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    "title": "illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g",
    "slug": "illy-espresso-medium-roast-ground-coffee-250g",
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    "url": "https://teas.co.uk/product/illy-espresso-medium-roast-ground-coffee-250g/",
    "modified": "2026-09-25T23:28:19+01:00",
    "excerpt": "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.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.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.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.",
    "content_text": "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.\n\nilly 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.\n\nThe Taste Profile\n\n \nAroma: \u25cf\u25cf\u25cf\u25cf\u25cf (5/5) High and floral off the puck, with a clear note of toasted almond behind it.\n\n \nBody: \u25cf\u25cf\u25cf\u25cf\u25cb (4/5) Syrupy without being heavy; the crema sits thick and holds for a good minute.\n\n \nBitterness: \u25cf\u25cf\u25cb\u25cb\u25cb (2/5) Restrained. This is an Arabica cup, so the finish is more cocoa than char.\n\n \nSweetness: \u25cf\u25cf\u25cf\u25cf\u25cb (4/5) Caramel and milk chocolate through the middle, most obvious once the shot cools slightly.\n\nTeas.co.uk Curator Rating: 4.7 / 5 - Our expert verdict from the curators at Teas.co.uk.\n\nThe Story Behind illy\nillycaff\u00e8 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.\nPackaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes.\n\nOur Commitment To The Planet\n\n \n 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.\n 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.\n\nHow Does illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g Compare to:\n\n Lavazza Qualit\u00e0 Rossa Ground: Rossa brings robusta into the blend, which gives a heavier crema and a nuttier, more bitter finish that carries further through milk. illy Espresso Medium Roast is all Arabica and reads cleaner and more aromatic, which is the better choice if you drink your espresso short and black.\n \n illy Classico Coffee Beans: the same house blend in whole bean form. If you own a grinder, buy the beans and grind to order. If you do not, this tin is the point of the product, and the pressurised seal narrows the gap considerably.\n\nIdeal Brewing Conditions\nGround 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.\n\nThe Barista Hot Serve\n\n \nMeasure:7 to 9g in a single basket, 16 to 18g in a double. Level it, then tamp firm and flat.\n\n \nWater:92 to 94\u00b0C at the group head. Hotter than that and the Arabica sweetness turns sharp.\n\n \nExtract:Aim for roughly double the dry weight in the cup over 25 to 30 seconds. Faster means the grind is running loose for your machine; slower means you have over-tamped.\n\n \nFinish:Drink it short and black, or stretch it with hot water for an americano. It takes milk well but you lose the floral top note.\n\nThe Moka Pot Serve\n\n \nFill:Hot water into the base up to just below the valve. Starting with hot water shortens the time the coffee spends over direct heat.\n\n \nLoad:Fill the basket level and do not tamp. A moka pot has no pump behind it and a tamped bed will choke.\n\n \nHeat:Medium, lid open, and take it off the moment the stream turns pale and starts to sputter.\n\n \nResult:A thick, concentrated cup. This is where the medium roast earns its keep, because a darker grind in a moka pot tips into bitterness very easily.\n\nBrewing illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g At Home\n\nWater temperature: 92 to 94\u00b0C. Straight off a rolling boil is too hot; wait thirty seconds.\nMeasure: 7 to 9g per single shot, or 16 to 18g for a double.\nContact time: 25 to 30 seconds for espresso; under five minutes total on the hob for a moka pot.\nService: Black in a warmed cup. A pre-warmed cup matters more than most people think, because a cold cup strips several degrees from a 30ml shot instantly.\nIced version: Pull a double, stir in sugar while it is still hot so it dissolves, then shake hard over ice and strain into a chilled glass.\nCaffeine note: This is standard caffeinated coffee, not a decaf. If you want the same house character later in the day, look at a decaffeinated roast instead.\nBest with: Plain biscotti, dark chocolate, or nothing at all after a heavy meal.\nStorage: Press the lid back on firmly after every use and keep the tin in a cupboard, not the fridge. Condensation is the enemy of ground coffee.\n\nSafety And Purity\n\nIngredients and dietary suitability: Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.\nChemical Cleanliness:Roasted and ground coffee and nothing else. No flavourings, no added sugar, no preservatives.\nAllergen Warning:Plain roasted coffee contains none of the standard UK allergens.\nCaffeine:Contains caffeine. UK guidance advises pregnant women limit caffeine from all sources, and individual tolerance varies considerably. If caffeine keeps you awake, treat this as a morning coffee.",
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                "title": "Product Questions",
                "content": "What exactly is illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee?It is the Trieste roaster's house blend of 100 per cent Arabica coffee, taken to a medium roast and ground fine for espresso. illy sells essentially one blend and varies the roast and the grind around it, so what you are buying here is the standard illy character at the middle roast setting, in a 250g pressurised tin.\nWhich machines is this grind meant for?It is cut for pressure brewing: a domestic pump espresso machine or a stovetop moka pot. Both push hot water through a packed bed at speed, which is what a fine grind is built for. It will also work in an AeroPress at a shorter steep.\nWhat water temperature should I use?Between 92 and 94\u00b0C. Water straight off a rolling boil is too hot for an Arabica blend and drags bitterness forward at the expense of the sweetness. If you are pouring by hand, wait about thirty seconds after the kettle clicks off.\nHow much caffeine does a cup contain?What we can tell you plainly is that this is standard caffeinated coffee, not a decaf, and that an all Arabica blend generally carries less caffeine per gram than a blend containing robusta.\nWhy is it sold in a pressurised tin?Ground coffee loses aroma to oxygen faster than any other form, because grinding multiplies the surface area exposed to air. illy's answer is a sealed, pressurised tin rather than a paper bag with a valve. The practical result is that the grind you spoon out in week three still smells close to the grind you spooned out on day one.