illy coffee

[Alberts]

On the back of the can of fine grind (red label) illy coffee it says "caffeine content less than 1.5%"

Does anyone know what this means or how it compares to other coffees? The illy rep says that their coffee has less caffeine.

[albiston]

On the back of the can of fine grind (red label) illy coffee it says "caffeine content less than 1.5%"

Does anyone know what this means or how it compares to other coffees? The illy rep says that their coffee has less caffeine.

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Caffeine content, in normal non-decaf beans, varies according to coffee plant species. If I remember correctly, Arabica beans are between 1 and 1.5% and Robusta ones between 2 and 4% (or 5 maybe). Therefore the content would depend on the blend. I would imagine Illy's caffeine numbers are pretty similar to other 100% arabica blends.

[phaelon56]

Yes... Alberto is 100% correct. What the Illy rep might be doing is comparing Illy to other popular Italian espresso blends. Most of those use anywhere from 10% to 25% robusta in their blends to boost crema in the espresso and to add a certain bitter edge that is favored by some drinkers (there is such a thing as high quality robusta and it's way better than the bad robusta used in typical US supermarket coffees)..

I suspect that relative to other all Arabica blends, Illy is probably about the same in terms of caffiene content. It is worth noting that an espresso shot contains less caffiene than a standard size (i.e. 8 to 12 oz) cup of coffee. This is due to the short 25 - 28 second extraction time of the espresso process vs the 5 or 6 minutes that most drip coffee takes to brew. Longer brewing time = more caffiene extraction.

It's also worth notingh that coffee which is roasted very, very dark is said to have slightly reduced caffiene content but I'm uncertain of the reason for this.

[BobL]

I have heard or more likely read that the longer roasting time that is usually involved with espresso reduces the caffine level, as that more is burned away.

[phaelon56]

I have heard or more likely read that the longer roasting time that is usually involved with espresso

Fortunately there is rapidly increasng awareness in the US market and elsewhere that espresso roast does not need to = dark and oily. Starbucks carries much of the blame for foisting on the US market the notion that dark and oily beans are the best choice for espresso coffee.

Spanish and Southern Italian traditions do in fact call for this roasting style but Northern Italian style roast can deliver far greater nuances of flavor from the beans and produce superior espresso if it's brewed correctly. Good temperature stability during the shot pulling process may be a bit more stringent with this roast style but the results can be spectacular if done correctly - lots of flavor and oozing crema with a noticeable lack of bitterness.

For those not familiar with it the Northern Italian roast level could best be described as roasted to a nice mahogany brown with no oil visible on the surface of the beans. Small amounts of oil appearing at the bean tips after 3 - 5 days of resting is acceptable but if bean surface oil is noticeable immediately after or within a day of roasting, current best practive leans towards that being too dark.

As with everything of course... it's matter of taste. There's a certain sort of smokiness that can accompany a dark roasted coffee and some find this to be a desirable attribute although it does mask the more subtle flavor components.