Illy iperEspresso 21ct Capsules

Love this coffee, great taste!

This is a warning: A love for good espresso is an expensive habit!!! I've been making my own espresso at home for 20 years. Every morning I would grind the beans, measure and tamp them into the filter, add water, steam my milk, and then wash the entire machine and repeat. I have to wake up early because this is a time consuming process. I've tried other pod machines, and they just don't make a good cup of espresso. I recently began using the illy Francis Francis Y1 with iperEspresso capsules, and the result is better than my manual method, and takes a little over a minute a cup. Generally, I take my cappuccino cup and heat an ounce of milk in the microwave for 30 seconds, use a hand frother for just a few seconds, press the button on the Y1, and in about 20 seconds it brews a 1 or 2 ounce shot of perfect espresso (you have to depress the button when you think it is finished - there is no auto shutoff). Wham, bam, done! As far as I know, the iperEspresso system is the only "pod" that comes close to a real cup of espresso with crema. And this crema is really a thing of beauty. If you don't know what I'm talking about, try it once and you'll understand. As someone who likes strong coffee, the dark roast is almost not strong enough, but the flavor is so well balanced. It's the perfect blend of bitter and sweet with a body worth savoring. This isn't cheap, and it's more wasteful than grinding your own beans. So take that into consideration. But, I've only had espresso this good in Italy. Constant trips to Italy would be very wasteful and expensive, so that's my barely rational justification. I'd also like to share that the Y1 seems to be the most affordable offering in illy's line of iperEspresso systems. It retails for $295, but illy offers a promotion where you can buy the Y1 for $125 when you order a minimum of 2 canisters (21 count) through illy's website (illyusa.com). There are no other requirements to fulfill. So the machine and the coffee adds up to less than the cost of the machine itself. I took advantage of this deal and I couldn't be happier. This coffee will put a new spin on your day. Not to sound too cheesy, but I can't wait to wake up each morning and enjoy my first cup.

Lily Sumatra is an excellent coffee , ground to the precise needs for a good espresso coffee. The price point is a bit high but it is to be expected with a high quality coffee . I try to always buy the largest quantity possible as the price decreases with the increased number. The taste is deep, and mellow with no bitterness.

Delicious

Love this brand

The can arrived with no lid. Since it’s supposed to be sealed under pressure, the coffee lost all its freshness and flavor. Definitely not what I expected and could not returned it since the only option was to drop off at Whole Foods and I don't have time to do that. Money wasted.

Shouldn’t this have a lid to keep the pods fresh? I was looking at the can and it seems like it had the metal cover but this one doesn’t. This is how it came out of the package and when I opened it, it can’t be sealed again. Weird

Everyone complaining about the price should really take a walk to a coffee store or caffe. Coffee has risen in price the past couple years. Add to that the euro and you'll know why these capsules are more money. BTW, currently Amazon has a 6 pack of canes for 89.99. That's free shipping and comes out to $14.99 which is what the cans costed when they initially rolled out the iperEspresso system. I have been using the black can for some time now. Do not even consider buying the red, medium, roast. This dark roast is exactly what espresso should be like, dark and bold and delicious. The crema produced from this coffee is very very good. sugar will sometimes just sit on the top, as a proper espresso should. My review is for the black top can, which is my favorite one. I have also tried the red, blue and green. I've already given my impression on the red, it's so-so. The blue top can is for luongo(long) shots. These are excellent for making an Americano. Use two of these pods plus very hot water(6-8ozs) and you'll have an absolutely delicious Americano coffee. The green top cans are decaf and I am not a big fan of decaf but they are decent. I always have a can around for when guests like to have a decaf espresso. So each espresso will cost you 95 cents. While that is a pretty hefty price, you are getting caffe quality espresso, which would run you about $2 in any coffee shop. It's a lifestyle choice, you could always get a stove top macchinetta from Bialetti and make espresso that way but you will never ever achieve the quality and crema like these illy capsules produce. Enjoy your coffee everyone!