1. illy® MONOARABICA™
Explore the individual taste and distinct aroma of the single origin Arabica
coffee, found in the legendary illy blend, each highlighting the singular style,
culture and flavor of these distinctive geographic regions. These sustainably
grown coffees, hand selected and expertly roasted by illy, awaken the senses
and satisfy your curiosity while offering you a pleasant escape from the ordinary.
2. Cerrado Mineiro Brazil
The Brazilian region of the Cerrado Mineiro is a tropical savannah characterized
by an important biodiversity, where the climate is marked from rainy periods to
drought, ideal for the coffee cultivation
Brazil is the leading producer
and exporter of coffee. It
represents over 25% of world
coffee exports
3. Cerrado Mineiro Brazil
Brazil Quality Award
Illycaffé presents annual cash awards to those growers submitting the best
quality coffees. The prize money is reinvested in the farms. An additional award
is granted for the best sustainable practices. This continues to encourage and
improve cultivation practices and produce the highest quality coffee.
UDC Saõ Paulo
Growers, operators and technicians in the coffee production chain are able to
attend free courses conducted by international experts to enrich their
knowledge of best-practices in crop and post-harvest processing techniques.
Club Illy
The objective is to build strong relationships with our growers and to share the
latest technological advances, news and allow access to classes at the
University of Coffee in Saõ Paulo.
Instituto Terra Partnership
Instituto Terra is working to help restore the Atlantic Rainforest in areas where
it has been destroyed. Illycaffe is helping to fund and co-manage this
reforestation effort which has planted more than 1 million trees.
4. Cerrado Mineiro Brazil
TASTING NOTES
An intense scent
describes the profile of
this variety of Arabica
coffee. The intense and
wrapping aroma
anticipates the velvety
fullness of its body that
gives an authentic
tactile delight to the
palate. Bitterness and
sourness are balanced
and enriched by a
marked chocolate note.
TECHNICAL NOTES: Selection of the highest grade beans prepared for illy with zero
defects, processed via the semi-washed method.
5. Huehuetenango Guatemala
Huehuetenango is located along the ridges of the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes,
the highest mountain chain of Central America. Warm winds coming from
Mexico moderate the cold of the altitude and allow cultivating the coffee up to
2000 meters.
Primary export is coffee. They
also cultivate corn, potatoes,
wheat, barley, coffee and sugar
cane
Huehuetenango
6. Huehuetenango Guatemala
Guatemala Prize for Quality
Illycaffé presents cash awards to those growers submitting the best quality
coffees. The prize money is reinvested in the farms. This continues to
encourage and improve cultivation practices and produce the highest quality
coffee.
Knowledge exchange
Instituted a 2 year program teaching small growers technical and management
skills to realize the full potential of the industry.
Salgado Project:
Over the past several years, the collaboration has resulted in the finest raw
coffee beans while respecting Guatemala’s individuality and cultural
uniqueness. It has also promoted local mini-entrepreneurship which
encourages the population to remain in the countryside rather than moving to
the cities where they risk poverty and becoming outcasts
7. Huehuetenango Guatemala
TASTING NOTES
Characterized by a
sweet and aromatic
organoleptic profile, this
Arabica variety is
recognizable by its
distinct sweetness and
balance. It is enriched
by a range of aromas,
among which the
chocolate, caramel,
citruses and honey
notes stand out.
TECHNICAL NOTES: Selection of Strictly Hard Beans (SHB grown above 4000 feet)
prepared for illy with zero defects, processed via the washed method..
8. Yirgacheffe Ethiopia
Yirgacheffe is a town in south central Ethiopia. This region is considered the
birthplace of Arabica coffee. Yirgacheffe is full of forests where the plant grows
wild and the coffee shrub is cultivated under the shadow of fruit trees. The
cherries are hand picked.
The major agricultural export
crop is coffee, providing
approximately 26% of
Ethiopia's export earnings
9. Yirgacheffe Ethiopia
Legesse Partnership
illycaffè chose the Legesse family as a local partner in the early 1990s to help
produce, buy and import Ethiopian coffee. Illycaffè’s support went beyond
coffee to improving infrastructure, donating €50,000 to help rebuild a 7km-long
road near Largesse's main coffee cleaning station.
