Chicago Coffee Shop-intellectuals Cafe is good? Recommended by the intellectual Coffee Bar

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As I like coffee, when I come to Chicago, I must try the most famous independent cafe-Intelligentsia Coffeebar.

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Founded in 1995, the first store opened in Intelligentsia in Chicago, its brand image is in line with the cultural characteristics of Chicago's industrial, commercial and artistic elites, riding the "third wave of coffee" in recent years, in order to go directly to the producing areas and farmers to personally select coffee beans and tea, in order to provide fresh, excellent, unique flavor drinks to the public Intelligentsia, and therefore attract many consumers who like to taste good coffee and tea. So in Chicago, which is full of Starbucks, it can successfully make a market distinction and have a place.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIntelligentsia coffeebar currently has six stores in Chicago because of its reputation after years of hard work, as well as stores in Los Angeles and New York. Interestingly, the decoration of each coffee shop in Intelligentsia is not as consistent as the average chain coffee shop, but will consider the image characteristics of the community, transform and integrate into the design style of the store. This reminds me that considering the characteristics of the surrounding environment so as not to destroy the overall coordination seems to be the spiritual purpose of Chicago urban architecture. For this reason, I visited three branches of Intelligentsia to see if they all look different. By comparison, my favorite is the store in the Monadnock building in West side of the Loop.

Intelligentsia coffeebar- Monadnock

Turn from Michigan Avenue to Jackson St. It will take 10 minutes to get there, or take the MRT to Jackson Station and walk a few steps to get there. This district is one of the more historic financial districts in Chicago, and its office hours are usually quite lively.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAMonadnock is a commercial building built in the late 19th century, and it is also one of the characteristic buildings of Chicago. Because of its 100-year history, the Intelligentsia coffeebar style here is retro and steady, which is completely different from the modern style of other branches. Perhaps because of this, it will also attract some older guests.

Coffee beans, tea and related products selling area

As soon as OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA entered the store, he didn't smell the strong smell of coffee. He looked around at the walls and couldn't find Menu. It turned out that their Menu was just a piece of A4-sized paper and placed at the counter with a plank clip, so the first time he came, he would stay here for a long time. At this time, the clerk would ask: May I help you? Maybe the intention of the store is to introduce more coffee to the guests, or it is more convenient to change the contents of the menu, but anyway, to be honest, it feels a little uncomfortable to stand at the table and read the menu. especially if there are a lot of guests waiting for a drink, I will be embarrassed to stand here for too long and casually order a familiar taste.

After OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA taste, I personally think their coffee beans are good. This Colombia:Tres Santos tastes sour, refreshing but mellow, and the coffee aroma is very charming in the mouth. No wonder it is a famous store in Chicago. The price is US $4 (not taxed), which is a bargain compared with domestic hand-made items.

Intelligentsia coffeebar- Millennium Park Millennium Park

Along the Randolph St next to Millennium Park. Walk west, about 3-5 minutes will see this, decoration style after the industrial style of Intelligentsia coffeebar, its thick cold feeling, just can match with Chicago's heavy steel construction of the elevated MRT station (Rail "L"). The hue of the post-industrial style gives me the feeling of indifference and cold, so I don't like it very much, but this one is closest to Michigan Avenue and is located on the main road. I'm tired of visiting Millennium Park, so it's fast to come here.

I ordered a cappuccino here, and the small portion of 150ml costs $3.50 (tax-free). I think it's very expensive. I get the coffee and see, "Why is it so small?" I'm a little stupid. There is a cat on the coffee plate, which should be the brand name of their Italian beans, collectively called "Black Cat Project".

Drank a cappuccino, is I have never tasted, very special, but I do not like, because 1. There are not a lot of dense milk bubbles. There is no creamy flavor, I thought they used soy milk, but the handsome clerk said no, it was 5% milk. However, the coffee itself tastes good and is not sour.

Intelligentsia coffeebar- Old Town

The Intelligentsia, located in Old Town on the north side of Chicago, does not look Old at all and belongs to the style of contemporary design and decoration. As I was in a hurry, I didn't go in and order a cup of coffee to sit down and rest. I took a picture and left.

Sure enough, the style of the three Intelligentsia restaurants was different, and I didn't feel disappointed when I tasted their coffee for the first time. The beans were not overbaked, the taste was not sour, the taste was refreshing but mellow, and the aroma of the coffee was very charming. So, I would buy a few bags of their coffee beans, go home and cook them and taste them myself.