Illy ESE Coffee Pods (Easy Serve Espresso)

Product Name	Illy Classico ESE Pods
Brand	Illy
Product Origin	Italy
Coffee Beans	100% Arabica
Roast Level	Four options: medium roast, dark roast, bold, and decaf
Flavour Name	Four names for flavors: medium roast, dark roast, bold, and decaf
Caffeine Content	Caffeinated
Biodegradable	Yes
Recyclable	Yes
Vegetarian	Yes
Customer Reviews	2619
Customer Rating	93.14 out of 100
Service Rating	9.6
Easy to Use Rating	9.0
Freshness Rating	9.1
Aroma Rating	9.3
Flavour & Taste Rating	9.0
Strength Rating	9.3
Value for Money Rating	9.9
Price	Click to Check Price

Our illy ESE (Easy Serve Espresso) espresso pods

Before writing this review, I have written an article on Best ESE Pods and Which Espresso Machines to Use Them With. But my readers repeatedly emailed me asking me to write a review of Illy ESE coffee pods, so I needed to write this review.

Illy uses state-of-the-art technology to deliver high-quality ESE pods and gives you a perfect cup of coffee.

If you live in the UK or the US, you should keep in mind that these pre-ground, pre-packed, vacuum-packed ESE coffee pods that were roasted thousands of miles away, maybe some months ago, sound great.

Illi uses a gas flush system for all its ESE pods. Oxygen is expelled from the pod and replaced with nitrogen which does not react with coffee. Therefore, the ESE pods are not quite stale.

You may need to buy these Illy espresso pods for a few reasons.

Either you are too lazy to buy freshly roasted coffee beans, grind and prepare them, and want the best espresso cup from your coffee machine with minimal effort, mess and hassle.

Or you have to get out of your office in a hurry, or you have to deliver coffee to your spouse to their bed early in the morning, and you are drowsy. And because of drowsiness, you don’t feel like grinding beans and working on your coffee machine. So you quickly take Illy’s ESE pods out of the closet and place your pods in the portafilter of your machine and press the button. Just in thirty seconds, your espresso is in your hands. Both you and your spouse are happy!

Or there is a third case where you may need Illy ESE espresso pods. That is, you are eager to grind coffee beans yourself to make espresso with your bean to cup coffee machine, but your coffee beans run out. And you’re so busy that you don’t have time to buy coffee beans at the local market or online. In that case, you can use Italy’s ESE pods as a backup to make espresso.

But in this case, you have to maintain two espresso-making machines, one bean to cup coffee machine and the other ESE pod compatible machine. But your kitchen may not have enough space to hold two machines. In this case, you need to buy a coffee machine with a double function, a coffee machine that can use open coffee grounds, and is also compatible with ESE pods.

Use Them Occasionally

If you are a lover of grinding your coffee beans by yourself and have a bean-to-cup coffee machine, use these Illy’s ESE pods only occasionally when you are in a hurry. So hopefully, you’ll not have any complaints from them, nor will they cause any real damage. They’ll pretty much do what you can except.

Choose a Right Coffee Machine

If you don’t have an ESE pod compatible coffee machine, please don’t decide to try the pods by Illy. Nor try these pods on the coffee machines that only work with ground coffee. If you try these pods with such a coffee machine that is not compatible with ESE pods, you’ll make a big mistake. These coffee machines only allow some water to drip thru, and mostly they fail with Illy’s pods. So must buy an ESE pod compatible machine before trying these ESE pods.

Check Best Buy Date

Always check Illy’s Best Buy Date before buying. Otherwise, you may buy pods that have only two months to go before the Best By date expires, and you have to finish these pods within two months.

Easy to Use and Nice Cleanup

Ease of use/convenience would be a big reason that you would repurchase these pods. You can use these pods in your espresso machine instead of tamping out espresso. The process is quick, and the pods are easy to use. Moreover, they’re incredibly smooth.

If you have a DeLonghi machine that is “ESE” compatible, so you would see it’s easy to use. Run a little water through, place the Illy’s ESE pod inside, and go.

The cleanup is even better; throw the pod out, no hassle and no mess.

Strength and taste

If you’ve moved from a bean-to-cup coffee machine to Illy’s ESE pods, it doesn’t even taste as strong as a regular coffee. Probably you may feel like you’re drinking iced tea. Right! The solution is to use two pods of Illy for a strong espresso drink. It may cost you more, but it will give you a strong espresso as you prepare with a bean to cup coffee machine using ground coffee beans.

Froth 

If you use Illy’s ESE pods with a high-pressure compatible coffee machine, you’ll always find the perfect froth and exact taste.

Nice Foam

If you require a great foam by Illy’s ESE pods, you’ll need a high-pressure espresso coffee machine. This kind of machine will give you a nice foam at the end to top off your shot of espresso! In addition, the taste will be smooth and flavorful!

Medium Roast

It is a classic Northern Italian / Veneto style Medium Roast blend that doesn’t taste like charcoal but tastes like a decent advanced coffee. Surprisingly, it throws a beautiful and decent crema.

This Illy product is a good medium roast espresso shot. With good taste and body. Although it doesn’t have much flavor or strength, it’s still good. I think it’s a big deal for the cost and convenience of not having to clean the filter or drive anywhere to get a good cup of espresso.

Dark Roast

Dark roasts are good and the best, but they are also a bit more expensive than Illy’s other products. And I think it tastes better than Starbucks — less ‘burnt’ flavor. Probably their ‘red stripe’ indicates that they are darker than medium roast. But they are not as dark as required for a traditional espresso. 

So expect them to taste as near the traditional Italian flavor for this roast and is suitable.

Bold

An incredible coffee scent, great taste, and beautiful foam! It is the best “coffee drink.” Less than a dollar for a pod and excellent flavor. Whether you’re an aficionado or novice espresso coffee drinker, you’ll appreciate this great flavor. It is one of the best and most famous cafes in Italy.

Decaf

You may love this Decaf blend if you are very sensitive to caffeine and if it is soI choose the decaf version for yourself. The taste of this blend is delicate, and you don’t need to add sugar or maybe just 1/2 teaspoon. And the smell is not too strong. This blend is a bit expensive, but it’s worth it. You can make a macchiato or a cappuccino by adding a little milk to it.

Illy Decaf Classico ESE Pods 

Final Thoughts

Although they cost more than other coffee pods, Illy’s pods are permanently highly rated because they are the creators of ESE pods. If you compare all of Illy’s products, Illy Classico is the most liked product. You can also try it.

If you’re a newcomer in the ESE coffee pod world, watch this video. You’ll be a master using ESE pods.