up in our reviews than every
Guatemala El Cuervo
This coffee represents an ongoing collaboration between a small farm in the Fraijanes region of Guatemala and Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, a leading, award-winning Chicago-area roaster. Visit www.intelligentsiacoffee.com or call 888-945-9786 for more information.
El Salvador Montecarlos Tablon Crater
A prize winner in the 2004 El Salvador Cup of Excellence competition, where as a green (unroasted) coffee it placed seventh out of hundreds of entries, attracting a score of slightly under 90 from an international jury. An unusual coffee in two respects: It was produced from trees of the large-beaned Pacamara variety of arabica and is composed entirely of the peaberry grade of that variety.
