OK, this is the last Nespresso machine-related query for some time. Promise. I’m looking for very thick, super old school-looking demitasse cups, which are surprisingly hard to find. Here’s what I’ve got. This worthy-if-not-thrilling option from Fishs Eddy, which my friend, the redoubtable tastemaker Cynthia Kling, likes best because it would also work for a macchiato.
Or this Le Creuset? Not so old school—in that its shape somewhat resembles a planter—but so happy in that classic Le Creuset tomato red.
Some nice sturdy Fiestaware? Or—and this is a controversial choice:
“Hmm. Brown cup with a brown drink?” asks Ms. Kling. To which I say: Yes, if you think of it that way. But also so totally what they’d serve it in if you were in Italy right now!
Or, finally, the dark horse option: something design-y and glass?
My favorite of the above is the Fiestaware. I used to drink my Nespresso out of Bodum demitasse cups, but mostly I drink it out of whatever’s handy, no matter the size. At the moment, I am drinking it out of one of my kids’ Crate and Barrel hot chocolate mugs with a polar bear on it. I always wanted these http://shop.illy.com/online/store/product_coffee-cups-mugs_illy-logo-espresso-cups_us so I could pretend I was Eurotrash at an Illy cafe in a hotel somewhere.
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I love and would vote for the traditional Italian/brown option. But you might be intrested in these, from Peet’s. (Alas, they don’t have saucers.) But I’ve seen them in person — they are really lovely and sophisticated looking.
http://www.peets.com/shop/essentials_detail.asp?id=2311&cid=3006
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Brown or Glass… I know, they’re so different.
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my first impulse was classic brown, but then i’m thinking maybe trying too hard, we’re not in italy are we.
i like le creuset. red, and suggests but doesn’t scream european.
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Try the glass. I’d like to know how you like them.
We have these:
http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-198029/Sur-La-Table-Italian-Espresso-Cups
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I love your cups. They remind me of enamel mugs (we also have plates) that I drank from as a kid. I’m heading to Sur la Table this afternoon to get a set.
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I like the Fishs Eddy, but I love simple dishes because I think what you put in them or on them should be the focus. Too much color or pattern makes me nauseous.
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i had that very brown cup and gave it away because i found the handle unusable. my hands are small, but i still felt cramped with that cup. i love that red one. i agree, it does look happy.
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I am sorry to say, the macchiato comment went over my head. How come you can’t put a macchiato in the other cups too?? Confused!!!
What about trying one of each? That way it can depend on your mood in the morning. Also, those doublewall glass ones come in a little, rounder espresso shape, I think. It’s cute.
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I’m partial to Fiestaware in general, so that gets my vote. Also intrigued by the glass option.
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Love the glass or Le Creuset. Fiestaware doesn’t do it for me, and that handle looks tiny. If you’re considering the glass, what about one of these? Pretty sure they have them at Zabar’s, if you can come that far uptown 🙂
http://www.finnstyle.com/snackbowls.html
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Fishs Eddy, hands down.
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how about some marimekko ones?
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I like the glass best. Or the brown one.
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The Fish’s Eddy, of course.
1. The red Le Creuset ones make me think of suburban kitchens. One false move and you’ll be buying a red tea towel and before you know it, you will have a red themed kitchen like we did in the 80s and we have to move on..
2. The Fiestaware is a close second but the place where you put your fingers looks too small. And who needs that stress?
3. Please don’t serve hot beverages out of glass, and please don’t serve me vodka in a teacup.
The Fish’s Eddy ones are perfect.
I love my Nespresso.
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Not a coffee drinker, so I am going purely by aesthetics: the first one!
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The glass ones are great but they smash like crazy. The fiestaware ones are hard to hold.
The brown one is kind of eh. So I vote for the first two.
