Intelligentsia Whole Bean Coffee, Medium Roast, Black Cat Analog 12 Ounces

I’ve been buying Intelligentsia Black Cat Analog for quite a while now, and that alone says a lot. Most coffees come and go, but this one has become my regular morning espresso. For years, I stopped at Dunkin’ and later Starbucks. Once I started making this at home with my Breville espresso machine, I found myself looking forward to my morning coffee even more. These days, I’d rather make a shot of this than make a coffee run. The flavor is rich, smooth, and balanced without tasting burnt or bitter. It consistently produces a beautiful crema and makes a coffee-shop-quality espresso at home. What surprised me most is that I don’t feel like I’m settling by staying home. I genuinely prefer the taste of this coffee, and I’ve been buying far fewer coffees out as a result. Pros * Rich, smooth flavor * Excellent crema * Consistently fresh beans * Great for home espresso Cons * More expensive than grocery-store coffee If you’re a regular Dunkin’ or Starbucks customer and have an espresso machine at home, this coffee is worth trying. It’s one of the few I’ve purchased repeatedly because I genuinely enjoy it more than most coffee-shop espresso drinks

The sugar and chocolate and marshmallow hints are great. Once they accidentally sent me citrus and cola espresso and it was definitely not to my taste. As long as the right flavor shows up though I have no complaints.

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.

Nothing interesting about this blend. The shots pull as if stale, and taste stale as well. It does not stand up to any milk addition, and the only lingering taste is bitter. I do get a bit of the marshmallow frequently cited, but it is more like the burnt edges of a toasted marshmallow. It appears light/medium roasted, but there remains very little flavor nuance of a lighter roast. Roasted on 3/15/2026. Kudos for applying a date, but nearly 6 months is far too long for a medium roast.

My review is for medium roast espresso flavor. That's ok coffee, with good aroma, taste is light and with strong bitter notes. Biggest problem for these beans is relative long on the shelf time - mine were roasted in May and I bought them in Aug. That result in a weak concentration of oils, thus thin crema. To get at least average quality I had to increase grinding size and do pre phase with a low flow/pressure, plus increase shot time. All this compared to my regular beans supplier that is out for the summer. Overall it's ok for the money, but definitely far from roasted to order