What's better than Cafe Intelligentsia?

I drink Starbucks (consistent and decent IMHO, but my #3 choice) mostly when I'm out and about, but only because my preferred choices are too far away, #2 Peet's and #1 Cafe Intelligentsia (although we buy our beans for home from these two). Are there better purveyors for espresso/latte in/around Chicago that I should try? I have to assume this has been discussed, but I didn't find it with a search...thanks.

Hard to find unless you go to the store, but I'm on record as being a fan of a local small-batch roaster. You can see on the blackboard the variety and the date it was roasted (mostly within 3 - 4 days).

Casteel Coffee
2924 Central St.
Evanston, IL 60201
Tel. (847) 424-9999
http://www.casteelcoffee.com

Midpack wrote:I drink Starbucks (consistent and decent IMHO, but my #3 choice) mostly when I'm out and about, but only because my preferred choices are too far away, #2 Peet's and #1 Cafe Intelligentsia (although we buy our beans for home from these two). Are there better purveyors for espresso/latte in/around Chicago that I should try? I have to assume this has been discussed, but I didn't find it with a search...thanks.

As far as I'm concerned, there is no better coffee or espresso purveyor in Chicago than Intelligentisa. Metropolis and Lavazza follow a close second place for me.

Intellilgentsia
Multiple Locations
http://intelligentsiacoffee.com/retail/findus

Metropolis Cafe
1039 West Granville
773.764.0400
http://metropoliscoffee.com/

Lavazza
Multiple Locations

Best,
Michael

Midpack wrote:...but only because my preferred choices are too far away, #2 Peet's and #1 Cafe Intelligentsia (although we buy our beans for home from these two)....

Put me down for the same exact preference. I also like that you can buy Peets in the Dominick's where we ordinarily shop. Much more convenient than Peet's storefront, though freshness may well suffer. I didn't know about Casteel, though; thanks to nr706 for the heads-up.

When in Hyde Park, Istria Cafe, located under the Metra tracks on 57th St is a good choice. They serve Intelligentsia Coffee, which is not uncommon these days, but they are just as obsessive as Intelligentsia about preparing it correctly. They also make a great "traditional" cappuccino (not listed on the menu), which is a properly sized (6 oz) and proportioned cappuccino served in a real cup with two little chocolates on the saucer.

You know, Michael, I tend to be on the same page as you, most food recs, but coffee...

I think Intelligensia is decent enough, better than say Starbucks (which is decent enough as well), but it's not in the top league of coffee places around here. Metropolis, I really do not like. It's local, that I like, and to their credit, their coffee has a very distict taste. It just happens to be a taste I do not like. And the Lavazza places I have tried in the Loop, well they never make me feel as I'm in Rome.

What does, where the best coffee is in Chicago, I believe, is along Harlem Ave. Caffe Italia and Caffe Bar San Francesco [sic] are about the tops; Salerno's is close.

A dazed report of Harlem coffee spots, a never to be duplicated adventure, can be found here. See that post for addresses.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Julius Meinl. Although I'm rarely in that part of town to grab a cup, it's the only coffee (other than what I brew at home) that I like better than Intelligentsia

Julius Meinl
3601 N. Southport
Chicago, IL 60613
Phone: 773-868-1857

Available at certain restaurants and coffee shops, I prefer Illy.

When left with the choice I tended to favor Dunkin' Donuts [1] [2].

For a time I worked for the W Hotel on Lakeshore and came in right as they switched their coffee distributor from Intelligentsia to Illy. I recall some of the guest stating that they found Intelligentsia to be "too bitter" and were pleased with the change we made to Illy. Though I didn't have much of a preference between the two, I found the coffee and espresso machines for Illy to be quite superior... Superior!

Superior Coffee is another favorite of mine. You won't have to go far to find a greasy joint in the city that serves Superior. Goes great with bacon, eggs, and pancakes...Hmm, I wonder what Starbucks would taste like with a greasy breakfast from Lou Mitchell's. I get the feeling it wouldn't be very good...