Since 2008, illycaffè has committed itself to investing €190,000 over three
years to construct two major electrical lines, bringing power to nearly 60,000
people for the first time.
illycaffè’s partnership with Legesse continues to assist Ethiopian communities
small local schools in the area of Sidamo, helping to improve the education
system and keeping children under 14 in school; building rural dispensaries and
providing medicine; constructing a national TV and radio station and a
telephone station, and more.
Cup Of Kindness
illycaffè partnered with Share Our Strength to launch Cup of Kindness.
Founded in 2004, the program has funded construction and ongoing operation
of the illy Community School in Moyale Woreda.
10. Yirgacheffe Ethiopia
TASTING NOTES
An Arabica coffee with a
sweet and delicate
profile, unique for the
delicate harmony of its
scents that are faded in
jasmine flowering notes
mixed with others such
as ripened melon and
citrus. Bitterness,
sourness and
sweetness are balanced
and harmonious.
TECHNICAL NOTES: Selection of high grade beans (screen size 14 and above)
prepared for illy with zero defects, processed via the washed method.
11. Illy Blend - ICN
Producing the world’s finest tasting coffee requires an exacting balance of
subtle, aromatic nuances; a blending of acidic, sweet and bitter notes, in order to
create the distinctive illy taste.
12. Illy Blend - ICN
TASTING NOTES
Illy’s rich body envelops
the palate, creating a
pleasant tactile
sensation as it paints
the tongue. Numerous
flavors ranging from
fruity to flowery with
traces of chocolate,
caramel, hints of
almonds and honey, all
blend sweetly together.
13. Preparation Methods
Manual Drip
In general, these methods produce a balanced and clean cup of coffee. The
paper filter prevents grounds from ending up in the cup. The mouth feel is clean
with a medium and balanced bodied.
Manual drip makers give a bit more control over the brew. A Chemex for
example has a special paper that slows the extraction and produces a full and
rich cup while a Melitta or Hario drip produces a rich but lighter bodied coffee
Hario V60 Chemex
14. Preparation Methods
French Press
For a bolder flavor and taste this method is called direct method brewing. The
coffee grounds and water remain in contact throughout and after the brewing
process.
In both it is important to transfer what remains after serving into a thermal
container as the coffee can over extract and cause bitterness in the cup.
French Press
Editor's Notes
Area: 8,511,965 sq. km. (3,290,000 sq. mi.); slightly smaller than the U.S. Cities: Capital--Brasilia (pop. 2.5 million). Other cities--Sao Paulo (11.2 million), Rio de Janeiro (6.3 million), Belo Horizonte (2.4 million), Salvador (2.7 million), Fortaleza (2.4 million), Curitiba (1.7 million), Recife (1.5 million), Porto Alegre (1.4 million). Terrain: Dense forests in northern regions including Amazon Basin; semiarid along northeast coast; mountains, hills, and rolling plains in the southwest, including Mato Grosso; midwestern savannahs; the world's largest wetland area; and coastal lowland. Climate: Mostly tropical or semitropical with temperate zone in the south. People Nationality: Brazilian. Population (2010): 190 million. Annual population growth rate: 1.02%. Ethnic groups: African, Portuguese, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Indigenous peoples, and people of Middle Eastern descent. Religion: Roman Catholic (74%). Language: Portuguese. Education: Literacy--90.3% of adult population. Health: Infant mortality rate--21.17/1,000. Life expectancy--73.1 years in 2010. Work force (2009 est.): 101.7 million. PEOPLE AND HISTORY With its 190 million inhabitants, Brazil has the largest population in Latin America and ranks fifth in the world. The majority of people live in the south-central area, which includes the industrial cities of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte. Brazil underwent rapid urban growth; by 2005, 81% of the total population was living in urban areas. This growth aids economic development but also creates serious social, security, environmental, and political problems for major cities. Six major groups make up the Brazilian population: the Portuguese, who colonized Brazil in the 16th century; Africans brought to Brazil as slaves; various other European, Middle Eastern, and Japanese and other Asian immigrant groups who settled in Brazil since the mid-19th century; and indigenous peoples of Tupi and Guarani language stock. Intermarriage between the Portuguese and indigenous people or slaves was common. Although the major European ethnic stock of Brazil was originally Portuguese, subsequent waves of immigration contributed to a diverse ethnic and cultural heritage. From 1875 until 1960, about 5 million Europeans immigrated to Brazil, settling mainly in the four southern states of Sao Paulo, Parana, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul. Immigrants came mainly from Italy, Germany, Spain, Japan, Poland, and the Middle East. The largest Japanese community outside Japan is in Sao Paulo. Despite class distinctions, national identity is strong. Brazil prides itself on being open to all races but recently began a national conversation on racial equality and entered into a memorandum of understanding with the United States on addressing racial inequality. Indigenous full-blooded Indians, located mainly in the northern and western border regions and in the upper Amazon Basin, make up less than 1% of the population. Their numbers are declining as contact with the outside world and commercial expansion into the interior increase. Brazilian Government programs to establish indigenous reservations and to provide other forms of assistance have existed for years but are controversial. Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas. About three-quarters of all Brazilians belong to the Roman Catholic Church; most others are members of traditional Protestant denominations, members of growing evangelical movements, or follow practices derived from African religions. Agriculture Agriculture is a major sector of the Brazilian economy, and is key for economic growth and foreign exchange. Agriculture accounts for about 6% of GDP (25% when including agribusiness) and 36% of Brazilian exports. Brazil enjoyed a positive agricultural trade balance of $55 billion in 2009. Brazil is the world's largest producer of sugarcane, coffee, tropical fruits, frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ), and has the world's largest commercial cattle herd (50% larger than that of the U.S.) at 170 million head. Brazil is also an important producer of soybeans (second to the United States), corn, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, and forest products. The remainder of agricultural output is in the livestock sector, mainly the production of beef and poultry (second to the United States), pork, milk, and seafood.
Area: 8,511,965 sq. km. (3,290,000 sq. mi.); slightly smaller than the U.S. Cities: Capital--Brasilia (pop. 2.5 million). Other cities--Sao Paulo (11.2 million), Rio de Janeiro (6.3 million), Belo Horizonte (2.4 million), Salvador (2.7 million), Fortaleza (2.4 million), Curitiba (1.7 million), Recife (1.5 million), Porto Alegre (1.4 million). Terrain: Dense forests in northern regions including Amazon Basin; semiarid along northeast coast; mountains, hills, and rolling plains in the southwest, including Mato Grosso; midwestern savannahs; the world's largest wetland area; and coastal lowland. Climate: Mostly tropical or semitropical with temperate zone in the south. People Nationality: Brazilian. Population (2010): 190 million. Annual population growth rate: 1.02%. Ethnic groups: African, Portuguese, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Indigenous peoples, and people of Middle Eastern descent. Religion: Roman Catholic (74%). Language: Portuguese. Education: Literacy--90.3% of adult population. Health: Infant mortality rate--21.17/1,000. Life expectancy--73.1 years in 2010. Work force (2009 est.): 101.7 million. PEOPLE AND HISTORY With its 190 million inhabitants, Brazil has the largest population in Latin America and ranks fifth in the world. The majority of people live in the south-central area, which includes the industrial cities of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte. Brazil underwent rapid urban growth; by 2005, 81% of the total population was living in urban areas. This growth aids economic development but also creates serious social, security, environmental, and political problems for major cities. Six major groups make up the Brazilian population: the Portuguese, who colonized Brazil in the 16th century; Africans brought to Brazil as slaves; various other European, Middle Eastern, and Japanese and other Asian immigrant groups who settled in Brazil since the mid-19th century; and indigenous peoples of Tupi and Guarani language stock. Intermarriage between the Portuguese and indigenous people or slaves was common. Although the major European ethnic stock of Brazil was originally Portuguese, subsequent waves of immigration contributed to a diverse ethnic and cultural heritage. From 1875 until 1960, about 5 million Europeans immigrated to Brazil, settling mainly in the four southern states of Sao Paulo, Parana, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul. Immigrants came mainly from Italy, Germany, Spain, Japan, Poland, and the Middle East. The largest Japanese community outside Japan is in Sao Paulo. Despite class distinctions, national identity is strong. Brazil prides itself on being open to all races but recently began a national conversation on racial equality and entered into a memorandum of understanding with the United States on addressing racial inequality. Indigenous full-blooded Indians, located mainly in the northern and western border regions and in the upper Amazon Basin, make up less than 1% of the population. Their numbers are declining as contact with the outside world and commercial expansion into the interior increase. Brazilian Government programs to establish indigenous reservations and to provide other forms of assistance have existed for years but are controversial. Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas. About three-quarters of all Brazilians belong to the Roman Catholic Church; most others are members of traditional Protestant denominations, members of growing evangelical movements, or follow practices derived from African religions. Agriculture Agriculture is a major sector of the Brazilian economy, and is key for economic growth and foreign exchange. Agriculture accounts for about 6% of GDP (25% when including agribusiness) and 36% of Brazilian exports. Brazil enjoyed a positive agricultural trade balance of $55 billion in 2009. Brazil is the world's largest producer of sugarcane, coffee, tropical fruits, frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ), and has the world's largest commercial cattle herd (50% larger than that of the U.S.) at 170 million head. Brazil is also an important producer of soybeans (second to the United States), corn, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, and forest products. The remainder of agricultural output is in the livestock sector, mainly the production of beef and poultry (second to the United States), pork, milk, and seafood.
