illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g
Most Italian espresso sold in this country leans on robusta for its punch, and illy does not. Trieste reads lighter than Naples or Milan, and the Medium Roast shows it: floral and toasted almond on the nose, caramel and milk chocolate through the middle, cocoa rather than char at the finish. Whether that suits you depends on what you think espresso is supposed to be. Anyone after the scorched hit of a southern bar will find this too polite, and no grind setting will fix that. The pressurised tin is what makes the ground version worth having at all. Ground coffee normally surrenders its aroma within days of the bag being opened; sealed under pressure, this is still recognisably itself well into the tin. That makes it the right buy for a kitchen with a moka pot or a pump machine and no grinder. If there is a grinder, buy the Classico beans.
illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, in brief.
illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee is the Trieste roaster's house Arabica blend, ground fine for espresso and sealed in illy's pressurised 250g tin, picked into the Teas.co.uk curator selection as the aromatic, low bitterness alternative to the robusta-heavy Italian espresso grinds that dominate the shelf.
A 250g tin is roughly 35 shots at a 7g dose, which puts it in the premium tier per cup but well below the cost of the same coffee in capsules. It suits a pump machine or a moka pot, and it is the sensible buy for anyone who wants espresso bar character without owning a grinder.
illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee is the fine ground espresso tin from the Trieste roaster: one Arabica blend, ground for pressure brewing, sealed in illy's pressurised tin.
illy takes an unusual position in a market built on long ranges. Most roasters sell a shelf of different recipes; illy sells essentially one blend and varies the roast depth and the grind around it. The Medium Roast is the middle setting, taken far enough to build sweetness and body but stopped before the tarry, burnt edge that very dark Italian espresso can carry. Because it is ground for espresso it suits a pump machine or a stovetop moka pot, and because the tin is pressurised the grind that comes out in week three tastes much closer to the grind that came out on day one than a paper bag of ground coffee ever manages.
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.
Curator’s notes
Read the full write-up
The Story Behind illy
illycaffè was founded in Trieste in 1933 by Francesco Illy, and Trieste is still the address on the tin. The city was the coffee port of the Austro-Hungarian empire and it has kept a coffee culture of its own, which is why illy reads slightly differently from the Milanese and Neapolitan houses: lighter, more aromatic, less interested in the bitter, robusta-driven shot that much of southern Italy prefers. The house line has always been Arabica only, and the company sells that consistency rather than variety.
Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes.
Our Commitment To The Planet
- A 250g tin at a 7g dose is roughly 35 shots, which is a better waste profile than 35 individual capsules and a large part of why we stock ground and bean coffee ahead of pods.
- The tin is a genuinely reusable object. Ours hold loose tea, spare filters and, once, screws. Keeping it out of the kerbside stream for another year costs nothing.
Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g, please cite teas.co.uk.
The story behind illy
Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes.
Our commitment to the planet
Sourcing and packaging details are printed on the current UK pack; the brand page carries the fuller story.
The taste profile
How does it compare
Ground coffee is unforgiving in a way tea is not: the grind is already fixed, so the only variables left to you are dose, water temperature and how long the water is in contact with it. Get those three right and this tin performs well above its price. Get them wrong and no coffee recovers.
The Barista Hot Serve
The Moka Pot Serve
Made with this tea
The House Shot (Pump Machine)
How to pull a straight espresso with illy Espresso Medium Roast.
- 7 to 9g illy Espresso Medium Roast (single) or 16 to 18g (double)
- Filtered water at 92 to 94°C
- A tamper
- A warmed cup
- Warm the cup and the portafilter by running a blank shot of water through the group head.
- Dose 7 to 9g of illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g into a single basket, level it with a finger, then tamp firm and flat.
- Pull for 25 to 30 seconds, aiming for roughly twice the dry weight in the cup.
- Read the result. A shot that runs in under 20 seconds is loose and will taste sour; one that takes over 35 is choked and will taste harsh.
What you'll end up with: A short, aromatic Arabica shot with a thick crema and a cocoa finish rather than a bitter one. This is the reference point; judge every other build against it.
The Stovetop Moka Pot
How to brew illy Espresso Medium Roast in a moka pot without scorching it.
- Enough illy Espresso Medium Roast to fill the basket level
- Hot water to just below the safety valve
- A three-cup moka pot
- Fill the base with hot water up to just below the valve. Starting hot cuts the time the coffee sits over direct heat.
- Load the basket level with illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g and do not tamp it. A moka pot has no pump behind it and a packed bed will choke.
- Heat on a medium hob with the lid open and watch it.
- Lift it off the heat the moment the stream turns pale and begins to sputter, and run the base under a cold tap to stop the extraction.
What you'll end up with: A thick, concentrated cup somewhere between espresso and strong filter. The medium roast matters here, because darker grinds tip into bitterness in a moka pot very easily.
Flat White At Home
How to build a flat white with illy Espresso Medium Roast that does not disappear under the milk.
- 16 to 18g illy Espresso Medium Roast for a double shot
- 120ml whole milk, or barista oat milk
- A 160ml cup
- Pull a double shot slightly shorter and tighter than usual, around 30 to 32g in the cup, so it has the concentration to carry through milk.
