There is always a periodic "refresh" in just about every hobby or passion you could turn your mind to. Every so often I think we rationalise to ourselves that the "things" are outdated or not functioning as they once did and we somehow need new ones.
The reality is more akin to the purchases being small enough to justify a reasonable cadence of replacement, but at the end of the day, satisfying the need for something new. Plain and simple, we want them. "New" is not necessarily essential to keep things ticking along, however will it bring significant enjoyment? Absolutely yes. Further, will it result in incremental improvement? Perhaps. Sometimes we're just after new — sometimes better as well.
For your tech, it might be new apps. Your pens? Well, a new refill or ink never goes astray. Whatever you might be into, the "accessories" menu on any website is where you'll find them. It might be an absolute necessity to "add to cart" to stumble over the line for free shipping, or conversely the: "well if I'm going to pay shipping, I may as well throw in…"type of purchase.
Or it can be significantly more than that…
The humble cup
I cannot think of a more notable and deserving member of the accessories club than the coffee cup. No, I'm not talking about the myriad of takeaway style reusables out there, as important as they are for both the environment and our daily brew, but actual ceramic and glass. The OG's if you will. Something you can actually wrap your hand around which will give you some warmth and love right back, rather than the apathy returned from an insulated reusable — or worse — a disposable takeaway cup.
One of the earliest "slow-living" enablers, rather than something you hastily fill, close and ram into your car's cupholder.
Think about it: You. That early morning filter coffee or perfectly crafted cappuccino. Sunrise. A full-to-the-brim companion at your side. What could be better?
Depending on where they sit (atop an espresso machine, hanging on a hook, or sitting on a shelf), they are largely a decorative piece when not in use. The vibe might be one of blending in, or serving as somewhat of a statement piece, adding colour to your bar or kitchen.
As decorative as things may be, function is key. My earlier remark about the cup being the perfect accessory was probably a little flippant — for without careful consideration of material, shape, and design — we are simply left with all style and no substance. A red sports car isn't just a red car…
You might say the humble coffee cup only has one job, and sure, you could say that, however holding liquid is merely the gateway into showcasing everything preceding that point in time. Long-held coffee wisdom tells us that once a coffee cherry is picked from the tree, we cannot improve on it — only do our best to stop the degradation of flavour and inherent characteristics that make it something special. A critical component of that final expression? The cup it is served in.
Minimum requirements
Now, of course brewing coffee at home will require a few things in addition to your basic consumables. The brewing equipment itself runs the gamut of the entire complexity and expense continuum, from a simple plastic brewer through to an expensive espresso machine. Often, though not always, a cup collection tends to be relatively proportional to that up-sloping curve.
Because as you can imagine, to even function as a human, I absolutely require the following to cater for the various beverages made on my espresso machine:
- your typical 3oz (90ml) demitasse espresso cups and saucers in both traditional shape and branding, contrasted by some with a modern twist (100ml)
- 5oz (148ml) cappuccino cups to hold the best type of morning beverage (traditional cappuccino) in the best sized cup;
- standard 8.5oz (250ml) for those who choose "mug" when offered the choice
Anything larger than that for a milk-based drink, and we have no business writing a blog about coffee in any way shape or form. In this house, a 12oz beverage will only be achieved through two sixes, or hey, I'll throw in a bonus ounce with an eight and a five.
The exception here? Filter coffee, where the diner mug or larger sized cup really comes into its own. For those, yes — we go large. Otherwise, stay classy people.
Recent (and most welcome) additions
…to fill in the gaps above. Yes, if you look closely there are a couple there:
- a 4.0 to 4.5oz (120 – 133ml) cortado glasses, which fills very nicely the gaping 0.5 to 1.0 oz hole between my espresso and cappuccino cups
- a deftly placed 6.0 to 6.5 oz (180 – 200ml) modern cappuccino cup for when 8oz is too much yet 5oz not enough
Well Peter, perhaps for those situations above you could just use a 5oz and 8oz respectively and not quite fill them?
You are kidding, aren't you?
By the way, you'll find some of my favourite cups shown above, here:
notNeutral
ACME
Beautiful utility
Really the whole story. Things of beauty, serving a function superbly. A joy to (be)hold. Within the realms of modern, unique, vintage, retro or timeless, with a bit of searching and perhaps luck, you really can get anything that takes your fancy.
Could you use an old jam jar for the same purpose? Well, yes you could. If that purpose was simply to hold liquid, however, I'd argue that isn't really the purpose at all. For me, beautifully made cups and glasses add to the entire experience of making and consuming coffee at home.
It's not only how they look on the table in front of me, but also on the cup warming tray atop the espresso machine. It's the weight, texture, and size as I pick them up to begin brewing. It's the design aimed at maximising the sensory experience and retaining the heat, body, clarity, and texture of whatever I have just brewed or poured into the cup. Ultimately, it's what I look at, what draws me in, and what I wrap my hand around at the table.
In the same way many hands have gone into producing, processing and roasting the coffee that now sits in the cup, if I've "bought well", then many hands and design decisions have also gone into manufacturing the cup that particular coffee now fills. There is nothing quite like a beautiful, functional, well-designed piece of drink ware, and it's something I will not stop putting considerable thought and attention to.
In closing, I do hope your preferred cup is full, and may it bring as much enjoyment and warmth to your soul as the coffee you have carefully placed in its care.
It's October 1 — Happy International Coffee Day!
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