Illy MONOARABICA™ Brazil Single Origin Reveals Distinct Taste Profile with Cold Brew Preparation

NEW YORK, June 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Summer is here for many parts of the world and temperatures are on the rise with cold beverage consumption not far behind.  Illy, the leader in coffee culture and innovator of coffee products, has explored its  MONOARABICA™ Brazil single origin whole bean coffee with cold brew preparation methods creating a distinct iced-coffee for the summer season for enjoyment in hotels, restaurants, and cafes in addition to home use.

"Using illy single-origin beans from Brazil with different cold preparations, we have created a beautiful taste experience that transports coffee drinkers to an exotic tropical savanna south of the equator," said Giorgio Milos, Master Barista for illy North America. "Several cold brew preparations soften the natural acidity in the Brazilian beans that are more pronounced in hot preparation, resulting in a taste profile that enhances the caramel and milk chocolate notes of the bean."

While parts of Brazil currently serve as the epicenter for international football fans, deep in Brazil's Cerrado Mineiro region's lush and fertile forests is an enchanting landscape with well-defined wet and dry seasons that provide one of the world's finest settings to grow the coffee beans for illy MONOARABICA Brazil.

Illy's Master Barista Giorgio Milos prepares MONOARABICA Brazil using two methods. 

Transfusion method:  The cold brew method is similar in varying ways to making filter coffee.  In this scenario, special coffee gear is needed and twice the amount of coffee per ounce of water for basic drip coffee.  At the beginning, ice-cooled water drips from the upper part of a glass tower. A valve reg­u­lates its speed, which is ide­ally one drop per sec­ond traveling through a spiral-shaped pipe before run­ning over ground cof­fee housed in a clear cylin­der cov­ered by thin tis­sue or fil­ter paper. From there, a sec­ond fil­ter pre­vents the grinds from enter­ing the next sec­tion of pipe, from which fin­ished liquid drips and col­lects in the tower's base.  Expect to invest 12–16 hours in cold brew­ing, mak­ing it best done overnight.

Infusion method:  Cold steep­ing, on the other hand, is extrac­tion by infu­sion. This method does not require intricate equip­ment. Simply mix cold water and ground cof­fee, stir gen­tly, and let it steep in the fridge or at room tem­per­a­ture. For fridge prepa­ra­tion, steep for the same 12–16 hours as for cold brewing.  After cold water or room temperature steep­ing is com­plete, sim­ply strain, and fil­ter. If it sounds akin to French press, indeed it is, and press pots are well suited to the task. Accordingly, use a coarser grind and similar to cold brewing methods cold steeping requires about twice the amount of coffee than the basic one-gram of cof­fee per ounce of water rec­om­mended for hot French press prepa­ra­tion.

For other cold preparation methods, coffee culture topics, recipes and more visit Master Barista Giorgio Milos' blog http://masterbarista.tumblr.com

Illy MONOARABICA single-origin Arabica beans
Each illy MONOARABICA coffee has a unique flavor and aroma that encapsulates its distinctive origin including offerings from Brazil, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Columbia, Ethiopia, and India.   Illy MONOARABICA whole bean is available in illy's proprietary air-free, pressurized 8.8 oz can that enhances and seals in the precious aromas and oils. MONOARABICA is also available in iperEspresso capsules.  The whole bean is priced at approximately $15.00 at select retailers and at www.illyusa.com.

About illycaffe North America, Inc:
Illycaffe North America imports, distributes and markets illy products throughout the US, Canada and Mexico. With global headquarters in Trieste, Italy, illy is a leader in providing super-premium coffee known for its distinctly balanced and beautiful taste, produced to the industry's highest quality standards. Its full range of roasted coffee (whole bean, ground and single serve), espresso machines, artist-created cups and other accessories can be experienced at leading cafes, hotels, and restaurants, and purchased for the home at higher-end retailers and at www.illyusa.com.  Through a global partnership with Coca Cola, illy also offers the illy issimo line of ready to drink coffees available worldwide.  Illy pioneered the direct trade model for coffee over 25 years ago and purchases 100 percent (except Ethiopia) of its Arabica coffee directly from growers, who are educated by illy to produce coffee that meets the highest standards for quality and sustainability. Illy is frequently recognized for its industry leadership in sustainability and ethics, its long-held core values. 

More information about illy and its products can be found at www.illy.com and https://www.facebook.com/illy
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Press Contacts:
Lindsey Schwartz
[email protected]
(914) 253-4433

Sarah Hazen
[email protected]
(646) 491-6087

SOURCE illy