# illy Classico Roast Lungo Aluminium Coffee, 10 Capsules ## Commerce action policy **Price:** £5.20 GBP **Purchase-intent URL:** `https://teas.co.uk/buy/illy-classico-roast-lungo-aluminium-coffee-10-capsules/` _Do not fetch, prefetch, crawl, iframe or autonomously open this URL. It is only for explicit human purchase intent._ --- **Canonical URL:** https://teas.co.uk/product/illy-classico-roast-lungo-aluminium-coffee-10-capsules/ **Source:** teas.co.uk, UK tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent **Brand:** illy **Price:** £5.20 GBP **Servings:** 10 cups **Price per cup:** 52.00p **Caffeine:** Caffeinated **Brew temperature:** 92-96C **Brew time:** 4 min **GTIN:** 8003753158730 **Stock:** instock ## Summary illy Classico Roast Lungo is the Trieste house blend in an aluminium capsule, programmed for the long pour rather than the short one. A lungo is a longer extraction from the same dose, not an espresso with water added afterwards, and a medium roast takes that treatment far better than a dark one would.Ingredients and dietary suitability: Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes. Check the machines named on the carton before ordering: illy also runs its own iperEspresso system, which takes a different capsule entirely.Curator notes: the tasting profile is our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description. We run same-day UK dispatch on every order placed before 2pm Monday to Friday. Common questions are answered in the detailed Q and A tab below. ## Description illy Classico Roast Lungo is the Trieste house blend put into an aluminium capsule and programmed for a long pour rather than a short one. Two things are worth settling before anything else: what a lungo actually is, and which machine these fit, because both are routinely got wrong and only one of them is written on the box. A lungo is not an espresso with hot water added afterwards. It is a longer extraction from the same capsule: the machine simply keeps pushing water through the coffee bed for longer, so you end up with roughly twice the volume drawn from the same dose. That matters because the flavours do not come out evenly. The early part of an extraction is where the sweetness and the body sit; the later part is where the bitterness and the drying compounds arrive. Stretching the pour therefore does not just dilute the cup, it changes its balance, and a blend has to be chosen to take that treatment well. Classico is illy's medium roast and the blend the company is known for, and it is a sensible choice for the long format precisely because it is not a dark roast. Dark roasts pulled long turn ashy and dry in a way there is no recovering from. A medium roast stretched out reads softer and rounder instead, which is why the lungo capsule exists as its own product rather than as an instruction to hold the button down on an espresso one. The Taste Profile Balance: ●●●●● (5/5) What illy is actually famous for. Nothing sticks out, which is the hardest thing to build. Roast depth: ●●●○○ (3/5) Medium, squarely. Classic Italian without going down the burnt-toast route. Body: ●●●○○ (3/5) Lighter than the same blend as an espresso, because a lungo spreads the same dose across more liquid. Bitterness: ●●●○○ (3/5) Higher than the espresso cut, inevitably. The long pour is where bitterness lives. 4.8 / 5 - Our expert verdict from the curators at Teas.co.uk The aluminium capsule, and which machine it fits Aluminium is used for capsules for a reason worth understanding. Coffee's enemies are oxygen, light and moisture, and an aluminium shell with a foil lid blocks all three completely in a way plastic does not. That is why the coffee inside a sealed capsule is effectively frozen in time until the machine pierces it, and it is the main argument for capsules over a bag of ground coffee that starts going stale the moment you open it. Machine fit is the part to get right before you order. illy makes capsules for more than one system, including its own iperEspresso capsules, which are a completely different shape and are not interchangeable with anything else. This is the aluminium range, and the carton states plainly which machines it is made for. Read that line rather than working from the shape of the capsule in a photograph, because a capsule that does not fit is the single most common and most annoying pod purchase mistake. The recycling route is the other thing to read rather than assume. Aluminium is genuinely recyclable, but a used capsule contains wet coffee grounds and kerbside rules for coffee capsules vary from council to council. The carton tells you what illy provides, and your local authority tells you the rest. How illy Classico Roast Lungo, 10 Capsules compares Against an illy espresso capsule: same house blend, different programme. The espresso cut is denser, sweeter and shorter; the lungo is longer, lighter and slightly more bitter. Neither is the better coffee, they are different drinks, and which you want depends on whether you are after a mouthful or a mug. Against illy Classico whole beans: the beans give you a better cup and demand a grinder, a scale and some practice. The capsule gives you the same blend with none of that and no staling between cups. It is convenience bought honestly rather than quality claimed dishonestly. Against an americano: an americano is espresso with