Intelligentsia Giveaway Announcement and AeroPress Review!

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That's right - I'm giving away a 12oz bag of Intelligentsia Black Cat Espresso every month until July. Just comment below to enter and I'll use a handy-dandy 'comment picker' to choose a winner at random next week!

I’m pretty sure coffee and cycling are siamese twins that were surgically separated at birth. There’s nothing better than a mid-ride espresso stop, and I think I’ve only met ONE cyclist in my life who doesn’t love it as much as I do.

Anyway...a few years back, I was an account manager at Magento and my boss said - hey, I think you should manage Intelligentsia in Chicago...the director of ecommerce is a cyclist and you guys would probably hit it off. She was right, and we did. We were literally texting each other bike pics halfway through the intro call. We got to ride together at a few trade shows, and he was kind enough to loan me his Ritte for the Turin ride when I was in Chicago...Intelligentsia is also the title sponsor for a HUGE week of cycling in Chicagoland.

Needless to say, Intelligentsia is my go-to for fresh roasted beans - and as an added bonus, they have a roastery in LA, which means UPS gets it here one r two days after it’s roasted.

When I launched this channel, my buddy at Intelligentsia shot me a note and asked how they could help, and this is where we’re starting: I’m gonna give you my take on the Aeropress and since 2020 has been a tough year they’re going to sponsor a monthly giveaway of a free bag of Black Cat Espresso - the blend that put them on the map. I’ll get to that later, so stick around.

Let’s talk about the Aeropress first. If you’ve never seen one before, it’s basically a new take on the traditional french press, but instead of using a metal press that pushes the grounds through the water it uses an air gap to push water through the grounds and gives you a smooth flavor with very low acid in under a minute. A traditional french press can over-extract from the grounds and cause bitterness. It’s also really messy. The same is true for a drip-coffeemaker - you can’t control the water temp, and they typically under or over extract which means weak or bitter coffee.

And let’s not even GO down the rabbit holes of pod brewers, espresso machines, chemexes, and pour overs. I mean, if you’re super invested in your coffee ritual then sure - I guess those all make a decent cup - and to be frank I alternate between my Breville and the Aeropress - but even that took several months to dial in a cup that was as consistent as the aeropress. As long as I follow the SUPER simple directions and get the water temperature right - it’s really easy (and fast) to brew.

And that’s where the Aeropress and bikes REALLY intersect. Here’s what I mean: no matter where i go, I HAVE GOT TO HAVE A PAIR OF GOOD DOUBLE ESPRESSOS, OR SOMETHING SIMILAR, TO START MY DAY. When I’m on the road for work, a race, or and event, weak hotel coffee ain’t gonna cut it - and I don’t do Starbucks. The solution? Drop thirty bucks on one of these, buy the Fellow Prismo reusable filter and toss it in a suitcase along with a small bag of your favorite coffee. And if you’re bikepacking - same deal: throw it in your handlebar bag and roll. There’s actually enough room in the stopper for 3-4 days worth of coffee if you pack it right.