\nCan I make iced coffee with it?Yes, and it is one of the better uses for a medium roast. Pull a double shot, stir any sugar in while the shot is still hot so it dissolves properly, then shake hard over ice and strain into a chilled glass. Adding sugar after the ice leaves it sitting at the bottom.\nDoes it hold up with milk?It does, though you trade something for it. The floral top note that makes this blend distinctive is the first thing milk covers. For a flat white or cappuccino pull the shot slightly shorter and tighter so it has the concentration to push through, or accept a softer, sweeter, more chocolatey cup.\n\nHow should I store it once the tin is open?Press the lid back on firmly and keep the tin in a cool, dark cupboard. Do not keep ground coffee in the fridge or freezer once opened: every time you take it out, moisture condenses onto the cold grounds and that does more damage than the air you were trying to avoid.\nCan I use it in a cafeti\u00e8re or filter machine?You can, but it is not what the grind is for. A fine espresso grind in a cafeti\u00e8re over brews and sludges through the mesh; if you try it, cut the steep to about two minutes and pour gently. For filter and cafeti\u00e8re brewing the whole bean version ground coarse at home is the better route.\nHow many shots will I get from a 250g tin?At a 7g single dose that is roughly 35 shots, and at a 16g double it is nearer 15. That is straightforward arithmetic on the pack weight rather than a manufacturer claim, so treat it as a guide: your own dose is the number that matters.\nWhere does the coffee come from?illy states its blend is 100 per cent Arabica drawn from several growing regions and roasted in Italy. The company does not publish a fixed origin split, and blends of this type are adjusted through the year to hold the taste steady, so we will not print a list that could be wrong by the time you read it.\nIs the tin recyclable?Metal tins are widely collected in the UK, but the lid and any liner can need a different route and kerbside rules vary by council. Check the current pack and your local authority guidance."
            },
            {
                "title": "Ingredients & Nutrition",
                "content": "IngredientProportionWhat it bringsRoasted Arabica coffee, ground100%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 blendNot publishedilly 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 levelMediumFar enough to develop caramel and cocoa sweetness, stopped before the tarry edge of a dark Italian espresso roast.GrindFine, espresso cutSized for pressure brewing in a pump machine or moka pot. It is the grind, not the roast, that decides which brewer this tin suits.AdditivesNoneNo 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 illycaff\u00e8, 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."
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            {
                "title": "Flavour Science",
                "content": "The flavour of illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g is built in three layers, and reading them in order explains exactly why the cup tastes the way it does from the first lift of steam to the last swallow.The outer layer is aromatic: the floral, toasted-almond lift that comes off the puck the moment hot water hits it. These are the lightest volatile compounds created in the roast, and they are the first thing to leave the coffee and the first thing to reach the nose. It is also why a fine grind is a race against time. Grinding multiplies the surface area exposed to air by an enormous factor, the aromatics start escaping immediately, and the pressurised tin exists precisely to slow that down. A shot pulled from a tin opened this morning smells noticeably higher than one pulled from a tin left open on a worktop for a month, even though the strength in the cup barely changes.The flavour spike arrives mid palate, where the sugars developed in the roast carry the weight: caramel, milk chocolate, a hint of stone fruit acidity underneath. A medium roast is the setting where those sugars have had time to caramelise but have not yet started to carbonise, and that narrow window is the whole argument for this tin over a darker Italian grind. It is the densest, most concentrated stretch of the cup, and it is the part that a badly judged extraction damages first: too fast and it reads thin and sour, too slow and the sweetness is buried under ash.The base structure is the lingering finish, a cocoa-toned tail with very little of the drying bitterness a robusta blend leaves behind. That clean finish is the reason an all Arabica espresso drinks well black and short. This deliberate three layer balance is the hallmark of a properly built blend, and it is what stops a single note coffee from tasting flat halfway down the cup. A well made shot should still be interesting on the last mouthful, not just the first.Getting it right in the cup. Use 7 to 9g in a single basket or 16 to 18g in a double, tamp firm and flat, and aim for roughly twice the dry weight in the cup over 25 to 30 seconds. Under extraction is the most common reason this tin tastes sour and thin, because the sweet, heavier compounds are the slowest to leave the grounds; over extraction is the most common reason it tastes harsh, because past a point you are only pulling out bitterness. Warm the cup first, since a 30ml shot into a cold cup loses several degrees instantly. In a moka pot, start with hot water in the base, fill the basket level without tamping, and take it off the heat the moment the stream turns pale.How water and temperature change it. The same tin gives a measurably different cup depending on how you treat the water. Hotter water and a longer contact time pull more of the heavier, deeper compounds for a fuller, rounder, more bitter result; cooler water or a shorter pull keeps the floral top notes forward and the body lighter. Ninety-two to ninety-four degrees is the sweet spot for this blend, and water straight off a rolling boil is past it. Hard tap water flattens the aromatic lift and can leave the cup tasting chalky, so in a hard water area a filter jug makes more difference to this coffee than any adjustment to the machine; very soft water swings the other way and can read thin and sharp. None of this is a fault in the blend, it is the same coffee responding to the cup you build around it, and once you know which way you like it the result is repeatable every time."