University of Coffee- Brazil The producers of Brazilian coffee learn both on the job and at university. In 2000, illy collaborated with the University of São Paulo’s economics faculty to establish the Universidade illy do cafè , the world’s first academic institution dedicated to coffee education. Growers, operators and technicians in the coffee production chain are able to attend free courses conducted by international experts to enrich their knowledge of best-practices in crop and post-harvest processing techniques. From growing to preparing, through coffee culture, management, economics and customer satisfaction, the university provides world-class education in all aspects of coffee. The goal is to impart the knowledge and research of illycaffé to growers, operators and technicians in the coffee production chain, in order to enrich and perfect their production management and commerce practices. Why Brazil? Because it is the world's largest producer of green coffee – an excellent basis on which to form the best blends. The illy coffee club was created as an incentive for our suppliers to encourage loyalty and quality. Information is shared through meetings and other targeted events. The main objective is to build strong relationships with our growers and to share the latest technological advances, news and allow access to classes at the University of coffee in Sa õ Paulo. In the early 1990s Brazil produced huge amounts of inferior quality coffee. The Brazil Award has helped to change this. Some regions of the country were once considered to be ill-adapted for coffee cultivation. The award helped growers discover and exploit their coffee-growing potential. Such is the case with Cerrado , a once unfarmed area that now produces excellent quality coffee. After the first competition, this region provided some interesting coffee samples. Eventually, a number of coffee growers from the state of Paranà, which had been repeatedly hit by freezes, decided to relocate to this area. After the success of the Cerrado region, other coffee production zones like Sul de Minas and Alta Mogiana, in the state of São Paulo, joined the race to improve the quality of their crops. Year after year, the number of participants in the Prêmio Brasil de Qualidade do Café para Espresso breaks all previous records. The production of high-quality coffee increases exponentially , and cultivation techniques continue to improve. Since 1991, many local Brazilian governments have also begun initiatives aimed at improving the quality of their local coffee crops. The quantity of coffee sold has also increased, from 16 million sacks in 1990 to 32 million sacks in 2000 (of which 26 million were the highly prized Arabica variety). And today, Brazilian coffee is recognized on the international market as ranking among the best in the world in terms of quality. Illycaffé presents cash awards to those growers submitting the best quality coffees. The top 3 prizes are $30,000 $20,000 and $10,000 This money is reinvested in the farms. This continues to encourage and improve cultivation practices and produce the highest quality coffee. Between 1991 and 2003 illy has given 130 awards and distributed over 1 million dollars in prize money. The program has been so successful that illy has initiated similar programs for quality in 2001 for Colombia, Guatemala and in 2002 Costa Rica, India and Ethiopia The “ Acknowledgement of Practices and Sustainability Diploma ”; created in 2008 was granted to Fazenda Córrego , of Santa Margarida (MG) in the Matas de Minas region, a coffee plantation owned by Mauro Garcia Correia. After the analysis of the Questionnaires on Sustainability – part of the “Acknowledgement of Practices and Sustainability Program” – answered by the illy Coffee Club enrolled producers, following technical visits to the three best classified plantations, the judging committee considered if they were sustainable in terms of social, environmental and economic aspects; had at least one sustainability certification; were fully engaged and had good agricultural practices implemented.
Huehuetenango is located along the ridges of the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, the highest mountain chain of Central America, with altitudes that 4,000 meters. Huehuetenango has a varying climate that ranges from deep cold to hot and humid. Several rivers originate in the area here, like the rivers Selegua, Cuilco, Chixoy and Salinas. In Huehuetenango people are generally farmers, shepherds or artisans who manufacture textiles, guitars, fireworks, pottery and baskets. They also cultivate corn, potatoes, wheat, barley, coffee and sugar cane. The main religion is a mixture between the ancient Mayan religion and some Christian elements. Coffee is one of Guatemala’s most important export items, and 10% of the population derives its income directly from the coffee production. Half of the Guatemalan children suffer from chronic undernourishment. About 58% of the population lives under the poverty threshold, as do the inhabitants of the highland region of Huehuetenango, an area known for excellent coffee. Despite the long tradition of coffee cultivation, the farming conditions aren’t ideal: besides suffering from a difficult market access, the farming practices are rather inefficient and the quality of the coffee tends to be inconsistent. Additionally, the education and health situation for people is extremely challenging.
