Beezer wrote:I just got a couple of these nice macchiato cups from Intelligentsia. They're like tiny latte cups. I like 'em.

Those look very much in shape/style/thickness like the ACF Nero 3oz "Espresso Machiatto" cups I got from Great Infusions. Sans any logo of course.

They are ACF cups. Says so right on the bottom.

it got to know I.P.A at the espressobar of highway service station of Autogrill near Bologna: they have a very essential selection of feldspatic porcelain cups. check it out: http://www.ipaporcellane.it/inglese/modelli/1.htm

ogatasan wrote:it happened at a highway service station of Autogrill near Bologna: an emptied Cappuccino cup fell in my bag. strangely the same thing occurred again a few months later

As I prepare to open my roastery cafe thanks for reminding me to factor in theft calculating the cost of goods.

miKe mcKoffee wrote:As I prepare to open my roastery cafe thanks for reminding me to factor in theft calculating the cost of goods.

Lop a hand off for me if you catch them in the act! Thieves make life suck!

As much as I like Illy Cups, I'm not fond of IPA's porcelain. ACF makes great cups, I wish Illy would use them for their main bar cups. The IPA's are OK, I guess I should stop comparing them to the Rosenthal versions, those are absolutely perfect in every way. They may not be as thick but better quality porcelain retains heat better than a poor quality thick version.

Now that you mention thievery, I better not stock good quality cups in my cafe or just work that into some kind of fee.
Wouldn't it be nice to charge some kind of porcelain deposit fee? - Kind of crazy! At least you'd get cups returned more often.
Instead of a coat check, you get a cup check...

miKe mcKoffee wrote:Those look very much in shape/style/thickness like the ACF Nero 3oz "Espresso Machiatto" cups I got from Great Infusions. Sans any logo of course.

Hey Mike,

That pic was a really impressive shot using Barefoot Roasting Sweetness. That morning I was getting one after another of these sick and twisted tiger spotted shots - the pours were sooo good. Sweetness is a yirgacheffe blend that has this liquor aftertaste. That was like a year ago and I still remember how good it was. mmm

so before any of you chop my head off or i dimy (doitmyself) let me point out that i would have preferred to pay for the cup or buy a set just there. in fact one cup and the other plate had a dent. i knew that the tip i left at the counter would be around their value but the money would go to the staff rather than the chain. you could also find it irritating that damaged cups are not getting replaced, you should make that part of your equation as well

if i may come back to the topic now id like to add that i dont like the illy cups for the ergonomics and optics of their handles.

ogatasan wrote:id like to add that i dont like the illy cups for the ergonomics and optics of their handles.

That's what makes them so special. They're not only nice cups to use, most people are afraid to use them because they're so expensive, they're simply the most beautiful out there. Also, their saucers are unmatched by any mortal cup maker out there, who else has that aesthetically pleasing pedestal on the saucer?
I'm not afraid to use them, as a matter of fact...if any of you were to visit I'd serve you a drink in a rare alien cup or something they made only 1,000 cups or so in.
Life's too short...

Niko wrote:they're simply the most beautiful out there. Also, their saucers are unmatched by any mortal cup maker out there, who else has that aesthetically pleasing pedestal on the saucer?

i like their shape too, its just the handle that bothers me, and please dont get me wrong, they are far from being a bad choice.

i'd call it design for designs sake and not for the ergonomics. matteo thun opens a gap by favoring iconic form over practical function. the problem i have with it is that i need to squeeze thumb and forefinger together and that its circular shape suggests the cup wants to pivot around it to spill my coffee- this somehow gives me a feeling of unrest, maybe some would call it bad feng shui. i tend to support the handle and stabilize the cup with my middle finger - an impossible thing with the illys.

as for the pedestal saucers - i guess it comes down to taste i find the guesture a bit too loud.

niko, bay area sounds tempting and i like your alien cup (it wouldnt go missing, no worries) - but first ill save on an e61 machine.