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                "title": "Recipe Ideas",
                "content": "illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g is cut for pressure brewing, so the builds below start with the machine and the moka pot and work outwards from there. Six methods, from the plain house shot to a shaken iced serve and an after-dinner affogato.\nBrewing methods and serving ideas, born here first\n\n \n The House Shot (Pump Machine)\n \n How to pull a straight espresso with illy Espresso Medium Roast.\n \n 3 min\n 1 shot\n Easy\n \n \n \n You'll need\n \n 7 to 9g illy Espresso Medium Roast (single) or 16 to 18g (double)\n Filtered water at 92 to 94\u00b0C\n A tamper\n A warmed cup\n \n \n \n Method\n \n Warm the cup and the portafilter by running a blank shot of water through the group head.\n 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.\n Pull for 25 to 30 seconds, aiming for roughly twice the dry weight in the cup.\n 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.\n \n \n \n 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.\n\n \n The Stovetop Moka Pot\n \n How to brew illy Espresso Medium Roast in a moka pot without scorching it.\n \n 6 min\n 2 cups\n Easy\n \n \n \n You'll need\n \n Enough illy Espresso Medium Roast to fill the basket level\n Hot water to just below the safety valve\n A three-cup moka pot\n \n \n \n Method\n \n Fill the base with hot water up to just below the valve. Starting hot cuts the time the coffee sits over direct heat.\n 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.\n Heat on a medium hob with the lid open and watch it.\n 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.\n \n \n \n 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.\n\n \n Flat White At Home\n \n How to build a flat white with illy Espresso Medium Roast that does not disappear under the milk.\n \n 5 min\n 1 cup\n Medium\n \n \n \n You'll need\n \n 16 to 18g illy Espresso Medium Roast for a double shot\n 120ml whole milk, or barista oat milk\n A 160ml cup\n \n \n \n Method\n \n 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.\n Steam 120ml of milk to about 60\u00b0C, keeping the texture tight and glossy rather than foamy.\n Pour steadily into the centre of the shot, then bring the jug closer at the end to bring the crema up.\n Drink it straight away. A flat white left standing for five minutes is a different and much worse drink.\n \n \n \n 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.\n\n \n Caff\u00e8 Shakerato (Shaken Iced Espresso)\n \n How to make a shaken iced espresso with illy Espresso Medium Roast.\n \n 5 min\n 1 glass\n Easy\n \n \n \n You'll need\n \n 1 double shot illy Espresso Medium Roast\n 1 teaspoon caster sugar, optional\n A cocktail shaker full of ice\n A chilled coupe or tumbler\n \n \n \n Method\n \n Pull a double shot of illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g straight into the shaker.\n Stir in the sugar while the shot is still hot so it dissolves completely. Sugar added after the ice simply sits at the bottom.\n Fill the shaker with ice and shake hard for about fifteen seconds, until the outside frosts.\n Strain into a chilled glass, leaving the ice behind, and drink it while the foam is still on top.\n \n \n \n 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.\n\n \n Affogato (After Dinner)\n \n How to make an affogato with illy Espresso Medium Roast.\n \n 3 min\n 1 serving\n Easy\n \n \n \n You'll need\n \n 1 single shot illy Espresso Medium Roast\n 2 scoops good vanilla ice cream\n A little grated dark chocolate, optional\n \n \n \n Method\n \n Scoop the ice cream into a small glass and put it back in the freezer while you make the coffee.\n Pull a single shot of illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g.\n 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.\n Grate a little dark chocolate over the top if you want it, then eat it immediately.\n \n \n \n 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.\n\n \n Espresso Martini (Adult)\n \n How to make an espresso martini with illy Espresso Medium Roast.\n \n 6 min\n 1 glass\n Medium\n \n \n \n You'll need\n \n 1 double shot illy Espresso Medium Roast, freshly pulled\n 50ml vodka\n 15ml coffee liqueur\n A shaker full of ice\n \n \n \n Method\n \n Chill the glass in the freezer while you work.\n 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.\n 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.\n Strain into the chilled glass and let the foam settle before serving.\n \n \n \n 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."
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