Kat's 9 Lives

I have heard so many things about Intelligentsia from fellow food bloggers. Finally that packed Sunday I was able to stop in for a drink. We arrived a little ahead of schedule for the Chocolate Salon so we decided to grab some caffeine for the day. One would think that this would be a quick stop but it ended up taking a lot longer than planned. There weren't many parking spots nearby so I went in first to get our coffees.
While waiting I couldn't help but check out all the goodies that they had to offer. I heard the location in Pasadena had more food options. Sadly we were short on time so I didn't have the chance to really browse or taste.
What really caught my eyes were the macarons in the case. I have to have macarons when I see them. Still trying to find ones comparable to Pierre Hermé. To be fair, I didn't at them until I got home that night but they were a little stale and hard. The taste was just so-so. I thought the peanut butter macaron was the best tasting but I wouldn't recommend buying these. For $2 they are on the pricier side without the great texture and taste. =*( I will probably still give them one more try the next time I am there to see if they are like that right out of the case, but they really shouldn't have changed that much in a day's time.
The staff were friendly and I enjoyed seeing them brew the coffee right before your eyes. I have to say their coffee is pretty pricey IMHO. The Ethiopian blend was $3 a cup and most of the other types were $6 a cup... *whistles* that is one pricey cup of coffee!
For my drink, I chose the large Mocha. The drink was rich and I enjoyed the foam art. I love it when my drink speaks to me. =) There were bits of nuts at the bottom of my drink. The drink wasn't too sweet so I added a few packets of brown sugar. Mmm sweet!
All in all it was fun to check out this happening coffee scene but I must say that it is pretty pricey overall. For 1 coffee, 1 mocha, and 3 macarons I spent $15. Kind of steep. Good thing I am not a coffee drinker! lol Still I am glad to try Intelligentsia out.

Intelligentsia Cafe
55 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 578-1270