Good tip. Perhaps I should try it for my triple shot latte in Cape Town

I agree that we should consider alternative shapes — my favourite is still the ACF competition espresso cup but I sometimes try to lick the bottom and my tongue is not long enough.

The problem of scorching cups is not one I have had to deal with; a much more common problem is espresso which is not hot enough. This is where thin walled cups fail, losing a lot of heat very quickly.

Another issue is that since espresso is (or should be) a small amount of liquid, 1-2 oz, it is comforting to drink it from a very dense cup, it makes the experience more “weighty” if that makes any sense.

Anyway it’s my 2¢

I have been thinking about this for awhile as well. Could espresso and coffee be enhanced by the cup it’s in, like wine is? I am going to have to start experimenting with this.

Being an activist about coffee as a passion doesn’t necessarily mean pretentious either.

1 – Exploring the vessels we serve coffee is a good step forward. John Piquet of Salt Lake City’s Caffe D’Bolla has been painstakingly sourcing very particular china for a number of years now and my experience there sounds very similar to yours at the tea joint.

2 – Without disrespect to anyone, I’m a bit troubled that anyone would automatically presume that working specialized cupware into service would be “pretentious.” Perhaps if you touted it boldly and brashly to the customer and the public, but presented the correct way, it would just seem “right” and unobtrusive to the experience.

When venturing out, I find it reassuring that a restaurant invests in specialized glassware for their wine service (or bar service, for that matter). It’s testament to their commitment to look down and see a well-regarded glassmaker etched into the base of the glass. If the vessel is doing its job and they have paired the wine to the proper glass, then it can be a very rewarding experience – and one that the restaurant does not need to call attention.

It’s that calling of attention to the detraction of the experience when it crosses into pretentiousness.

3 – Since there’s hardly an industry that supports vessels designed for coffee, we must look elsewhere. John Piquet can be an insightful resource on this matter. He’s been thinking about cupware for coffee for years and I was blown away a couple of years ago when I went to visit D’Bolla for an afternoon at how much work he had done looking into cups for coffee.

For the past couple of years, I’ve been playing around with Reidel wine glasses as coffee vessels. The unique shapes of their glassware deliver liquid to different parts of your palate (or so the theory goes) which can highlight or diminish different aspects of flavor.

A word of caution: deeply inhaling through your nose to savor the aroma of a freshly brewed coffee from a burgundy-shaped wine glass may cause a strong burning sensation. Better to allow the coffee to cool first!

4 – The cups in you photos look like the Gong-Fu (or is it Gai-Wan?) style of cups. Nice, small cups with thin lips. I’ve only used them for tea but I agree, the lip can “disappear” while drinking. Hmmm, perhaps after ten thousand years we too will have mastered something like this for coffee!

Not pretentious at all … perhaps for a more earthy take, a porcelain coated Yixing clay tea cup:

http://www.indigo-tea.com/images/Yixing-cup-white-5485.jpg

http://www.puritealounge.com/images/product/TWR-04-1081-01-SP_1.jpg

Tim-
Seems to me that if we’re looking to win people over and are overtly worried about coming off as “pretentious” then perhaps the best route is not to draw attention to the cups while serving them to the customer?

Pretentiousness comes about when someone wants to boast or use some level of knowledge as a means to feel superior to others.

To my mind, the appropriate route is to serve the best product possible utilizing whatever ingredients/serviceware necessary to deliver the desired result – without calling out for attention to any of the parameters. Then, when a customer asks what we do that makes the difference, we can then share with them the dozen minute details that we have utilized to create that experience for them.

In many respects, the work should look effortless, smooth and controlled from the guests viewpoint. We sweat the details. They’re here to enjoy and not be browbeaten with thirty different details and talking points about why this coffee is better than Monmouth.

How about something like this?:
http://www.marylandchina.com/uploads/6133.jpg
(without the ugly foot and without the gold)
It has a similar lip to the tea bowl but it is a more functional shape for coffee and people wouldn’t complain about the lack of handle and their coffee cooling too fast from evaporation.

One thing I would like to note is that your average independent shop in Japan uses china like the above, or better. People there treat their food and drink with respect because they know the shop owner cares about mastering, or has mastered, their craft. It’s about taking more appreciation in what we do, and communicating that to the customer. It’s about sharing the soul of the experience.

If anyone watches Anthony Bourdain’s “Tokyo” visit on No Reservations, if you understand the essence that permeates everything going on, that is what I think all of us should embody.

My cent.

i like that post

I dig your post.

I think the vessels are absolutely worth exploring.

Pretentious? Absolutely not….Afterall, most craft beer makers have glasses specifically shaped for their individual beers to affect the perception of aroma and flavor.

Why shouldn’t we treat different brewing methods and coffees the same way…yet again, a whole new area to explore!