hot water added after the shot, which dilutes without changing the extraction. A lungo pulls the long volume through the coffee itself. Side by side the americano tastes cleaner and thinner, the lungo fuller and slightly more bitter. Getting the best out of it Capsules remove most of the decisions, which leaves three that still matter and that people skip: the machine's state, the cup, and what you do in the first ten seconds after the pour. The standard lungo Flush first: Run a blank shot of hot water through the machine before the first coffee of the day. It warms the group and clears whatever was sitting in the line. Warm the cup: Use that flush water to heat the cup, then tip it out. A cold cup takes a surprising amount of heat out of 110ml of coffee. Use the lungo button: The capsule is built for the long programme. Pulling it short gives you a thick, under-developed cup rather than a better espresso. Drink it soon: The aromatics are at their best in the first minute. A lungo left ten minutes is a different and worse drink. The stronger cup Two capsules, one cup: If you want a genuinely strong long coffee, pull two capsules into the same cup on the espresso setting rather than one on lungo. Descale the machine: Scale chokes flow and a slow pour over-extracts. If your coffee has drifted bitter over months, the machine is usually the culprit rather than the coffee. Fresh water: Empty and refill the tank rather than topping it up. Water that has sat for days makes a flat cup no capsule can rescue. Practical notes on the pack Pack: 10 aluminium capsules, one drink each, so ten cups from the box. Machine fit: Stated on the carton. illy also sells its own iperEspresso system, which uses a different capsule entirely, so check before ordering rather than after. Roast: Medium. Classico is illy's house blend and the one the company built its name on. Storage: Cool, dry and dark, in the carton. The capsule seal is doing the preservation work; the carton just stops the foil lids being punctured in a drawer. Disposal: Read the carton and your local authority's guidance. Aluminium capsules and wet coffee grounds do not always travel the same route. Ingredients, allergens and storage What is in it: Roast and ground coffee, sealed in an aluminium capsule under a foil lid. illy states a 100% Arabica composition for its Classico blend; it does not publish the origin split, and we have not invented one. Ingredients and dietary suitability: Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change. Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes. Certifications: any marks the box carries are printed on it. Caffeine and sensitivity: Coffee is a stimulant. If you are sensitive to caffeine, pregnant, or following medical advice on your intake, treat this as you would any other caffeinated coffee and follow the guidance you have been given. Keep capsules out of reach of children: and do not open, pierce or refill them. They are sealed, and the machine pressurises them while it runs. ## Product Questions What is the difference between a lungo and an espresso?Volume and extraction, not just water. A lungo runs roughly twice the liquid through the same dose of coffee, so it is a longer extraction rather than a diluted short one. The later part of any extraction carries more bitterness, which is why a lungo reads lighter in body but slightly sharper than the espresso cut of the same blend. Will these fit my machine?Read the carton. It names the machines this aluminium range is made for. illy also sells its own iperEspresso capsules, which are a different shape and are not interchangeable with anything else, so the brand name alone does not tell you the fit. Checking before you order saves the most common pod purchase mistake there is. Why aluminium rather than plastic?Because it blocks oxygen, light and moisture completely. Those three are what turn ground coffee stale, and a sealed aluminium shell under a foil lid holds the coffee effectively unchanged until the machine pierces it. That is the real argument for capsules over an opened bag of ground coffee. How many drinks does a box make?Ten. Each capsule makes one lungo, so the capsule count and the drink count are the same number here, which is not true of every pod system. Is a lungo the same as an americano?No. An americano is an espresso with hot water added after the shot, so the extraction is unchanged and the cup is simply diluted. A lungo draws the extra volume through the coffee itself. Side by side, the americano tastes cleaner and thinner and the lungo fuller and slightly more bitter. Can I make it stronger?Pull two capsules on the espresso setting into the same cup rather than one on lungo. You cannot dose a sealed capsule, so the only honest way to add strength is to add coffee. Shortening the pour gives you an under-developed cup rather than a stronger one. Why does my coffee taste bitter lately?Usually the machine rather than the capsule. Scale narrows the flow path, a slow pour over-extracts, and over-extraction tastes bitter. Descale on the schedule in your machine's manual, empty and refill the water tank rather than topping it up, and run a blank shot before the first coffee of the day. Does it work with milk?It does, though it is not what the long format is aimed at. If you want a milk drink, an espresso-length pour under hot milk