Yesterday Coca-Cola and Italy’s illycaffé announced that they’ll be teaming up to create ready-to-drink coffee. No word yet on whether it will be a single beverage or a range of products, but this collaboration is sure to give the PepsiCo/Starbucks partnership a run for their money. I think illy makes a far better espresso, hands down — I love its chocolaty, slighty fruity and floral notes much better than Starbucks’ gritty burnt rubber flavor.

I’m speculating that they’ll create an espresso drink like Starbucks DoubleShot at the very least. But given the popularity of the Frappuccino, it would make sense for them to come up with a sweet, creamy coffee-based beverage. Preferably in a big bottle to suit the American appetite.

Since the only standalone illy café in the U.S. is in Washington, D.C., I don’t know if they serve anything like the Frappuccino. The illy website, however, provides a recipe for a sweet, milky coffee drink called the illy freddo cappuccino (pictured above right), something that seems to have mass-production potential, and I mean that in a good way.

This may be illy’s big break into the U.S. market. illy’s been served in many coffeeshops and restaurants for years here, but aside from the one café in D.C. that opened just a few months ago, there aren’t any other dedicated illy shops right now. But if you’re in New York between November 28 and December 29, you can get your fix at a pop-up venue at the Time Warner Center. The temporary illy café is installed inside the Push Button House, a recycled metal shipping container redesigned and repurposed by architect Adam Kalkin which opens up like a Swiss army knife to reveal a fully functioning little coffeeshop. You have to see it to believe it — read The Cool Hunter article here. As a design junkie and coffee appreciater, I’m totally jealous of all you New Yorkers right now.