Espresso Cups and The Materials They are Made From
Espresso cups come in quite a variety of designs and styles. We are going to cover the materials typically used to make espresso cups. Espresso and Demitasse cups are typically made from porcelain, glass or stainless steel.
Porcelain Espresso Cups
The traditional material for espresso cups is porcelain. Porcelain espresso cups are a ceramic and are strong, hardy and have a nice translucency. There are typically two types of porcelain cups: art or designer cups which are made to higher quality standards (but slight less durable) and Bar cups that are much more durable but are made to a lower quality. In 1992 Illy began making porcelain espresso cups with art designs where only all white or company logo cups were available previously.
In general the thicker the porcelain is the better. This is due to the fact that thinner porcelain will not hold heat as long as thicker porcelain. If you pre-heat your espresso cup before putting the espresso in it, your drink will stay hot for a longer period of time. The thin walled cups cool down quicker and this will cool your espresso faster as well.
Glass Espresso Cups
Glass and crystal cups are easy to manufacture and they have a naturally good look to them. You will find a lot of glass espresso cups that are double walled. The reason for this is to increase the thermal properties of the cup to keep your espresso hot longer. Glass espresso cups add artistic flair through their initial shapes and by etching designs directly on the glass.
Stainless Steel Espresso Cups
Stainless steel has a very modern appeal to is so it may fit your style and décor better than other materials. Stainless steel cups are most often polished to a mirror like finish but they can also be found with satin finishes. Stainless steel espresso cups are also made as double walled cups to improve upon their thermal properties.
Other materials
Espresso Cups are made from other materials but they are much less common.
If you are a traditionalist, porcelain espresso cups are the way to go. If you like the looks of glass or stainless steel cups then you are good to go with those. If you are into the art and collectability of demitasse cups then the porcelain designer espresso cups will fit your bill. Porcelain, glass or stainless steel, you won’t go wrong with any of these types of Demitasse cups.