In 1933, when Francesco Illy founded illycaffe in Trieste, Italy, his dream was to produce and sell the best coffee in the world. After careful deliberation, he chose the Arabica bean, prized for its pronounced aroma, its mild, well-rounded flavor, and its low caffeine content. However, producing a superior coffee was inconsequential if he couldn't find a way to preserve the freshness. With great persistence, Illy soon found a solution: containers in which nitrogen is substituted for air, making it possible to keep roasted coffee fresh for up to 2 years! His pressurization method for preserving coffee made history and is still an integral part of the illy packaging today. Inside this 8.8-oz. pressurized container are illy's specially selected Arabica beans that have been dark roasted and ground to a luxurious texture. Although it's been calibrated for espresso, you can also use it to make a perfectly brewed cup of coffee.

J. Martinez and Company, known for their superb coffee beans, searches the globe looking for the world's best coffee bean plantations, and once found, believes in carefully selecting the best beans for their blends. Unlike many other coffee bean importers, J. Martinez and Company knows that in order to achieve a superior blend -- and ultimately a superior taste -- each bean must come from the same plantation. Their Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is the result of this commitment to excellence. Grown high on a ridge of the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, these beans have a rich flavor and aroma, a full body and moderate acidity, and a smooth and mellow taste. Roasted only hours before it's sent out, it's truly the quintessential, dark-roasted coffee.