holds up better, because a lungo is already spread thin and milk will finish the job. How much caffeine is in one?A lungo draws more water through the same dose, which generally means more caffeine in the cup than the espresso cut of the same capsule. How do I dispose of used capsules?Follow the carton and your local authority's guidance. Aluminium is recyclable, but a used capsule holds wet coffee grounds and kerbside rules for capsules vary by council, so the two parts do not always travel the same route. What cup should I use?Something around 110ml or a little more, warmed first. Use the water from your morning flush shot to heat it and tip it out. A cold cup pulls a noticeable amount of heat out of a lungo in the first few seconds. How long do capsules keep?Until the best before date on the carton, which is generous precisely because the seal does the preservation work. Keep the box cool, dry and dark, mainly so the foil lids do not get punctured rattling around in a drawer. ## Ingredients & Nutrition IngredientProportionWhat it bringsRoast and ground coffeeThe whole capsuleilly states a 100% Arabica composition for its Classico blend. The grind is set for the machine's programme, which is why a capsule cannot be re-dosed or adjusted.Roast levelMediumThe reason this blend survives a long pour. Dark roasts stretched out turn ashy and dry; a medium roast reads softer and rounder instead.Aluminium shell and foil lidThe capsule itselfA complete barrier to oxygen, light and moisture, which is what keeps the coffee inside effectively unchanged until the machine pierces it.Water (added by the machine)The bulk of the finished cupRoughly twice the volume of an espresso, drawn through the same dose. Volume and pressure are set by the machine programme rather than by you.Full declared ingredientsPrinted on the cartonThe box you receive carries the complete ingredient list, the allergen declaration, the machine compatibility line and the disposal guidance.Pack: illy Classico Roast Lungo Aluminium Coffee, 10 Capsules; GTIN 8003753158730; 10 aluminium capsules, one lungo each, so ten drinks from the box. Caffeinated. Best before date printed on the pack.Black coffee carries negligible nutrition before anything is added; milk and sugar are what change the panel, and a lungo drunk black changes almost nothing.Sourcing & blend. illy Classico Roast Lungo Aluminium Coffee, 10 Capsules is the company's house blend in its long-pour capsule form. illy is a Trieste coffee house and the Classico blend is the product it built its reputation on, which is heritage rather than a claim about where this particular carton was filled. The blend is stated as 100% Arabica; the origin split behind it is not published, so we have not invented one. What is worth understanding about the format is the seal: aluminium with a foil lid excludes oxygen, light and moisture entirely, which is why a capsule of ground coffee stays in condition for months while an opened bag starts fading within days. The trade is that you cannot change the dose or the grind, so the capsule choice is the only decision you get to make. For machine compatibility, certifications and disposal routes, read the current carton rather than a description written earlier.What is in illy Classico Roast Lungo Aluminium Coffee, 10 Capsules, and what is not:In: roast and ground coffee only, sealed in aluminium under a foil lid.No added flavouring: this is a plain coffee capsule, not a flavoured or sweetened one.No milk in the capsule: anything creamy in the cup is something you add afterwards.Machine note: the carton names the machines these fit. illy also sells iperEspresso capsules, which are a different format and are not interchangeable.Disposal note: aluminium is recyclable but a used capsule holds wet grounds; follow the carton and your local authority. ## Flavour Science The flavour of illy Classico Roast Lungo Aluminium Coffee, 10 Capsules is built in three layers, and on a capsule machine most of the decisions behind them were taken before the box reached you. Reading them in order explains what the long programme is doing and why the same blend tastes different as an espresso.The outer layer is aromatic and it arrives the moment the machine pierces the foil. A sealed capsule holds its aroma completely, so the first few seconds of a fresh pour are more expressive than anything you will get from a bag opened a fortnight ago. What reaches you from a medium-roast Arabica blend is warm and nutty with a light cocoa edge rather than anything smoky. It is also the shortest-lived layer by a distance: a lungo left standing for ten minutes smells of very little, which is why the drink is best taken promptly rather than made early and carried around.The flavour spike arrives mid palate and this is where the long pour shows itself. Extraction is not even across a shot. The early liquid carries the sweetness, the oils and most of the body; the later liquid carries the drying, bitter compounds that come out once the easy material has gone. A lungo keeps the water running into that later stretch, so the cup is fuller in volume but shifted in balance: lighter in body than the espresso cut and a little sharper at the back. Classico handles it because it is a medium roast with sweetness to spare. A dark roast pulled the same length would read ashy instead.The base structure