Illy Espresso Coffee

If you have ever tried Illy coffee you will know why it is one of the most successful and highly regarded high quality coffee brands in the world. It just tastes great.

The Illy company was founded in 1933 by Francesco Illy in Trieste. Illy is one of those rare things - a true family company. Now Andrea who is Francesco's grand son is the CEO and chairman of the company.

The distinctive high quality Illy flavor is a blend of 9 types of Arabica beans. You can be sure that wherever you see the Illy brand you will be experiencing one of the finest blends of coffee in the world. Once you have tasted it you will realize why it is now served in over 50,000 of the world's finest restaurants and sold in 140 countries.

Fransesco Illy invented the illetta in 1935. This was the first coffee machine with automatic water dosing and a jet of compressed air - the predecessor of all espresso machines. Innovation and attention to detail has become a tradition at Illy. One of the reasons for the high quality of the Illy blend is the sorting machine which analyzes the intensity of light reflected from every single bean and removes the defective ones.

But the beauty of Illy coffee is that you can easily create the perfect cup at home. Whilst you might first taste Illy in a cafe or restaurant you can easily make it part of every day at home.

There are so many coffee machine choices out there it is difficult to even know where to start. Personally I use 2 different methods. An espresso machine and a Stovetop Espresso Maker.

Which you prefer really depends on personal preference and budget but the revolutionary new Francis Francis X8 espresso machine is now available from illy for only $175 with a flexible coffee membership. This is a great chance to get a high quality espresso machine whilst enjoying the other benefits of Illy membership.

For anyone who has tasted real espresso in Italy you know that it just tastes so much better than anywhere else in the world. But there is no real reason why this has to be so - you just have to spend a little time learning the art of making the espresso.

Our coffee drinking taste buds have been confused in recent years first by drinking instant coffee, then by the addition into our culture of so many coffee shop chains which use less than perfect coffee and add milks and syrups to their drinks. Let me say that this is a world apart from the perfect espresso which is a completely different drink altogether.

So how do you make the perfect espresso?

1. Start with a high quality coffee bean. There are 2 types of coffee beans grown. The Robusta and the Arabica. If you know that anything contains the robusta bean and you want a good taste then avoid it! Fine quality coffee is derived from the vastly superior Arabica bean. Of course Illy only uses Arabica beans.

2. The perfect cup of espresso should not be any larger than 1oz or 30ml. Yes that is why you see those cute looking Espresso Cups

3. The right water. This step is often overlooked. If your water is particularly hard then Illy suggests using bottled water.

4. Get the temperature and extraction of the water correct. What does this mean? That you need to use the right coffee maker! There are thousands of coffee makers out there of course and many will argue over which is the best. Illy recommends the FrancisFrancis! X7 iperEspresso Machines This is not an inexpensive coffee machine but cheaper models often do not have the high pressure pumps which are needed to extract the perfect espresso.

An alternative to a coffee machine is a Stovetop Moka coffee maker. I have used these for almost 20 years now (my FrancisFrancis machine being a more recent addition) having first seen them used in Italy. It just seemed like a better alternative to the coffee makers available at that time which were mainly those drip coffee systems.

If you are just starting out on your fine coffee at home experience a stovetop moka is a good place to start. They come in all shapes and sizes but they all do just about the same job.

1. Fill the base of the pot with cold water up to the safety valve and insert the filter. Use bottled water if you wish

2. Fill the filter with fine grind coffee. Be sure not to compact the coffee in the filter.

3. Put the filter into the pot. Screw the top section onto the bottom section of the pot and tighten to obtain a perfect seal.

4. Place the pot on a stove on low-heat. You do need to watch and listen closely. You will start to hear a sputtering noise. As soon as you do then take the coffee from the heat and serve into espresso cups.

Moka pots are easy to clean. Wait for them to cool a little and then you can wash with a small amount of mild detergent and rinse thoroughly.

Selection of Moka Pots

There are several different types of Illy coffee. Each has their own specific role and you need to buy the right one for the type of coffee you are making.

Fine Grind: This is one of the most commonly used as it is suitable for espresso as well as all other types of coffee preparation.

Medium Grind: This is suitable for drip coffee makers and French Presses

Whole Bean: For coffee drinkers who prefer to grind their own beans

Moka: As it's name suggests this is a blend used for Moka pots

E.S.E Easy Serving Espresso: These are commonly known as 'pods'. Each pod is premeasured for you so you are sure that you are using the right amount. These have to be used with pod compatible coffee machines.