Illy vs. Lavazza vs. Nespresso: what brand is better?

Last weekend, I was looking for a café that would give me an Italian dining experience right here in the U.S. After surfing the internet for their best recommendations, I found three coffee houses that could give me the experience I was looking for: Illy, Lavazza, and Nespresso. Unable to decide between these three brands, I decided to carry out an extensive comparison of some of their features so that I could make an informed decision. In this post, I’ll share with you the differences I found between Illy, Lavazza, and Nespresso so that you can make an informed decision as well. Read on to learn more.

What are the differences between Illy vs. Lavazza vs. Nespresso?

FEATURE	ILLY	LAVAZZA	NESPRESSO
Ambiance	Contemporary, artistic, warm, and welcoming.	Inviting and homey.	Inviting, warm, aesthetic, relaxing, and modern.
Location	More than 259 shops and cafés in over 140 countries across the world.	112 locations in 67 countries across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.	Over 802 boutiques in 82 countries across the world.
Menu	Coffee and drinks, cold specials, extras, breakfast sandwiches, sandwiches and wraps, salads, baked pastries, and desserts.	Italian breakfast, afternoon selection, small bites, desserts, coffeetails, wines, drinks, and traditional Italian espressos, hot espressos, cold espressos, and classic coffees.	Breakfast items, savory selection, desserts, beverages, hot beverages, espresso blends, pure origin espressos, hot and cold specialties, and wines.
Price Range	$0.30 to $12.30	$3.00 to $98.00	$4.00 to $24.00
Beverage Sizes	Small, medium, and large.	Wines – 125 ml and 175 ml Drinks – 40 ml to 500 ml Coffee – regular and large	Espresso (40 ml), double espresso (80 ml) gran lungo (150 ml), and coffee mug (230 ml). Wines – glass or bottle
Environmental Consciousness	Uses sustainable farming and production practices to preserve water and curb emission of smoke into the environment.	Sensitizes indigenous Amazon communities to promote the production of coffee without endangering the Amazon forest.	Recycles capsules to reduce pollution, aims to curb the emission of carbon into the environment, and has planted over 100,00 saplings to help restore healthy ecosystems.

Illy vs. Lavazza vs. Nespresso – How they compare.

Ambiance

Illy blend contemporary and artistic design to give you a warm and welcoming traditional Italian bar atmosphere. Their “Art Collection,” which includes unique, signed cups and numbered art objects, gives them a cultural and decorative ambiance as you enjoy their delicious espresso.

Lavazza cafés seek to create a welcoming, ideal world where you can feel at home and be yourself as you enjoy breakfast or dinner items with your friends or family.

Nespresso boutiques express a modern, aesthetic, and relaxing ambiance through elegant lighting, state-of-the-art technology, and soft, relaxing music. Their staff are dedicated to giving you a luxurious and curated experience when you choose to dine at one of their boutiques.

Illy, Lavazza, and Nespresso seek to express a warm and welcoming ambiance to their customers; hence, they tie in this category.

Location

Illy is headquartered in Trieste, Italy, and it has more than 259 shops and cafés in up to 140 countries across the world. Some of these countries include Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Canada, and more. You can find an illy café in major cities in airports, high-end shopping malls, or even museums.

Lavazza Coffee is headquartered in Turin, Italy, and it has 112 locations in over 67 countries across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Some of these countries include Albania, Belarus, Italy, France, Ireland, Tanzania, Ukraine, and more.

Nespresso is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and it has over 802 boutiques in 82 countries across the world. Some of these countries include Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Colombia, Mexico, Malaysia, Singapore, Ghana, Qatar, and more.

Nespresso is the better brand in terms of location because it has more locations across the world than Illy and Lavazza.

Menu

Illy offer a wide variety of menu items that you can order to dine in or as a takeaway. These menu items include: coffee and drinks; cold specials; extras; breakfast sandwiches; sandwiches and wraps; salads; baked pastries; and desserts.

You can enjoy an Italian breakfast or savory Italian coffees, drinks, or desserts from the extensive Lavazza menu. Menu items in Lavazza cafés include Italian breakfast, afternoon selection, specials, small bites, desserts, coffeetails, wines, drinks, traditional Italian espressos, hot espressos, cold espressos, and classic coffees.

Nespresso boutiques also seek to delight your senses with the various arrays of beverages and dishes on their menus. Some of their menu items include breakfast items, savory selections, desserts, beverages, hot beverages, espresso blends, pure origin espressos, flavored espresso blends, hot specialties, cold specialties, and wines.

Lavazza Coffee has a wider menu selection to cater for different tastes and preferences; hence, it is the better brand.

Price Range

The prices of menu items at Illy range from as low as $0.30 to as high as $12.30. The cheapest item is extra milk, while the most expensive item is a shrimp kale caesar salad.

As for Lavazza cafés, the prices of menu items range from as low as $3.00 to as high as $98.00. The cheapest item is a glass of mineral water, while the most expensive item is a bottle of red wine called Brunello di Montalcino.

The prices of menu items at Nespresso range from as low as $4.00 to as high as $24.00. The cheapest items are espressos and beverages, while the most expensive item is a glass of sparkling wine called Ruinart Rose.

If you prefer a café with more affordable prices, Illy is the better brand than Lavazza and Nespresso.

Beverage Sizes

Illy cafés serve their beverages in small, medium, and large sizes.

