As this is my first time experiencing 49th Parallel roasters, I made sure everything was perfect as to give them a fair shake against my darling Intelligentsia. Right out of the bag, I could tell that there was love in the beans. They were roasted to what I’ve come to know as that fresh buttery brown one gets when beans are roasted to near perfection. I poured the beans in the hopper last night and cleaned everything in anticipation of what I expected to be somewhat of a difficult tasting. While I did expect excellent coffee from the beans that awaited me this morning, I was a little bit skeptical since everything else that I’ve tried recently fell short when compared to Intelli. I’m proud to say that this coffee does not fall short of any expectation and they deserve every bit of recognition they get for being excellent roasters.

In comparison to Intelligentsia, the overall cup isn’t as bold. I really try to avoid using expected words like that when I talk about coffee because they are just so general and don’t really tell much, however, in this case it actually fits. There’s an underlying strong flavor to the Intelli that I brew at home that wasn’t present with 49th Parallel. It’s almost like an aftertaste, beforehand, or even as you drink it. Both coffees are brilliant in flavor and full of the kinds of tastes that one expects from serious coffee. I won’t go as far to say that I’m tasting coffees for the flavors noted (e.g. chocolate, orange peel, etc.) cause I’m drinking it to relax and not deconstruct into some kind of experiment. As I continue through this current batch I’ll try to keep an eye on how it might change, if at all. Some coffees that I’ve had in the past change dramatically over as little as a few days. I’m not expecting a change but in fairness it only makes sense.

As far as the Intelligentsia most recently drank, it was Agua Preta, Brazil. I know that there are regional considerations to take in account when comparing two coffees directly, but I state the most recent brew from Intelli as a point of reference and not as a means for direct comparison. Also, seeing as I’ve been drinking Intelli pretty religiously for the past six years or so, I’ll hold off on final judgment comparing the two roasters together until I’ve spent more time drinking. And even then I don’t really expect to declare a favorite, just finally accept that excellent coffee doesn’t come from just Intelligentsia. Cheers!