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Video: Conan O'Brien Brings His Coffee Snob Producer To Intelligentsia
It was only a matter of time before Conan O'Brien would bring his coffee snob producer Jordan Schlansky over to Intelligentsia in Silver Lake.
In a new sketch on Conan last night, the duo heads over to the popular roasters to explore the world of coffee. And by exploring it, it's a lot of Schlansky, who has a love for some of the finer things in life, bestowing his knowledge on coffee and debating with Intelligentsia's roaster Sam and barista Eden.
Hilarity ensues as they go through the coffee bean roasting process and do a taste test. And as these sketches typically go, O'Brien makes fun of his arch-nemesis producer while Schlansky remains completely unfazed by his insults.
At one point, we learn the meaning of the word "Intelligentsia." Conan asks Sam if Intelligentsia is an Italian word. Sam says, "It's an old political party during wars." And Schlansky, who speaks Italian, responds with a dead stare, "It's not an Italian word."
Schlansky once bought a $500 espresso machine for the Conan office, and was being very elitist about it. And during Schlansky's Reddit AMA last year, when a Redditor asked him how he was enjoying normal American coffee, he replied, "I have a hard time with an espresso shot that is pulled too long, and the thought of six ounces of drip-brewed coffee seems very unappetizing to me."
If you're wondering if the relationship O'Brien and Schlansky show on TV is like real life, Schlansky answered that question in the Reddit AMA. One Redditor asked, "Are you really as erudite and Conan as slovenly as you make yourselves seem on the show?" to which Schlansky responded, "Whether you like the segments or hate them, the fact of the matter is they are an absolutely accurate representation of our everyday dynamic."
Related:
Video: Conan O'Brien Tortures Staffer With Hoarding Problem
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