Posted November 11th, 2008 by Meg
Me: What do you want to do today?
BF: I don’t know, what do you want to do?
Me: I don’t care, whatever….
BF: How about we get some coffee?
Me: Intelligentsia??!??!???!
BF: Yeah…
Me: You’ll drive??????
BF: Only if you buy me a cup of coffee.
Me: Deal!
And that’s how I ended up with a bag of Kurimi, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe. Usually it’s my idea to go out and procure beans, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear my boyfriend suggest it as a Saturday adventure. Especially since it meant there was less of a chance he would be cranky about driving and gas.
Flavor: Floral, honeysuckle
Acidity: Citrus, juicy
Finnish: Subtle, spice
Kurimi is a shy coffee. A soft, clean, citrus (think lemon/lime and orange) start that turns into a spiced cocoa taste which hangs out for awhile until you’re next sip. At first I had reservations about the citrus taste, but as I continued sipping, the cup opened up to me and told me it’s secrets, allowing me to recognize the beauty from sweet beginning to the calming and resonating end.
Intelligentsia
3922 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 663-6173
Posted October 20th, 2008 by Meg
I recently was able to get a bag of Intelligentsia’s Itzamna, Guatemala. In Yucatec Maya mythology, Itzamna is the name of an upper god and creator deity that supposedly lives in the sky. The meaning of the deity’s name is unclear, but could refer to a large lizard or Caiman (itzam) or to a liquid such as dew (itz). Aspects of the god were sometimes designated by the epithet “Itzamna Kauil,” which could mean ‘the powerful’.
Flavor: Chocolate, red apple, date
Acidity: Buoyant, well-rounded
Finish: Walnut, nutmeg, butterscotch
Even though the harvest season is from January to April, the coffee tastes like you should be drinking it during the Fall season. Immediately at first sip, I taste the red apples which turns into a sweet slightly spicy taste, which quietly disappears. Not a shy exit, but a confident exit. As if the flavor just came to say hello, compliment you on how good you’ve been looking, and then be on their way out. Because of the transition from loud, pleasant taste to quick and polite exit, I was left wanting to drink more.
Counting down the days until Intelligentsia opens in Venice….
Intelligentsia
3922 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 663-6173
Posted September 13th, 2008 by Meg
A few weeks ago I went to Intelligentsia to buy some fresh coffee beans. I arrived relatively close to closing time so it was not busy. The one worker behind the counter, whom I can only describe as “the guy with stretched ears”, was very friendly and helped me through a delicious dilemma: get the Flecha Roja, Costa Rica beans or the Itzamna, Guatemala.
I decided on the former, secretly hoping that when I run out of Flecha Roja, the Itzamna will still be available and in season. My decision was based simply on the appeal of the supposed molasses finish.
Flecha Roja, Costa Rica:
Flavor: Black cherry, red grape
Acidity: Balanced, tangy
Finish: Crisp, punctuated, molasses
My palette was able to pick up the cherry and grape flavors on first sip. It did taste balanced and slightly tangy. I was also able to taste a hint of molasses in between sips. However, I was surprised and delighted to find the coffee to taste better after letting it cool down! The blossomed flavor becomes more pleasant and balanced, the finish becomes gracefully punctuated, and the molasses hints are more apparent and no longer just between sips. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed these beans and would not hesitate to buy them again.
In 1779, Costa Rican coffee production started in Meseta, an area with near perfect soil and climate conditions for coffee plantation. Costa Rican coffee is Coffea arabica, a species that is indigenous to Ethiopia and Yemen. Arabica coffee is believed to be the first species of coffee to be cultivated and is considered to produce better coffee than other popular commercially grown beans such as Coffea canephora (robusta). Coffee production has played a key role in both Costa Rica’s history and economy. In 2006, coffee was the third cash crop export (first and second going to bananas and pineapples, respectively). The largest coffee growing areas are in the provinces of San José, Alajuela, Heredia, Puntarenas, and Cartago. The provinces of Costa Rica are subdivided into 81 cantons. One San José canton in particular, Tarrazú, is where my Flecha Roja beans were cultivated. This canton is notorious for making great beans. More specifically, my bag of Flecha Roja came from a cooperative called Coope Dota. At the Intelligentsia site, I learned that this coop is very successful and efficient on all levels of production (eco/labo/etc). I’ll drink to that!
Interestingly, I found that the Costa Rica agricultural institute, Centro Agronomico Tropical de Invetigacion y Enseñanza (which translates as Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center; CATIE) has an amazing program that focuses on coffee and the research and development of coffee technology.
Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea
3922 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90029
Get Directions(323) 663-6173
Posted September 5th, 2008 by Meg
Last time I was at Intelligentsia, I bought some tea to drink in the hours I do not drink coffee: the afternoon and evening. I chose a green tea called Cloud and Mist. It’s name comes from the cloudy, humid mountains of China in which it grows.This particular tea comes from Drum Mountain, found in the province Fujian. This tea’s distinct flavor results from the cooler climate causing the tea to grow more slowly than most other teas.
Body: Smooth, buttery
Flavor: Honey, baking spice, toasted almond
Finish: Sweet, lingering
Every adjective above is accurate in describing this tea. At first sip, I was able to distinguish the buttery body of the tea, which I have never experienced before in a tea. I am also able to pick up the almond and honey flavors, that not only leads smoothly into the lingering sweetness but also the desire to drink more. I am not able to compare this green tea because it is more complex than any tea I have had before (please note my limited tasting knowledge and experience of tea). I really enjoy the buttery feel to this tea and plan on buying this tea again, especially if I can find ones that were grown in a different provinces to compare with one another.
Posted August 10th, 2008 by Meg
On Saturday, my boyfriend (who is not the same person as my roommate) and I went to Scoops. It was my first time and it was pretty awesome. First of all, when we got there, the place was empty. I knew this was just luck and had nothing to do with the quality of ice cream. Also, shortly after we sat down to eat, a herd of people filled the room. I tried the flavors: Brown Bread (made from grape nuts), Banana Peanut Butter & Bacon, Guinness Mocha, and Thai Iced Tea with Honey. My favorite was definitely the Brown Bread, which is supposedly one of their most popular flavors. Even though they use grape nuts to make it, it is definitely a different taste than I expected. In fact, it made me wish I could just eat Brown Bread ice cream for breakfast everyday. I was slightly disappointed in the Banana Peanut Butter & Bacon because it seemed to be that each flavor was too subtle for me to distinguish. However, it could have just been that my palate was overwhelmed from such a variety of flavors. The Guinness Mocha was quite tasty, but seemed the most normal of the bunch to me. The Thai Iced Tea with Honey was probably the sweetest of my bunch, my second favorite, tasting like happiness. All and all, I would definitely go again, especially because of the rotating crazy flavors and the kind scooper that helped me was very accommodative, patient, and helpful while I made my my flavor decisions. 
Since we were in the neighborhood, we stopped by Intelligentsia. We parked right next to a store I had only heard about, The ReForm School, a pro-green gift-y store. It is a very adorable store with a lot of neat and innovative products. I had found out about it on the internet a month or two ago and was always interested in visiting. Inside, you can find everything eco-friendly from bags, clothing, furniture, local artwork, notebooks, to bath & body products. The store fits right into the Silver Lake neighborhood. I would recommend it to anyone that is on the hunt for clever and cute gifts. I just wish I had the money to buy everything. I really liked these fun, easy to hold Buddha Bowls, but do not have the funds to purchase bowls at this point in time. The website is just as cute as the actual store. The story of how the store started is one that I respect: two friends that just wanted to own a store that promotes green living. How awesome is that?
Surprisingly, there was no line at Intelligentsia, but the place was pretty full. My boyfriend got his usual Mocha and I just ordered a cup of coffee. The coffee I chose was Galapagito, a La Tortuga Micro-Lot from Honduras. The website describes it as greeting “the palate with a burst of crisp citrus and lush tropical fruit. The acidity peaks in the center of the cup and melds elegantly into a supremely well-structured finish of deep, dark chocolate and baking spices.” My (probably weak) palate did not find it as citrusy as described. I did enjoy the finish and found it very smooth. I would/will buy those beans in the future. To keep the mornings interesting, I bought a 1/2 lb. bag of Fazenda do Sertão, Brazil. These beans come from Carmo de Minas, a popular growing region of Brazil. They are characterized as:
Flavor: Caramel, sweet orange, fudge
Acidity: Balanced, dried mango
Finish Smooth, buttery, dutch chocolate
Yum. Apparently these beans were tested to become espresso, but the taste was filled with such amazing depth and complexity that Intelligentsia R+D changed their minds and let it shine as a coffee. Another interesting fact about these beans is that they are pulped natural; beans were pulped without fermentation. Pulped natural coffees result in a beverage that has the characteristics of both a dry-and a wet-(fermented to remove the pulp) processed coffee; it is sweet, but retains acidity. This type of processing can only occur in countries where there is low humidity, such as Brazil, who has popularized this method and apparently produces some of the best pulped natural coffee in the world. For more information on the differences between processing, check this informative site out, CoffeeResearch.
Scoops
712 N Heliotrope Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90029
Get Directions(323) 906-2649
The ReForm School
4014 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90029
Get Directions(323) 906-8660
Intelligentsia
3922 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90029
Get Directions(323) 663-6173
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