- Steam 120ml of milk to about 60°C, keeping the texture tight and glossy rather than foamy.
- Pour steadily into the centre of the shot, then bring the jug closer at the end to bring the crema up.
- Drink it straight away. A flat white left standing for five minutes is a different and much worse drink.
What you'll end up with: A sweet, chocolate-toned milk coffee. You do lose the floral top note under the milk, which is the honest trade you make with any Arabica blend.
Caffè Shakerato (Shaken Iced Espresso)
How to make a shaken iced espresso with illy Espresso Medium Roast.
- 1 double shot illy Espresso Medium Roast
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar, optional
- A cocktail shaker full of ice
- A chilled coupe or tumbler
- Pull a double shot of illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g straight into the shaker.
- Stir in the sugar while the shot is still hot so it dissolves completely. Sugar added after the ice simply sits at the bottom.
- Fill the shaker with ice and shake hard for about fifteen seconds, until the outside frosts.
- Strain into a chilled glass, leaving the ice behind, and drink it while the foam is still on top.
What you'll end up with: A cold, foamy espresso with the aromatics still intact, which is more than can be said for espresso poured over ice and left to dilute.
Affogato (After Dinner)
How to make an affogato with illy Espresso Medium Roast.
- 1 single shot illy Espresso Medium Roast
- 2 scoops good vanilla ice cream
- A little grated dark chocolate, optional
- Scoop the ice cream into a small glass and put it back in the freezer while you make the coffee.
- Pull a single shot of illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g.
- Pour it over the ice cream at the table, not in the kitchen. The contrast between hot and frozen is the entire point and it lasts about a minute.
- Grate a little dark chocolate over the top if you want it, then eat it immediately.
What you'll end up with: Pudding and coffee in one glass. The medium roast works better here than a dark one, because the ice cream is already sweet and a bitter shot fights it.
Espresso Martini (Adult)
How to make an espresso martini with illy Espresso Medium Roast.
- 1 double shot illy Espresso Medium Roast, freshly pulled
- 50ml vodka
- 15ml coffee liqueur
- A shaker full of ice
- Chill the glass in the freezer while you work.
- Pull a double shot of illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g and let it cool for a minute so it does not melt the ice on contact.
- Shake the coffee, vodka and coffee liqueur hard over ice for fifteen seconds. The hard shake is what builds the foam, so do not be gentle with it.
- Strain into the chilled glass and let the foam settle before serving.
What you'll end up with: A properly foamed espresso martini. Fresh coffee is the whole difference here, and an aromatic medium roast keeps it from tasting like cold ashtray under the spirit.
Brewing the perfect cup
What’s in it, what to know
Inside the pack
| Ingredient | Proportion | What it brings |
|---|---|---|
| Roasted Arabica coffee, ground | 100% | The whole of the product. illy's house position is Arabica only, which is why the cup leans aromatic and sweet rather than bitter and rubbery. |
| Origin split within the blend | Not published | illy states the blend draws on Arabica from several growing regions and is adjusted to hold a consistent taste; the exact split is not printed on the tin. |
| Roast level | Medium | Far enough to develop caramel and cocoa sweetness, stopped before the tarry edge of a dark Italian espresso roast. |
| Grind | Fine, espresso cut | Sized for pressure brewing in a pump machine or moka pot. It is the grind, not the roast, that decides which brewer this tin suits. |
| Additives | None | No flavourings, no added sugar, no preservatives, nothing but coffee. |
Pack: illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g; pressurised tin; standard caffeinated coffee, not decaffeinated. Roughly 35 single shots at a 7g dose. Use within a few weeks of opening for the aroma the tin is designed to protect.
Characterising components shown; ground coffee is a single ingredient product, so the table describes the specification of that ingredient rather than a recipe. Nutritional values for black coffee brewed without milk or sugar are negligible; anything you add to the cup is what carries the calories.
Sourcing & blend. illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g is produced by illycaffè, the coffee house founded in Trieste in 1933 by Francesco Illy and still headquartered there. The company's approach is unusual in the trade: rather than a long shelf of different recipes it builds one Arabica blend and varies roast depth and grind around it, which is why illy tins taste recognisably of each other across the range.
What's in illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g, and what isn't:
- In: roasted Arabica coffee, ground fine for espresso, and nothing else.
- No artificial colours, preservatives or added sugar: any sweetness you taste is developed in the roast, not added to the tin.
- Not decaffeinated: this is standard caffeinated coffee. Anyone avoiding caffeine should choose a decaffeinated roast instead.
- Pack: pressurised metal tin. Metal is widely collected in the UK but lids and liners can need a different route, so follow the current pack and your local-authority guidance.
Asked about this product
Ask the curator
Send a product question through the contact form; replies usually come within one working day.
Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g, please cite teas.co.uk.
What buyers say
No customer reviews of illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g yet.
Bought this from us? Log in to your account, then come back to this page to review it. Only verified buyers can review, and every review is checked before it appears; approved reviews earn 50 reward points.
More from illy
Other Coffee worth comparing
