With its iconic silver canister, Illy Coffee is iconic – whether you know the name or not, you’ll recognise the packaging and the simple red square logo. Seeing the Illy Coffee log has been enough to get me into a coffee shop alone. It was the first brand of coffee I specifically bought, and for me it doesn’t disappoint. So what’s the difference between the red Classico roast and the black Intenso roast .. and what else does Illy offer.
Illy Coffee is at its heart a family business. Founded in Trieste by Francesci Illy, it’s now led by the third generation of the family. So much more than just a family business, the name Illy is now World renowned – recognised for the high quality blend of nine varieties of pure Arabica – you’re as likely to see the iconic silver Illy cans atop industrial coffee machines in your local coffee shop as you are on the shelves on your local supermarket.
Illy doesn’t just sell the beans (and the ground coffee, the pods, the pre-made drinks) it’s also a great choice for Coffee Machines, coffee cups and even branded Coffee Shops.
We’ll Start With The Beans
To us, Illy means silver canisters of coffee – from small domestic cans on the supermarket shelf up to the huge commercial barrels. Here’s our guide to the different blends of Illy Coffee available for home brewing.
First off, Illy has it covered when it comes to the type of coffee – whether you’re looking for whole bean, ground coffee, filter coffee, nespresso compatible pods, E.S.E. pods , Illy has it covered.
When we think of Illy Coffee beans we think of the packaging – the red Classico Blend, the dark Intenso dark roast, and the blue Decaf – so we’ll start with those. First of all when opening the beans or the ground coffee – there’s nothing that quite compares to pulling the ring pull and getting that first hit of the strong coffee aroma.
Illy Whole Bean Classico Roast Coffee
This the the iconic Illy Coffee packaging, with its red stripe matching the familiar red Illy logo. The Illy Classico is, as its name suggests, the Classic roast coffee – with a strong, but sweet flavour, free from bitterness. It’s a medium roast, with a slight smokey flavour that really embraces the flavour of the beans, bringing through flavours of caramel, orange blossom and jasmine.
Illy Whole Bean Intenso Bold Roast Coffee
As the name suggests, this is a much bolder, intense flavour than the Illy Classico. It’s produced using the same blend of beans, but the bolder, darker roast produces a more bitter flavour profile – really bringing our the smokey element that has a more subtle presence in the Classico. The Illy Intenso Bold Roast has a much deeper taste, ideal for a strong espresso – with a pleasantly robust finish, with warm notes of cocoa and dried fruit.
Illy Whole Bean Decaffeinated Coffee
The blue accented can is Illy’s Decaffeinated Coffee offering at 0.1% caffeine. Made from the same beans as the red Classico and brown Intenso varieties, the decaf option still boasts a great flavour – and as another medium roast blend shares characteristics of the classico beans with a lingering sweetness and delicate notes of caramel, orange blossom and jasmine.
Red, Brown or Blue – whatever you favour, we think you’ll get on with the smoothness of one of the Illy whole bean options. With so many options in terms of how to brew your coffee – be it ground beans, moka pot or filter, Illy can cater for all your coffee dreams!