Here is Illetta, Illy’s new smart coffee machine, designed by Antonio Citterio

The coffee is not always the same; it varies from place to place, and its quality can also vary depending on the skill of the barista. Illetta, the new Illy coffee machine designed by Antonio Citterio, arises from the desire to offer excellent consistent quality and minimize the impacts related to staff turnover by reducing potential human errors through a smart and interconnected system. Illetta can also optimize energy consumption by reducing it by up to 50% thanks to its exclusive instant heating technology.

The new Illetta is an evolution of the original 1935 machine. Characterized by the iconic bridge-shaped form reimagined by Citterio, emphasizing the connection between the barista and the customer, it features a lightweight design that allows interaction between the barista and customer, combined with a technological core keeping pace with the times. Antonio Citterio, who also renovated the Illy coffee in Monte Napoleone in Milan and participated in Re-Chair, a Kartell project that uses recycled coffee capsules as material, stated, “Innovation in design is always linked to technology or typology. In this case, it is linked to both.” According to the architect and designer, Illetta is typologically a lightweight machine that enables a dialogue with the coffee maker. “Our work as designers is to understand the complexities and, using our sensitivity, create a final product,” Citterio concluded.