illy Medium Roast Whole Bean Coffee 8.8 Ounces

by illy

Product Features

• Net quantity of 8.8 ounces(250 grams)
• Best choice for those who enjoy the sensory pleasures of sight, sound, aroma and touch
• Medium roast coffe

Product Description

A cup of illy espresso is a brief but intense experience that caresses the senses, awakens the spirit and opens the mind. From the very first sip, illy's rich, fragrant aroma and distinctive, consistent taste provide an authentic Italian coffee experience to be savored over and over again. illy produces one single blend composed of nine types of 100% premium Arabica coffee--the very finest--and makes it available in different formats and roasts. This choice guarantees consistent quality and distinguishes the illy blend, ensuring it always has the same unique aroma and flavor. The green coffee beans are carefully selected at source from the best plantations in Brazil, Central America, India and Africa and are then subjected to 114 quality control steps before being sold. The coffee is packaged in the signature illy can which provides a protective pressurized atmosphere to preserve its aroma for two years.

illy whole coffee beans are the best choice for those who enjoy the sensory pleasures of sight, sound, aroma and touch that come with grinding beans in a personalized version of the coffee ritual. illy's medium roast offers a balanced flavor, nuanced by subtle notes of caramel, chocolate, toast and a light, slightly flowery aroma.

Product Details

• Item Weight: 8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B000VOCQPW
• Item model number: 0469
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #72,541 in Grocery & Gourmet Food (See Top 100 in Grocery & Gourmet Food)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the best in its price range, January 25, 2004

By A Customer

As of today, Jan. 25, 2004 Amazon is offering this product from two different merchants at two different prices with two different names. Possibly the confusion comes from the fact the the name of the product is partially in Italian, and every merchant made up its own English name. Anyway, the following two are the same, just buy the cheapest
1. Illy Roasted Espresso Coffee Beans -- Merchant: Goodman's
2. illy Whole Bean Espresso, Normale -- Merchant: CaffeSolo

Here is my review of the product itself.
Among coffees in this price range, I haven't been able to find anything better.
I am an italian who came to US 6 years ago (I think it is relevant to readers) and Illy is an italian brand. I claim my review does not have any shallow food-nationalism bias, but it might well be that I am influnced by my upbringing.
This coffee is roasted much less than what americans are used to think as the "italian roast", Illy calls it "medium roast". It is roasted less than ANY Starbucks coffee I tried so far. The roasting type can be seen by comparing the colour of the powder. This particular Illy is lighter in color and it is bit reddish. It's color is close to the color of cocoa poweder (I mean cocoa powder processed with alkali).
The roasting is key for me because I dislike any coffee which tastes of burnt -- Illy does not.
It's flavor is marked enough to fully come through even when drank with milk in a 50% coffee 50% milk proportion. It actually still tastes of coffee in this proportions.
Some people prefer Illy Dark Roast (the silver and black) to make espresso, but I prefer the flavor of Medium Roast even to make espresso.
I prepare it with a stove-top espresso machine, such as Bialetti.
This particular tin I am reviewing contains coffee beans, an identical tin (the lid is different) containing grounded coffee (same blend) also exists. The grounded one is grounded having in mind stove-top esperesso machine, which is a powder barely coarser than the one for true electric espresso machines (it can be used in them too) and much finer than grounds for dripping machines.
As you probably know, coffee should be drank very soon after roasting. In general this is true. Illy is one of the leaders in vacuum paking, so the shelf-life of its coffee is very long. The metal can is not just for beauty: it does keep the air out better then bags. Still, you don't want to buy it from a merchant who had it on its shelf forever.
All in all, there is better coffee around, but I can't find any better for this price either for delivery on the internet or from small roasters who roast their own coffee in the New Haven area.