The Phenomenon that is Cold Brewed Iced Coffee

Illy iced coffee

We are fast becoming a nation of coffee lovers. For folks like us, committed to serving the best coffee anywhere, that is a good thing. We know, however, that coffee has its drawbacks for some folks. It can be bitter to some and the acidity that is a result of the brewing process can be difficult for others. The beauty of cold brewing – or steeping – is that you vastly reduce both of those attributes.

Here's how it works: you take an amount of great, ground coffee and stir it into a container of cold water. You allow that to sit for 24 hours and then you strain the entire contents through a cheesecloth filter to remove the coffee grounds. The result is a rich, dark coffee that was never heated, which prevents the release of the acids that can upset stomachs, and was never exposed to heat, avoiding the bitterness that be a by-product of the brewing process.

We haven't yet found a way to bring that result to the table with a hot cup of coffee, but - we promise you - you've never had better iced coffee. Anywhere.

You mentioned Arabica beans. What's that about?

   In the world of coffee, commercially grown coffee beans come from one of two main families: Arabica or Rubusto. There are a couple others, but these are big players. Something like 75% of commercial coffee is Arabica, as it is generally considered to have the finest body and flavor.

   Robusto beans yield a stronger, bolder more aggressive flavor that some coffee drinkers prefer, but most of the higher end coffee you see is Arabica.

   Within that ocean of Arabica beans, however, the key is to find and process the very best beans you can. The folks at have established long term relationships with coffee farmers all over the world in the search for those very best beans.

   We encourage you to learn more about 's relationship with their growers by visiting their website. They worked with an amazing photographer to document everything about the lives of the people that grow their coffee, whether in South America, Africa or India. We promise, you'll find it fascinating!

French Mocha

This after dinner beverage is a combination of our passion for espresso and our abiding love of rich chocolate! To enjoy this yummy continental treat, combine an ounce (or two) of cognac with a single shot of espresso in a warm coffee mug. Fill with Parisian Hot Chocolate. Top with homemade marshmallows – or just dig right in!

espresso liqueur

Illy espresso liqueurNow you have the opportunity to take your enjoyment of into the world of adult beverages as well. Combine espresso liqueur with your favorite vodka for the world's greatest Black Russian! Anytime you might consider some other (vaguely) coffee flavored option, just remember that uses only the very best Arabica beans in the world. You will only have to try it once to be convinced.

I like my old coffee - What makes so great?

Truth is, this is a fair question. As a matter of fact, we have friends who are so passionate about coffee that they roast their own beans daily and make some pretty outstanding coffee! For the rest of us, however, the choices are really about those coffees we can find for sale at our favorite market, corner store, bodega, what have you.

Illy coffee beans and can Photo Courtesy of Adam Steely

Since this is where the rubber meets the road, we thought it might be best to take a look at the choices available at your local gourmet market.

When you go the coffee aisle, you will see row upon row of options – whole beans in bags, ground coffee in bags, ground coffee in cans, the works. What all of these manufacturers know is what any middle school science teacher can tell you: you must eliminate or limit the exposure of organic matter to oxygen to prolong shelf life. In other words, you've got to get the air off the coffee. We don't want to get overly technical with you, but bear with us for just a few paragraphs. It will be worth it, we swear!

Most producers will put the beans in a heavy, foiled bag and vacuum all the air out of it until the bag feels like a brick. The other typical package is the Folgers or Maxwell House ground coffee in a can. The structure of the can is also rigid enough to withstand the vacuum created when the air is withdrawn. Either way, when you open the container there will be an audible hissing or rush of air as the vacuum is replaced by the outside air.

When coffee beans are roasted, moisture and oils that are inside the bean are forced to the surface, leaving a hard, crunchy product that is light and quite porous. When the folks at Starbucks, or Pete's, or whatever coffee company suck all the air out of the container, they also remove the air from those holes inside the beans. You slice open the bag or pop the top on the can and the air rushes right in, not just into the can but into the inside of the beans themselves. Naturally, the aging process begins immediately. The coffee will change flavor noticeably within just a few days from the morning you open it. The complexity, the richness and deep flavor all start to wane as oxygen does its dirty work.

It took a genius like Dr. Illy to realize that these producers were only going halfway through the right process for preservation of coffee flavor. He proposed that, once the oxygen was all removed, the atmosphere around the beans should be replaced with a simple inert gas that would prevent oxygen from contacting the beans at all. Brilliant, right?

So, when you pop open a can of coffee, you hear a hiss of gas escaping the can rather than rushing in! The super cool thing is that, if you reseal the container tightly immediately after you take some beans out, the can will hiss again the next time you open it! That's because, under Dr. Illy's brilliant scheme, the beans have actually been pressurized with inert gas, so that they continue to release the nitrogen into the can as they sit, thereby covering themselves in a snug little blanket that keeps the mean old oxygen away.

Hey, it might be more than you ever wanted to know about coffee, but you're the one who clicked on the logo!