soosano Senior Member Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 4 Location: Chicago Expertise: Beginner
Posted Wed Sep 10, 2003, 4:30pm Subject: Illy vs. Intelligentsia
Hi,
I live in Chicago and will be starting a coffee shop. I was wondering what people thought of Illy Coffee vs. Intelligentsia Coffee. I'm pretty new at this, so forgive me if this is a tired discussion.
I've had only limited experience with Illy coffee (some came preground with a machine I bought a while back) but I can say with some certainty that the Intelligentsia will be leaps and bounds better. Illy is pre-packaged and will therefore not likely be fresh at all. I've also noticed that it seems to be a bit high priced for the quality.
Intelligentsia, on the other hand, is local to Chicago and roasted on a frequent basis. Every order I've ever placed with Intelligentsia has been less than a week old (after delivery to NYC via UPS) by the time I received it. Their Black Cat blend is particularly tasty, but I've heard good things about their other blends too.
I wouldn't stop at one of those two suppliers, though. The best thing you can do is order a pound of each and give them a try. Try a couple of other suppliers, especially any other local roasters you can find as well -- you may be pleasantly surprised.
Cheers, Dalton
By the way -- Please keep us updated on the coffee shop. Some of us (myself included) have aspirations of doing the same thing one day. Any posts on your exploits as a coffee entrepeneur are quite welcome.
If I lived in Chicago and was starting a coffee business or was making any type of coffee decisions I would do some serious investigation into Intelligentsia. It is just presented as too much of a class organization from members of this forum and from the serious coffee drinkers from that area. Black Cat was thrust upon me only because word of mouth and lots...and lots...and lots of humble opinions. It is good stuff and I can't imagine Illy being as fresh or putting as much effort to make sure your beans are delivered freshly roasted to you. Great customer service..... Gotta luv customer service..... my opinion sounds biased but I have tried Illy in a can and it was fine but I can't speak to the freshness because I simply can't remember
DOM...evil genius ...Up to no good in espresso at all times... VIVA la parts de Espresso
I live in Chicago and will be starting a coffee shop. I was wondering what people thought of Illy Coffee vs. Intelligentsia Coffee. I'm pretty new at this, so forgive me if this is a tired discussion.
Hi Susan,
I love these stories. There are so many of us out there that think about doing this. For coffeegeeks, the ability to turn a "hobby" into something that pays the mortgage is the stuff that dreams are made of. The sad truth is that a love of coffee and a certain well-practiced skill at turning out espresso and espresso-based drinks is nothing without a good business plan, the ability to smile through eighteen-hour days, correct funding for initial capital investment and access to transitional funding to see you through that first six months (or until the books turn from red to black!)
Intelligentsia vs Illy is a no-brainer (IMHO). Others have commented on the advantages of a local roaster over mass-production (freshness, cost etc), and I am in violent agreement with them. The other thing to consider is that you will have much more of a business partnership with a local company. They will be far more flexible in meeting your needs, and nothing is more beneficial than the ability to meet and discuss common business goals face-to-face.
Thanks for the responses. Personally, I'm leaning towards Intelligentsia for their commitment to fair trade, organics, etc. And of course, their proximity and quality. We don't know a lot about Illy, thus my question. Not a lot of people have tried Illy, but the people I know who have are highly enthusiastic about their espresso (not sure about drip). The neighborhood where we are opening has a German/European history and feel and our main competitor (besides Starbucks) serves Intelligentsia, which is where we thought Illy would be advantage. But it seems as though true coffeegeeks prefer Intelligentsia!
If I were stuck with no good quality whole bean espresso at my disposal and had to walk into a store and pick from whatever was available.... Illy would probably be my choice because it would be likely to be the least of all possible evils. It's a pretty decent and definitely above average for a mass market brand but simply can't equal what you can get from a good local microroaster. Intelligentsia could probably work with you to develop a signature blend and roast for YOUR store. It may well be that if there's a large community of folks from the southern reaches of Germany, the northern areas of Italy or many other parts of Europe, there may be a favored style that is markedly different than what other shops are offering, even those who have Intelligentsia beans already.
I live in Chicago and will be starting a coffee shop. I was wondering what people thought of Illy Coffee vs. Intelligentsia Coffee. I'm pretty new at this, so forgive me if this is a tired discussion.
The advantage of Intelligentsia is that with your volume, they can probably do a custom blend that your customers will enjoy. This'll be fresh roasted, probably weekly, to your specs, as opposed to brought in from Italy. They also distribute and service several lines of coffee and espresso machines. So they're good folks to get in touch with to learn what they can do for you. Check your email for contact info.
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