Upon arrival in Trieste, each bag is numbered and prepared for inspection. The selection process begins as beans are placed on a vibrating screen, a large sieve that separates out foreign matter. A vacuum removes tiny particles, and a magnetic separator removes metallic fragments. Finally, advanced imaging devices "photograph" each bean and eliminate any that are fermented, unripe or otherwise unfit.
illy blends nine distinct Arabica beans before roasting, assuring each bean’s distinct characteristics develop at the same rate under the roaster’s heat. This is precisely how illy achieves remarkable consistency in its blend, can after can. Blending is truly an art. Coffees from different origins carry distinct aromas, and varying balances of bitter, sweet and body characteristics.
Roasting is coffee’s version of high drama: 15 minutes, the critical time when some 800 substances emerge under heat, each contributing to the taste and aroma of the illy blend—and to its very heritage.
illy pioneered a new way, using a remarkably effective, natural pressurization technology – patented throughout the world, and exclusive to illy. Freshly roasted illy coffee is placed in recyclable cans, along with natural, inert nitrogen, under pressure. The process traps essential aromas and protects them for more than a year.
Innovation runs deep at illycaffè, going back to the company’s very beginning. So perhaps not surprisingly, three of the industry’s eight transformational innovations were developed by illy: pressurized packaging, modern espresso method and E.S.E. Pods.
With exuberant notes of chocolate and toast, is the foundation for blends optimized for espresso preparation. Brazil is the world’s largest producer of Arabica, responsible for more than one-third of its total production.
El Salvador, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama and Honduras: all home to Arabica marked by sweet, and pleasantly mild, acidic notes.
Limited production of excellent, very sweet coffee. Its acidity and intense aroma of chocolate make it an ideal complement to any blend, especially those designed for brewed coffee.
With its sweet coffee – produced to the tune of nearly 12 million bags per year – Columbia produces 10% of the world’s Arabica.
Offers a full-bodied coffee, with the right touch of bitterness and a delightfully spicy aroma.
Coffee’s ancestral home, offering the world’s best washed Arabica, alive with notes of jasmine and citrus.
Produces a relatively small volume of good, aromatic coffee thanks to the country’s mild climate.
EUROPE