Capsules Part 3

Illy Capsules

The ubiquitous capsule machine is now standard fare in any hotel room.  One of the more stylish machines available is Illy’s Francis Francis Y3. Whilst its name is a little long winded, the machine certainly is not. It’s sleek, about as wide as an espresso cup and guest proof to operate.  Illy of course is a storied Italian roaster and design is as important to them as coffee. Their gorgeous annual art series cups have become collector’s items and the Illy name is synonymous with style.

The same cannot necessarily be said of their awkwardly named Iperespresso capusules. The packaging is reminiscent of confectionery wrapper and chocolate coated candy would not be out of place inside. Instead there is a dreidel shaped capsule weighing some 8.2 grams and housing 6.7grams of ground Illy coffee. Add the 2.2 grams of foil wrap and you have a whopping 10.4 grams of packaging per serve. Putting that in perspective, that’s over 1.5kg of landfill for every kilo of coffee.

How does it taste? Not unlike a stale capsule would be expected to taste. I was expecting more than a few days to expiry but perhaps the Indonesian importer had ordered a few too many capsules. The pour looked good but the crema quickly faded leaving a flat espresso devoid of complexity and character..  It’s hotel coffee. I was not anticipating a lot and was not disappointed.