Now living in Denver the wife and I have found a local favorite that, in my mind, starts with a sophisticated taste like intelligentsia but finishes smooth like Dunkin' Donuts. It's called Dazbog. If you're ever in the Denver area you should check out one of their locations.

~GS

My wife and I buy most of our coffee at Coffee Tree & Tea Leaves Co. on Broadway. It's a neighborhood shop whose delightful owner has us hooked on his "Sam's Blend," which we regularly drive up from downtown to buy.
He also sells a really rich espresso, with deep, smoky flavor and nice crema. While they're not our cup of tea, so to speak, he also carrys a wide range of flavored coffees, too.
Even though we live walking distance from both Intelligentsia and Starbucks, we prefer to buy a good product from a local merchant, especially somebody as nice as Sam.

Coffee Tree & Tea Leaves Co.
3752 N. Broadway
773-871-7818

Paul SL wrote:My wife and I buy most of our coffee at Coffee Tree & Tea Leaves Co. on Broadway. Even though we live walking distance from both Intelligentsia and Starbucks, we prefer to buy a good product from a local merchant, especially somebody as nice as Sam.

I agree with the philosophy, but I thought Intelligentsia was a local merchant as well...

Midpack wrote:I agree with the philosophy, but I thought Intelligentsia was a local merchant as well...

True. At least for the moment.

Just like Kraft is a local food company.

I'm in the coffee business, so I'm not impartial by any means, but I'm also not un-informed.

I just want to say that though Intelligentsia is definitely no longer a mom and pop (they're STRONGLY growing and expanding, to LA soon), they are local (West Loop), and hardly Corporate (with a big "C").

- Lee C.

I wouldn't want to leave anyone with the impression I don't like Intelligentsia; several restaurants I admire serve their coffees. Also, their Black Cat blend makes excellent espresso.

Thanks for this thread. I'm thrilled with the variety and quality we can now find in the Chicago area.

Like many others here, I love Intelligentsia and Peets.

But you should also check out Blue Max Coffee Roasters and Cafe in Forest Park. This is another one of my favorites! I recommend the Brazilian (a medium roast) and the Ethiopian (a dark roast). And the cafe has a wonderful atmosphere.

Blue Max Coffee
26 Lathrop Ave
Forest Park, IL
http://www.bluemaxcoffee.com/
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I'm incredibly fond of Metropolis coffee.

http://www.metropoliscoffee.net/

1039 W Granville Ave
Chicago, IL 60660
(773) 764-0400

I'm actually more fond of Metropolis than Intelligentsia. Micro roasted, delicious deep complicated flavors, nice people.

I've been fairly loyal to Intelligentsia for the past year or so, but their recent move to a 12 ounce pound (with new "Improved" sticker pricing for some beans) has turned my mood ring permanently to black. Shouldn't "coffee fanatic" be incompatible with "convenience packaging?"

That's interesting. Could you describe your thinking about the packaging a bit more? I'm not familiar with the sticker pricing you're describing, but what is it about the 12 oz that puts you off?

I kind of like it, personally. Since we like to use our beans really fresh (10-14 days off roast at the very maximum), the smaller packages mean we can buy beans more often with less (bean) waste. As a soon to be retailer, I was even thinking maybe we would package in 1/2 lb bags, so I'd love it if you'd share your thoughts a bit more.

Thanks,
Lee C.

PS- I'm also a big Metropolis fan.

I can see both sides of the 12 oz vs. 16 oz bag size debate, depending on what's important to you. I did notice at the grocery the other day that Intelligentsia coffees were in 12 oz bags, but I bought a regular pound at the Millennium Park store last week and actually didn't notice smaller sizes. Are they going to 12 oz across the board or just at (non-Intelligentsia) retail locations? I believe Metropolis has typically been 12 oz (non-Metropolis) retail and 16 oz up on Granville.

Choey wrote:I've been fairly loyal to Intelligentsia for the past year or so, but their recent move to a 12 ounce pound (with new "Improved" sticker pricing for some beans) has turned my mood ring permanently to black. Shouldn't "coffee fanatic" be incompatible with "convenience packaging?"