IOver the past several years, the collaboration has resulted in the finest raw coffee beans while respecting Guatemala’s individuality and cultural uniqueness. It has also promoted local mini-entrepreneurship which encourages the population to remain in the countryside rather than moving to the cities where they risk poverty and becoming outcasts.
Ethiopia's population is highly diverse. Most of its people speak a Semitic or Cushitic language. The Oromo, Amhara, and Tigreans make up more than two-thirds of the population, but there are more than 77 different ethnic groups with their own distinct languages within Ethiopia. Some of these have as few as 10,000 members. In general, most of the Christians live in the highlands, while Muslims and adherents of traditional African religions tend to inhabit lowland regions. English is the most widely spoken foreign language and is taught in all secondary schools. Amharic is the official language and was the language of primary school instruction but has been replaced in many areas by local languages such as Oromifa and Tigrinya. The major agricultural export crop is coffee, providing approximately 26% of Ethiopia's foreign exchange earnings, down from 65% a decade ago because of the slump in coffee prices since the mid-1990s and increases in other exports. Other traditional major agricultural exports are leather, hides and skins, pulses, oilseeds, and the traditional "khat," a leafy narcotic that is chewed. Sugar and gold production has also become important in recent years. Ethiopia's agriculture is plagued by periodic drought, soil degradation caused by inappropriate agricultural practices and overgrazing, deforestation, high population density, undeveloped water resources, and poor transport infrastructure, making it difficult and expensive to get goods to market. Yet agriculture is the country's most promising resource. Potential exists for self-sufficiency in grains and for export development in livestock, flowers, grains, oilseeds, sugar, vegetables, and fruits. Gold, marble, limestone, and small amounts of tantalum are mined in Ethiopia. Other resources with potential for commercial development include large potash deposits, natural gas, iron ore, and possibly oil and geothermal energy. Although Ethiopia has good hydroelectric resources, which power most of its manufacturing sector,
I Ethiopia , the birthplace of coffee and a source of illycaffè’s premier beans, is the second poorest country in the world. It produces the best washed Arabica mountain coffee in the world. Its coffee industry is comprised of very small scale growers, who can only succeed financially with strong, central support. illycaffè chose the Legesse family as a local partner in the early 1990s to help produce, buy and import Ethiopian coffee. Illycaffè’s support went beyond coffee to improving infrastructure , donating €50,000 to help rebuild a 7km-long road near Legesse's main coffee cleaning station. Since 2008, illycaffè has committed itself to investing €190,000 over three years to construct two major electrical lines , bringing power to nearly 60,000 people for the first time. illycaffè’s partnership with Legesse continues to assist Ethiopian communities in numerous ways: supporting small local schools in the production area of Sidamo, helping to improve the education system and thereby to keep the under 14s in school; building rural dispensaries and providing medicine; constructing a national TV and radio station and a telephone station, and more. As the country’s legislation states that coffee can only be marketed via the government exchange, it is not currently possible to trace the product back to its grower. The illycaffè quality standards do, however, enable the creation of added value thanks to the fundamental contribution of the final manual selection performed in the exporter’s warehouses. This greater value is rewarded with a higher final purchase price. In order to re-establish a traceable system, the company has declared its availability to take an active part in a working group of multi-stakeholders to keep up the interest on the subject, which concerns many other operators in the sector. To help develop Ethiopia’s coffee-growing community – the birthplace of coffee, and a source of illycaffè’s premier beans – illycaffè partnered with Share Our Strength to launch Cup of Kindness. Founded in 2004, the program has funded construction and ongoing operation of the illy Community School in Moyale Woreda, a drought-stricken community in the Somali region of Ethiopia. illycaffè remains committed to the cause and the program, raising funds earmarked to help build yet more schools in Ethiopia. Ethiopian coffee growers are typically small-scale and illy’s support extends beyond improving the quality of the harvests to social, educational and health initiatives within local communities.
