I tried these based on the reviews and the taste was awful. I am a cappuccino lover and make them daily with stumptown coffee and or peets and thought I would try these. I ended up selling the rest in my garage sale this past weekend for 2 dollars. Maybe I would have better luck with the dark roast.

These pods worked wonderfully in my espresso machine. The filter coverings stayed intact throughout the brewing process and the espresso was just right. The airtight container keeps the pods nice and fresh.

The coffee makes a pretty good shot of espresso, and although I once got a tin full of loose grounds, Amazon was quick to ship me a replacement set.
However, the current price (over thirty dollars for two tins), IMO, is much higher than what you can find at other online coffee retailers, where the newer tins with individually wrapped pods sell for twenty-five per 2 tins.

I do enjoy Illy when its fresh beans, but lets get real, ground coffee has a short life span and putting in a well ventilated tissue bag doesn't preserve it at all. Pods are a bad idea, my respect for illy quality has gone down based on this product. The tins are really nice.

These Illy ESE (espresso easy serving) single-shot espresso pods are easy to use and convenient. All you need is an ESE adapter for your espresso machine. After brewing your espresso, just shake the pod out of the holder, and you're ready to brew another. Use two at once for a double shot.

The quality of the espresso from the pods is as good as ground coffee. But you trade off convenience for price. Buy these if you just make an occasional cup of espresso, if you are always on the run, or like to make several espresso shots in succession, for example, when you entertain.