Being a Gemini, I have a very specific taste for things/arbitrary desire to change desires at a moment’s notice. Coffee cups are so ubiquitous and commonplace that it is difficult to find one that really seems to stand out. “Eh, it’s just a cup of coffee. Brown stuff in a cup. Just pour it in and lemme drink it.”
No no no, the cup is part of the ceremony, the experience of drinking coffee. Oh sure you can pour it into any old cracked-porcelain-broken-handled-from-your-grandma’s-basement mug, but why wouldya?
The latest iteration, and dare I say my favorite cupware of all time, is by a company called notNeutral. I saw these on some show, immediately fell in love with their aesthetic, and did all the research in order to make them mine. After they arrived (the 12 oz. latte size, Read: awesome), I had the epiphany that I have been using the wrong cups all this time.
See? So excellent. (Boba Fett for scale) These are the 12 oz. latte size which doesn’t mean you couldn’t still pour a cappuccino in there or even gasp! quadruple Americano even. The balance of these cups is just incredible. You can hold them all day! The flatness of the handle-top feels perfectly ergonomic against your thumb. The curvature of the sculpted handle makes them just feel like you want to carry them around empty. But why would you do THAT!? Pour a coffee in there!
And! the saucers. Yes, those are equally well-designed, have a deep well that keeps the cups from shifting around, and keeps everything in place. Saucers! How the heck did that even get a design upgrade!?
No? You only wanna drink espresso (I feel ya), and you have a penchant for demitasse cups? Well, awhile back I was in a cafe in Chicago and ordered an espresso. When it was brought to the Scandinavian-designed wood table, I said “Hey! Those are my cups!” I had been using the latte guys above but didn’t even know of the existence of espresso-size. Outstanding!
(Again, Boba for scale) They are so adorable! They look and feel like mini-versions of my favorite latte cups. Same design and attention to detail. Sometimes I just want to make an espresso because they are such a pleasure to hold. Sitting on top of my machine, keeping cozy and warm, they are the perfect companion to the latte size.
Now dontcha just feel silly using those old, broken mugs from different dishware sets?