Lavazza cafés serve their wines in 125- and 175-millimeter glasses or you can buy a whole bottle. Their drinks serving sizes range from 40- to 500-millimeter glasses. They serve their coffees in regular or large sizes.

Nespresso serves espresso in espresso (40 ml), double espresso (80 ml), gran lungo (150 ml), and coffee mug (230 ml) sizes. They also serve wines in glasses or bottles.

Illy, Lavazza, and Nespresso have different beverage sizes to cater to everyone’s different needs and preferences; hence, they are all good brands in this case, and we get a draw.

Environmental Consciousness

During farming, Illy employs low-impact and manual methods that preserve water and minimize the usage of artificial fertilizers. During production, Illy roasts the coffee in facilities with ultra-low emissions to limit smoke discharge within the legally permitted level.

Lavazza foundation is in partnership with the Ministry of Environment in Peru and indigenous Amazon communities to promote sustainable production of coffee without endangering the Amazon forest.

Nespresso has over 100,000 collection points across the world to make it easier for customers to participate in their mission to keep the environment capsule-free. They also partner with the Rainforest Alliance to completely curb the emission of carbon into the environment; they aim to make every Nespresso cup of coffee carbon neutral.

Illy, Lavazza, and Nepresso have employed different practices to conserve the environment; hence, they are all good brands and tie in this brand.

Illy vs. Lavazza vs. Nespresso – A Comparison Overview

Lavazza Overview

Lavazza Coffee was founded in 1895 in Turin, Italy, by Luigi Lavazza. It is now headed by the third and fourth generations of the Lavazza family, with Alberto Lavazza as the president.

Lavazza currently boasts 112 locations in over 67 countries across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Each café is dedicated to giving you a welcoming and homey atmosphere as you enjoy its wide selection of delicious beverages and dishes.

Lavazza specializes in moka pot blends. They blend natural coffee beans from different parts of the world to give you rich and satisfying coffee blends with well-balanced and distinctive aromas. They also source espresso recipes and traditions from Northern to Southern Italy to give you an exciting taste of authentic Italian espresso. Lavazza stands out from other coffee houses because it gives you a curated coffee experience based on your tastes and preferences through its line of 1895 blends.

Illy Overview

Illy caffè was founded in Trieste, Italy, in 1933 by Francesco Illy. It is now headed by the third generation of the Illy family, with Andrea Illy as the chairman. He follows in the footsteps of his grandfather and father by using innovation to make high-quality coffee.

With 259 Illy cafés and shops in more than 140 countries worldwide, Illy has established itself as a premium Italian coffee house dedicated to giving you an artistic and welcoming atmosphere. Illy is known for its one blend of gourmet coffee, which combines nine different types of pure Arabica coffee beans. The result is a rich and velvety cup of coffee with distinctive notes. It is also known for the Illy Art Collection, which adds to the artistic and decorative ambiance of its cafés. Illy specializes in blending different ingredients and recipes to give you specialty cold and hot espresso drinks, unique coffee cocktails, and classic coffees with milk.

Nespresso Overview

Nespresso is a unit of the Nestlé Group, and it was founded in 1986 to specialize in the making of espresso coffee. Guillaume Le Cunff acts as the CEO of Nespresso. He employs coffee expertise, innovation, and partnerships with farmers to preserve Nespresso’s prestige across the world. 

Nespresso has a worldwide footprint of over 802 boutiques in 82 countries. With such extensive outreach, it has enabled millions of coffee lovers to learn how to make an Italian espresso, leaving an indelible influence on the global coffee culture. It specializes in manufacturing espresso capsules, which have garnered global popularity. Nespresso sources high-quality coffee beans through sustainable farming practices and then roasts them to make the different Nespresso coffees, like Original Nespresso coffee and Vertuo Nespresso coffee. It is known for the combined Nespresso system, which allows anyone to make Italian espresso at home by using their Nespresso machine and capsules. 

Final Verdict: So, Which is Better? – Illy vs. Lavazza vs. Nespresso

All three coffee houses are great, and none is better than the other. Illy, Lavazza, and Nespresso are all high-end coffee houses that seek to give you an authentic Italian experience if you choose to dine at one of their locations. All the coffee houses have a warm and inviting atmosphere; they are accessible in different countries across the world; they have a wide selection of delicious and savory menu items; their price ranges are relatively affordable; they have different beverage sizes to cater for different preferences; and they use sustainable farming and production practices to conserve the environment. If you’re looking to immerse yourself in elegant Italian culture and art, you can dine at your nearest Illy, Lavazza, or Nespresso location for a fulfilling experience.

FAQ SECTION

Is Illy’s coffee stronger than Nespresso and Lavazza?

No. Since Illy coffee is made from 100% pure Arabica, it is less strong than Nespresso and Lavazza, which combine Arabica and Robusta in their coffee. 

Does Nespresso coffee taste better than Illy or Lavazza?

How the taste of Nespresso coffee differs from that of Illy and Lavazza depends on your personal preferences. Nespresso has a rich and full-bodied taste; Illy has a velvety and sweet taste; and Lavazza has a strong and bold taste.

Is there a big difference between Lavazza, Nespresso, and Illy?

Yes, there’s a difference between Lavazza, Nespresso, and Illy in terms of their locations and coffee products. 

Is Illy more popular than Nespresso and Lavazza?

Yes, Illy is more popular around the world because it has a wider global footprint.