I'm a little confused by this also. Why is 16 oz inherently better than 12 oz? I prefer 12 oz because that's the exact amount of coffee that fits into a large mason jar. Did they reduce the bags from 16 to 12 oz and keep the prices the same? I haven't noticed a similar substantial price increase at the Broadway store.

Choey wrote:I've been fairly loyal to Intelligentsia for the past year or so, but their recent move to a 12 ounce pound (with new "Improved" sticker pricing for some beans) has turned my mood ring permanently to black. Shouldn't "coffee fanatic" be incompatible with "convenience packaging?"

Every coffee brand is moving to this size now. Go to the grocery store. You will find many of them on the shelf in 12 oz packs now. Out in Portland all the specialty roasters had their coffee in 12 oz. not 16.

Just bought the biweekly office coffee at Intelligentsia -- discussion made me check -- the pound has 16 oz -- this from the Jackson street store.

I drink coffee infrequently. . .but the other half drinks copious amounts. He is very fussy about his coffee, though liking it dark and strong are two essential components.

About a year ago he tried the coffee at Costco - the one on Clybourn that roasts coffee. He's hooked. Maybe he's hooked on the price, I'm not sure. But, he definitely has stopped shopping elsewhere.

ViewsAskew wrote:About a year ago he tried the coffee at Costco - the one on Clybourn that roasts coffee. He's hooked. Maybe he's hooked on the price, I'm not sure...

I'm ambivalent about Costco coffee. To me, it's about 90 percent as good as my usual coffee, for about 75 percent of the price. Sigh...

I love Intelligentsia coffee and drink it daily. I buy it at WF in Wheaton as there is no other outlet for my favorite roast nearby. What puts me off about the 12oz bag is the price...bag size went down but the bag price stayed the same...an effective 25% price increase. Ouch.

If this only happened at my local WF then I'll bitch to their management about it

After reading this thread, I went to the Jackson St store and purchased two bags of beans. Wow!! What a difference in the other junk I was buying. Coffee at my house was getting so bad, my husband wanted me to buy another coffee maker. Turns out it was the beans. I can't tell you how enjoyable this coffee is. Dark, but smooth and not a single note of bitterness. I am hooked, price be damned. Also, it was nice that they gave me a free iced coffee on my way out for buying the two bags.

If the price is a big worry, remember that Tuesday is discount day at the Intelligentsia retail stores. And you still get your cup of free coffee when you buy a bag of beans.

MariaTheresa wrote:If the price is a big worry, remember that Tuesday is discount day at the Intelligentsia retail stores. And you still get your cup of free coffee when you buy a bag of beans.

For a short time, they're also offering their Tres Santos micro-lot coffees--coffees that have been produced with 1-2 growers very small quantities (around 100-500 pounds of each lot). The three--El Descanso, El Mirador, La Piragua--are all really, really excellent (I tried them at the Monandnock store in their Clover machine, which brews a single cup from scratch) and currently $10 a pound, which is about $3 less then most of their single-origin roasts and $5-10 less than most of their high-end "reserve" roasts. You can also order them online if you can't get to one of their stores:

http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/sto ... ee/reserve

cjkrautk wrote:

MariaTheresa wrote:If the price is a big worry, remember that Tuesday is discount day at the Intelligentsia retail stores. And you still get your cup of free coffee when you buy a bag of beans.

For a short time, they're also offering their Tres Santos micro-lot coffees--coffees that have been produced with 1-2 growers very small quantities (around 100-500 pounds of each lot). The three--El Descanso, El Mirador, La Piragua--are all really, really excellent (I tried them at the Monandnock store in their Clover machine, which brews a single cup from scratch) and currently $10 a pound, which is about $3 less then most of their single-origin roasts and $5-10 less than most of their high-end "reserve" roasts. You can also order them online if you can't get to one of their stores:

http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/sto ... ee/reserve

Thanks for reminding me that I've been meaning to try these reserve coffees. But I should note that most of the prices listed for reserve coffee are for 1/2 pounds, not full pounds.