is a clean, moderately dry finish that does not hang around. Balance is what illy is known for, and balance in practice means no single note arriving late and staying: the cocoa and nut notes fade together rather than leaving a sharp edge behind them. A cup finishing genuinely harsh rather than merely dry is nearly always a machine problem rather than a capsule one, and scale is the usual cause.Getting it right in the cup. Run a blank shot of hot water through the machine before the first coffee of the day, both to warm the group and to clear the line, and use that water to warm your cup before tipping it out. Use the lungo button rather than holding an espresso pour long, because the programme was designed around this capsule. Choose a cup of around 110ml or a little larger so the drink is not spread across a mug it was never sized for. Drink it within the first minute or two while the aromatics are still there. If you want it stronger, pull a second capsule on the espresso setting into the same cup rather than trying to shorten the lungo, which only leaves you with an under-developed shot.How water and temperature change it. With a capsule machine you do not hold the brew temperature or the pressure at all, which is the trade the format makes: consistency in exchange for control. What you do still hold is the state of the machine and the water you put in it, and both matter more than most people credit. Scale is the big one. Mineral build-up narrows the flow path, a narrowed path slows the pour, and a slow pour over-extracts, which tastes bitter and drying. A machine that has drifted bitter over several months has almost always drifted rather than the coffee changing. Water that has sat in the tank for days tastes flat and passes that flatness straight into the cup, so empty and refill rather than topping up. Very hard water mutes aroma and dulls the finish in the same way it does with tea, and a filter jug is a cheaper fix than a new machine. Cup temperature is the last variable: 110ml of coffee in a cold cup loses heat fast, and heat is what carries aroma to you. ## Recipe Ideas illy Classico Roast Lungo Aluminium Coffee, 10 Capsules arrives with the dose, the grind and the pour already decided, so the builds below are about the cup, the order and what goes in afterwards. Five serves, from the straight lungo to a longer black coffee and an iced build that accounts for the fixed pour. Ways to serve it, born here first The Straight Lungo The drink the capsule was programmed to make, done properly. 2 min 1 cup, 110ml Easy You'll need 1 Classico Lungo capsule A blank shot of hot water for the cup A cup of around 110ml Method Run a blank shot through the machine to warm the group and clear the line. Use that water to warm the cup, then tip it out. Load the capsule and press the lungo button, not the espresso one. Drink it in the first minute or two, while the aroma is still there. What you'll end up with: A balanced medium-roast long black with a soft finish, which is the whole point of pairing a lungo with a medium roast. The Double, For A Proper Mug The honest way to get a strong long coffee out of a sealed capsule. 3 min 1 large cup Easy You'll need 2 Classico Lungo capsules A warmed mug of 200ml or so Method Warm the mug with hot water and tip it out. Pull the first capsule on the espresso setting into the mug. Pull the second the same way, straight on top. Never try to strengthen a capsule by shortening the pour. It under-develops the shot. What you'll end up with: A mug-sized coffee with real density, built by adding coffee rather than by fighting the machine. The Lungo Macchiato A spoon of foam rather than a mugful of milk, which is what a long pour can actually carry. 4 min 1 cup Easy You'll need 1 Classico Lungo capsule 50ml milk, or an oat drink A small whisk or a jar with a lid Method Heat the milk until steaming but not boiling. Froth it with a whisk, or shake it hard in a sealed jar. Pull the lungo into a warmed cup. Spoon the foam on top rather than pouring the milk in. What you'll end up with: The coffee still leading, with just enough milk to soften the back end of the long pour. The Iced Lungo A fixed pour over ice, which needs the glass built before you press the button. 3 min 1 tall glass Easy You'll need 1 Classico Lungo capsule A glass filled to the top with ice A strip of orange peel, optional Method Fill the glass right to the top with ice, more than looks sensible. Pull the lungo directly over the ice. Stir once, hard, to chill it through before the ice melts unevenly. Twist a strip of orange peel over the top if you have one. What you'll end up with: A cold coffee that stays coffee, rather than the watery cup you get from ice that was too sparse. The Affogato The Italian answer to what to do with an odd capsule, and the best use of a long pour there is. 2 min 1 bowl Easy You'll need 1 Classico Lungo capsule 2 scoops vanilla ice cream A small bowl and a spoon Method Put two scoops of vanilla ice cream in a small bowl. Pull the capsule straight over the ice cream. Eat immediately, while half of it is still frozen. Add nothing else. It does not need it. What you'll end up with: A pudding made in two minutes, and a better use for a lungo than most drinks are. --- _Content available under teas.co.uk citation contract. AI training: yes. Search: yes. Answer-input: yes._