Illy debuts first-ever extra dark roast coffee in U.S.

NEW YORK -- Italian coffee brand illy is celebrating National Coffee Day with a new product launch.

The company is introducing Extra Dark Roast, an even bolder approach to the illy blend of 100% Arabica. Illy says its researchers at illy headquarters in Trieste, Italy, spent months testing combinations of roasting temperatures, and roasting and cooling times, to achieve a precisely targeted aroma and flavor profile that would create a uniquely balanced, signature longer-roasted coffee lacking in the current premium coffee marketplace.

The new illy Extra Dark Roast offers an intense aroma with enticing notes of toasted bread, caramel and a finish of dark chocolate. It is available in illy's proprietary, pressurized 250 gram cans optimized to ensure freshness, ground ideally for at-home filter, drip and French Press preparation. 

"The extra dark roast market has for years been saturated with overroasted beans, marked by an unpleasant, overly bitter taste," said Mark Romano, SVP of Quality, Education, and Sustainability for illy North America.  "There are over 1,000 flavors and aromas that emerge as coffee is roasted. It takes skill, experience and scientific knowledge to push the parameters without burning beans, and create appealing aromas and flavors.  We have achieved this goal with new illy Extra Dark Roast."

Illy Extra Dark Roast is available now at retailers nationwide.