illy Classico Lungo Capsules: What a Lungo Is and Which Machine

A lungo is not an espresso topped up with hot water; it is a longer extraction through the same coffee. That changes the balance of the cup, which is why illy makes a dedicated lungo capsule rather than telling you to hold the button down.

How a long pour changes the cup

Extraction is not even from start to finish. The first part of a shot carries most of the sweetness, oils and body; the later part brings bitterness and drying compounds. A lungo draws about double the volume from one capsule, so it comes out lighter-bodied and a little more bitter than the same coffee pulled short. An americano is a different drink again: the shot is pulled at normal length and hot water goes in afterwards, so nothing about the extraction changes.

That is why the blend matters. Stretch a dark roast this far and it goes ashy, whereas a medium roast given the same treatment turns softer and rounder. Classico is the medium roast in illy's range, and the same nine-Arabica blend turns up across the range in beans, ground tins and instant. Poured long, it is gentle and nutty and evenly balanced, with a light crema rather than a thick one.

Check the machine first

The capsule is made for Nespresso Original machines. A Vertuo machine will not take it, and illy lists a few Original models it does not suit, so check the carton against the machine on your counter before ordering. The brand name alone is no guide, either: illy's own iperEspresso system uses a capsule of its own shape that will not go into a Nespresso machine at all.

Aluminium is used because it keeps out oxygen, light and moisture, the three things that stale ground coffee. Sealed under a foil lid, nothing reaches the coffee until the machine punctures the lid, which is the real case for a capsule over a bag of ground coffee opened a fortnight ago. The arithmetic is simple, too. One capsule makes one lungo, so a box of ten gives you ten drinks.

Serving it well

Drink it promptly. Most of the pleasure of this coffee is aroma, and a sealed capsule delivers it at full strength in the first moments of the pour; ten minutes later, cooling beside a keyboard, the cup has given most of it up. Warm the cup before you brew so the drink holds its heat for the few minutes it deserves. Black, after lunch, is how we would take it.

Classico is the only illy capsule we stock. That is the catch with a one-blend company: if this cup is not for you, there is no bolder or livelier capsule to try next, just the same coffee in a different format. For home espresso or a cafetière, the Classico beans and the Espresso Medium and Dark Roast ground tins carry the same blend, and illy Instant Coffee Smooth Taste covers a kitchen with only a kettle.

The packs we stock

• illy Classico Roast Lungo Aluminium Coffee, 10 Capsules (barcode 8003753158730)

What to eat with it

• Maryland Cookies Double Chocolate, 200g: Double chocolate gives a mild, nutty lungo a richer partner after lunch.
• McVitie's Hobnobs Milk Choc Jumbo Pack Biscuits, 431g: A jumbo pack for the office capsule machine, with milk chocolate to round off a level, medium-roast cup.
• Border Dark Chocolate Ginger Organic Biscuits, 150g: Bitter dark chocolate with a ginger kick can take on the extra bitterness a long pour brings.
• Maryland Minis Cookies - Choc Chip 6 Mini Bags, 118.8g: Small bags suit a capsule coffee at the desk, one bag per cup.

Elsewhere in the illy range

• illy Classico Coffee Beans - Classic Roast, 250g
• illy Espresso Dark Roast Ground Coffee, 250g
• illy Espresso Medium Roast Ground Coffee, 250g
• illy Instant Coffee Smooth Taste, 95g

The full range is on the illy brand page.

FAQ

Do illy Classico Lungo capsules fit Nespresso Vertuo? No. They are made for Nespresso Original machines, and even there a handful of Original models are on illy's list of exceptions.

How does a lungo differ from an espresso? A lungo passes about twice the water through the same dose, so it is lighter in body and slightly more bitter.

Is a lungo just an americano? No. An americano is a short shot diluted with hot water once it has been pulled, whereas a lungo is a longer extraction from the capsule itself.

Will they work in illy's own machines? Not in illy's iperEspresso machines, which take a differently shaped capsule.

How many drinks are in a box? Ten, because each capsule makes a single lungo.

Curator's note: Brew it straight into a warmed cup and drink it there and then. Left to sit, it loses the very thing that makes it worth having. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: illy Classico Lungo Capsules: What a Lungo Is and Which Machine

More from the tea wiki

• Tea vs Coffee: Taste, Caffeine and Switching
• Caffeine in Tea
• Tea vs Coffee
• Tea for Coffee Drinkers: Where to Start
• Chai vs Coffee

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