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Nothing better than my Bdoum demitasse. Very moden but oh so enjoyable
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I bought the classic Comptoire de Famille. Off white w/deep burgundy stripe edge. The cup says: La Brasserie du Square. Bought them at a local French store. Just the right size for a double espresso with room for a cream float.
http://www.americancountry.com/la-brasserie-du-square-tea-cup-and-saucer_p_1680_13762_5.cfm
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Brown. The white rim makes the brown-on-brown OK. And it reminds me of France.
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Love a big glass one for machiatos–glass can be tempered for hot drinks, I think…and the Le Creuset. I have cobalt blue demitasse cups, which I love.
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Fishs Eddy but better yet, take a look at Coffee Bar by Konitz.
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Red all the way. Happy color for a happy drink. We put so many constraints on our clothing choices….go wild with the cups.
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Sorry, I´m too distracted by the “eurotrash” comment to weigh in on the cup choices.
Way to keep it classy, Amy.
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Fishs Eddy!
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Go for the classic, brown espresso cups. They’re what you’d have all over Europe. And each time you stir or sip, a little part of you will be transported to a café terrace, looking fetching, making eye contact with beautiful strangers, sipping black brew.
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Fishs Eddy. Classic.
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I love the glass ones. You have to hand-wash them, but I what I love about them is that you can cup them in your hand without burning yourself. And the double-walled insulation keeps your coffee warmer for longer!
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I always like white. But another option I like is the bodum bistro double wall espresso mugs. They have a nice classic shape with out being to on the nose. If you have a chance check it out.
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I really really love the red. But I also adore the plain old Fishs Eddy one. Mostly because it’s REALLY classic.
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Love the Fish’s Eddy! So simple! So perfect! You can’t go wrong with any of them but I love the simplicity of the Fish’s Eddy design.
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I say Fish’s Eddy or a Bodum glasses.
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Fish’s Eddy – Why??
Le Creuset – Great for pots, not for dishes
Fiestaware – yuck, not modern
Brown – depressing
glass – not tasty
We use Apilco from Williams Sonoma. Classic, and comes in handy as portion controlled ice cream dish too. Btw, you can never have too many posts about Nespresso. We are still obsessed with our Latissima machine after 6 years!
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Agreed — I find that I don’t get tired of conversations about coffee and coffeemaking. Blab as much as you want. Especially if there are photos.
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Nothing wrong with classic brown. Chi-ic. European.
But I love the glass ones for drinking out of.
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Brown old-school option. As you say, that’s what you’d get il banco
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I say Fiestaware. It’s indestructible and classic.
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I’m going away from all the other votes and saying Le Creuset. Why? Because I <3 them to no end. 🙂
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Clearly I am late to this party, but I like the first option. Also, DO NOT get the glass ones. They break very easily. Like, I was wiped in in under a year. 🙁
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In fashion terms, I’d look at which has the best “hand”. For me it is the first, as it looks the most comfortable to hold and has a discreet classic look. The red is great but I find the loopy handles can wrench the finger. The brown one looks like only a baby’s finger would fit in the handle. I cannot condone the glass.
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Brownie is my first choice and second is the first white one. Yes, I’m a bit of a trad.
Or I’d go with Apilco porcelain classics for multi use.
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/apilco-tradition-porcelain-cup-and-saucer/?pkey=ctabletop-apilco
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Oooh, that’s nice.
Here is a factoid that may or may not be of interest — porcelain is supposedly fully “vitrified,” so it shouldn’t heat up in the microwave. I finally got sick of having plates which heat up more than the food so I looked it up. It’s true of glass as well, at least I think so, and sometimes ceramics are made that way too. The idea is, they are sealed so they don’t absorb water when you wash them. (Microwaves work by heating the water in the food.)
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love the first white one.
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I’m back to say I can’t get these out of my mind. Blue Bottle Coffee has a kiosk on the roof of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and they use these.
http://www.heathceramics.com/cook-dine/espresso-cup-saucer.html#p195
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Blue bottle. Le sigh.
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I have these for my nespresso. I like the basic look. And I don’t crave Swedish meatballs when have my Dulsao.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/26286910/
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