Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Intelligentsia


















I've been called "unclassy" regarding my coffee choices in the past, but this one won't be one of them. Intelligentsia Coffee in Chicago this past weekend… what can I say? The best Americano I've ever had. Seriously.

A very nice barista (I think his name was Curtis) at the Millenium Park coffee bar gave us a lovely explanation and demo of how they brew their coffee and these machines are crazy, I've never seen these before! To give the simple breakdown of it all:

Machines are calibrated every single morning.
Only coffee which has been roasted within the week is brewed.
The machine works like a reverse French press with a metal filter to retain the oils in the coffee.
Coffee is brewed in 45 seconds.

And that's the secret to a smooth, deep, bite-free coffee. Wow.


3 comments:

Broccoli said...

Looking at the pictures, I still don't understand how a coffee comes outta that thing! Is there a cup underneath? Crazy.

I'm going to sample it for myself when I'm there the week after next! Woohoo!

Lois Kim said...

Yes, the cup is underneath, on the side of the counter where the barista stands. You're going to love it.

Cupcake said...

All I want to know is what didn't you buy at the Renegade Handmade? I was there on Saturday and spent waaay too much on waaay too much stuff. Good weekend to be in Chicago...weatherwise and city events! Next year try the Windy City Wine fest the night before!