Getting my coffee fix at #illyschool

Technically, it was the illy university but hey…

image via TikiChris

Last week, thanks to the lovely people at Espresso Crazy, I was invited along to the illy university of coffee to learn about (and taste!) the amazing coffee available from illy – and it was pretty darn awesome.

— I got an apron and everything —

For those that don’t know (I know I didn’t) illy runs its own barista training class over in London’s Islington Business Centre, near Angel. Here, they hammer into the new recruits exactly how to make the perfect cup of illy coffee and here is where we were all to meet.

Things we learnt:

1. Decaffeinated illy coffee tastes gorgeous, who knew?
2. The £139 illy coffee machines for the home make pretty much the exact same coffee you can get in a coffee shop. Not. Kidding.
3. Drinking a lot of coffee at 9pm in the evening is a sure fire way to be up all night and to write notes like a crazy person.

Joking aside, the guys from Espresso Crazy were kind enough to not only throw us each an illy X7.1 (which I obviously had to unbox on Vine – so cool) but also gave me a link offering any of you lovely lot 20% off any purchases from Espresso Crazy* (head to http://www.espressocrazy.com/promo/ILLYSCHOOL and the code will automatically be embedded in the checkout). – Offer expired Jan 10th, 2014

I’m sure you’ll agree, all of this is yet again pretty darn nice of them.

Finally, the X7.1 (maybe do something about that name guys? how about ‘amazing coffee maker of win’? yeah, that’d do it) is a bloody fantastic little machine. I’m using it pretty much every day, AND I’m making proper latte milk with the whoosher** too.

Now, where did I put that apron…

*The discount covers new machines and coffee. It will allow a max of 3 items per order and will expire 10 January 2014.
**Am pretty sure it’s called a steamer, but I prefer whoosher.

Last updated by James WHATLEY at January 11, 2014.