E.S.E. Coffee - Single-Serve Coffee Capsules & Pods - Classico Lungo Medium Roast - Notes Of Caramel, Orange Blossom & Jasmine - For E.S.E Coffee Machines - Extraordinary Aroma & Body – 18 Count

The illy E.S.E. Coffee Pods – Classico Medium Roast are delicious and convenient. The flavor is smooth with rich notes of chocolate and caramel, just like a café-style espresso at home. I love how easy the single-serve pods are to use—perfect for a quick, high-quality cup anytime. The aroma is amazing, and the taste is consistently excellent. Highly recommend for any coffee lover!

Rich dark consistent. Makes a great latte. Beautiful crema and brew.

It does fit properly to a espresso portafilter. Coffee taste is very good because it is an Illy product. However there's not too much crema. All in all highly recommended as it is easy to discard the pouch. No mess which is a big plus!

Short version: I definitely recommend the Illy ESE pods for pod espresso machines. They create the best pod espresso, and as good as ground espresso made in many coffee shops. After replacing my former espresso machine and being happy with the good espresso it made, I decided to try the included ESE pod portafilter basket. Being dubious of any "pod", I purchased pods from a variety of manufacturers. Most were "ok", but noticeably less crema and a bit harsher. The Illy ESE pods were dramatically better. Looking for a smoother flavor profile, I tried the Classico Medium Roast. The first cup was so good I thought it was a fluke. After finishing a box of pods, I have several observations: 1. The packets keep the espresso fresh. I have not had a single pod less than fresh. 2. Tamping can adjust the flavor. Without tamping it is a nice smooth medium with crema. Tamping increases the time to extract, and therefore make it progressively stronger. 3. Single serves are single shots. You can run a second pod to make a double, but cannot use the "double" selection of the espresso maker. 4. For making an espresso martini, it is perfect! One pod per martini. I am exceedingly happy with the Illy ESE pods, and continue ordering boxes

I purchased them in mid-April 2024, and upon checking, they were manufactured on February 23, 2024. Despite being a couple of months old, I find them to be in excellent condition. With an expiration date of February 2026, they appear to have a decent shelf life ahead. Having been a dedicated consumer of illy coffee for about two decades, I was eager to try out their E.S.E. pods. While I have long used illy's iperespresso capsules, I've become increasingly mindful of the environmental impact of plastic pods. Therefore, I was pleased to discover that the E.S.E. pods offer a more eco-friendly alternative. I purchased the new espresso machine from illy that can brew ground coffee and these E.S.E. pods. As someone who values both convenience and quality, I must say, they have exceeded my expectations. The Intenso Dark Roast, in particular, provides a strong and full-bodied flavor that I thoroughly enjoy, making it an ideal choice for my morning coffee fix. I highly recommend illy's E.S.E. pods to fellow coffee enthusiasts looking for a convenient and environmentally conscious brewing option.

I’ve ordered this twice. Both times, I received coffee that was past the “best before” date. The coffee I ordered 8/31/25 was marked “best before” the end of 2/25. The coffee I ordered 10/21/25 was marked “best before” the end of 8/25. This was not disclosed on the listing. I didn’t realize the coffee was already past the “best before” date when I received it or I would not have ordered again.

Considering that it is pre ground, pre packed, vacuum packed coffee that was roasted thousands of miles away, probably several months ago, this stuff is pretty darned good. That classic northern Italian/ Venetto style medium roast that does not taste like charcoal and does taste like coffee, and amazingly, throws a pretty decent crema. Illy uses an inert gas flush system for all of their packaged coffees- the oxygen is flushed out of the can or pouch and replaced with a gas (nitrogen?) that does not react with the coffee so it does not get stale as it sits in the pack. Next level technology is used- one side of the paper used to make the pod is more porous than the other- the top side (has the Illy logo faintly embossed in it) allows the water to flow from your machine into the coffee easily and unrestricted, but the bottom side is more dense which forces the water to completely saturate the coffee and causes more even extraction. Does all of that stuff work? Yes it does. I challenge anyone to drink a better, fresher coffee with a better crema, brewed from any other pod. I have tried many other brands and I can not. Is it the same as freshly roasted/ freshly ground/ properly tramped? Of course not. You buy these pods for one of two reasons: 1. You are too lazy to buy, grind and brew fresh coffee and want the best possible cup out of your machine with minimal effort, mess and hassle 2. You are a coffee head and realize that you are human thus fallible and will occasionally run out of fresh beans, so you keep these in the cupboard as back-up so you never go without that morning blast. This 18-pack allows you to space out and forget to buy beans 18 times. I am, for the record, #2 in that list.

I wasn't expecting to like these much. You know, for those of us who love coffee, we all get used to our regular coffee, and substitutes don't always measure up. But I ran out of my regular coffee pods, and needing to not miss my coffee fix, I ordered these because they would arrive the soonest. I was desperate. They are good! In fact, when my regular coffee finally arrived, I missed these. I'm thinking when I need to order again, it will be these that I order. Now, you may be wondering how someone can say they love espresso, and in the same breath, talk about ESE coffee pods. Let me offer an analogy: The difference between a $5 bottle of wine and a $25 bottle of wine is very noticeable to me. The difference between a $25 bottle and a $100 bottle would not be so much. There's a certain level where anything higher end isn't going to matter to my limited taste buds. So in terms of coffee, when it comes to a >really good< ESE pod vs. a freshly ground, tamped shot of espresso, it can come pretty close, but at far less effort. I really liked these and will buy them again. I would strongly prefer an organic option.