Interesting Black Cat/Kid-O Info

Discussion of various types and blends of commercially available pre-roasted beans, their best sources, prices, their respective merits, and the Vivaldi settings required to optimism flavor.
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JohnB

Interesting Black Cat/Kid-O Info

Post by JohnB »

After my posts in the H-B thread on Black Cat Kyle from Intelligentsia was nice enough to send me some B/C & K/O to try out & asked for some feedback. Initially (first week) I wasn't getting anything I liked but as it aged I started getting some very nice shots. In the course of exchanging emails with Kyle he mentioned that they "never" use either blend until 8 days past roast & ideally start on the 10th day. Since I normally break down my coffee shipments & freeze what I can't use within a few days the day it arrives (3 days past roast??) its hard for me to say exactly where the beans I'm currently using are age wise. Supposedly 1 week in the freezer is equivalent to a day on the counter but that varies depending on your freezer temp. Kyle is sending some more out today & this time I will try leaving it in the bag to age on the counter until day 8 or 10 post roast. At that time I will freeze what I can't use in 2-3 days. Should be interesting to see if this solves the issues I've had with b/c lately. I did notice the batch I got in May was vastly improved when I pulled some out of the freezer 4+ weeks later.
hlsheppard

Re: Interesting Black Cat/Kid-O Info

Post by hlsheppard »

WOW - that's pretty darned interesting, John. Your usage habits (time and freezing, etc) mirror my own. I need to try that out!

Thanks for posting this!!
michael
God Shot
Posts: 214
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:30 am

Re: Interesting Black Cat/Kid-O Info

Post by michael »

my last black cat had the disappearing crema problem (a quick fade) and shots that seemed much too fast based on the grind i was using. is this the problem others have had 8)
JohnB

Re: Interesting Black Cat/Kid-O Info

Post by JohnB »

michael wrote:my last black cat had the disappearing crema problem (a quick fade) and shots that seemed much too fast based on the grind i was using. is this the problem others have had 8)
Most of the "What happened to Black Cat" threads were complaining about the major reworking of the blend this past spring & the loss of many of the key flavors of the old blend. That & the fact that they didn't tell anyone about the change pissed off a lot of their regular customers.

The blend that was out last spring did have to be ground finer then what had become typical for B/C. On my stepless M4 I was down to 2.8 which is about where I am for the Kid-O. Due to numerous complaints they reworked the blend again recently & thats what I am pulling shots from now. The grind is back up in the #3 to #3.1 range for a 17gr double.

What this thread is talking about is the inability to get much of anything drinkable from b/c or Kid-O in the first week post roast. Kyle at Intelli was actually surprised that anyone was even trying! They roast it, bag it & leave it be until day 8 or 10 & the night before they plan to use it in their cafe they "dump it all into large, slightly breathable tubs to finish all necessary degassing and moisture homogenization".

How quickly is your crema disappearing? I'm pulling 17g shots at 93*C which last 30+ sec before starting to blond. The crema is holding up just fine throughout the time it takes me to drink the shot.
michael
God Shot
Posts: 214
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:30 am

Re: Interesting Black Cat/Kid-O Info

Post by michael »

i have three distinct experiences with black cat; the first time i didnt like it, maybe around one year ago; when i got some last winter i thought it was great; the last batch i got, maybe 2 months ago, i noticed i had to grind finer than i had for the previous batch (i have a mazzer mini e and needeed 2+ more notches finer), wasnt wild about the taste and the crema was fading quickly, in a 5 oz cap cup i was getting a opening in the crema starting to appear before i got the steamed milk in

im pulling 15g shots around 25 seconds

i have the balance of this last batch of black cat in the freezer and havent tried it again since 8)
JohnB

Re: Interesting Black Cat/Kid-O Info

Post by JohnB »

Pull some out & try it now, you may be surprised as that batch definitely got better with age. Black Cat does well with a larger dose & a long, slow pour. The B/C from last winter spoiled everyone, too bad they couldn't keep making that blend.
JohnB

Re: Interesting Black Cat/Kid-O Info

Post by JohnB »

This new B/C REALLY likes to age before it hits its peak. When the last batch (roasted 8/26) arrived I left one bag on the counter until 9/5, pulled a few ok shots & froze the rest in small batches. I left one jar on the counter to continue aging & just got back to it today. At 17 days past roast I am getting the best tasting shots (chocolate/caramel) I've gotten from B/C since last winter. I'm dosing at 17+ grams & going long/slow (35-40 sec.). No p/i on these shots. The pours weren't particularly pretty but they did taste very good.

Same dose with 5 seconds p/i gave a nicer pour which blonded around 33 seconds. It lost the nice sweet choco/caramel but gave a hint of the old b/c cherry w/bittersweet chocolate. Still not a fan of p/i as I've yet to taste a p/i shot that tasted as good as my non p/i shots.
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