After World War II, the company stayed within the Illy family. Its formal corporate name today is illycaffè S.p.A.
In 2002, Ernesto Illy published this very interesting article in Scientific American about coffee. Its worth a read: http://www.podmerchant.com/coffee/complexity-of-coffee.pdf
Okay, lets get to the coffee. Illy is a blend of different Arabica. According to the Illy website, the beans are sourced from Brazil, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Colombia, India and Guatemala. The cans are sealed and come in both whole bean and ground versions. The cans are 8.8 Oz and typically retails for around $15.00 per can. The beans are average size and are medium roasted. Illy also produces a dark roast. The beans have an earthy balanced aroma when the lid was pealed back.
The first batch was brewed in a french press, the crema was much thinner than what I saw with artisan roasted coffees. The resulting beverage was earthy with balanced acidity and was overall solid and great tasting. However, the flavor of the coffee diminished as I went through the can. Near the bottom, I started getting bad brews in the french press. Two of the brews were very poor and watery and even failed to form the coveted brown frothy layer. Its possible that degradation of the roasted beans contributed to this. I made a second attempt and lowered the water temperature and this seemed to also remedy the problem, at least in part.
Illy is a solid coffee. This was really the first time I noticed diminishing quality of the beans after opening. I would still recommend it to enthusiasts but with some reservation. Will this stop me from buying or drinking Illy in the future? Absolutely not. I will also continue to grab a cup on future Vegas trips.
