Hey guys

I've recently gotten an old lever espresso machine working and so far I love the shots it makes. However they are very small and the cups I have seem way to big for this type of machine. I'm having trouble finding a cup small enough. What cup or shotglass do you guys use(or would use) for very small shot volume?

I use notNeutral Lino espresso cups

For me the regular IPA cups work great, even when a double ristretto only wets the bottom

Edit, the reason for using these is that the shape seems to do something for the result and I like cups large enough to use my nose while drinking (find that without that taste is greatly diminished)

Inker Ischia are my favorite cups for low volume shots. They have a wide, shallow, and fairly small bowl which still allows you to smell the aroma. And they are available in tons of colors: Espresso cups used at high end cafes.

Not Neutrals are really nice to hold, but I think their demis are too big.. like 4oz IIRC.

Personally, I use the Espresso Parts tulip shape demis in black. They are fairly durable, and hold heat well.

I have a rather large collection of mostly demitasse cups of various types from bone china to some very strange things. In general the "can" type demitasse cups are relatively large, most seem to hold about 100 mL. Typical round bottom ones tend to run in the 70 mL or so range. If your area have lots of antique shops they can often offer some really neat cups, and of many many different types. In such shops in this area you will tend to find very inexpensive ones to very expensive ones. In such a shop I once found a tiny sub demitasse bone china cup that was probably meant for children that holds only 20 mL!

There is a rather old Chinese pattern called Blue Onion. Many European china makers have copied it; these are very unusual and typically are rather small in about the 40 to 50 mL range. On the strange and expensive range I have seen sterling cups with bone china liners, these are small, perhaps 40 mL, but they are expensive, from US$40 and up. They look expensive, and they are! Except for the 20mL one described above, I think the smallest ones I ever saw in a shop were in Puerto Montt, Chile. I got two of them. They were very inexpensive, as I remember the equivalent of about US$4 (2000 Chilean pesos), and they hold about 30 mL. You can find small metal cups but even the double walled ones tend to cool off too fast. The small double walled glass lined ones, however, are great, but I tend to go in for the unusual.

LukeFlynn wrote:Not Neutrals are really nice to hold, but I think their demis are too big.. like 4oz IIRC.

I have NotNeutral Meno (same internal dimensions as Lino) espresso cups and can verify they hold 3oz filled right up to the brim. With my Cremina pulls, I don't exceed 40g and they're a pretty perfect size for that - any smaller cup I'd worry about spilling over.

I spent an inordinate amount of time looking for cups until I came across a small company called Circa Ceramics https://www.etsy.com/shop/CircaCeramics

I had them make me three sizes of cups all sans any type of screening, and couldn't be more happy with them. The espresso cup holds 50mL to the brim, and the cup weighs in at a hefty 187g. The weight is due to the extraordinarily thick walls, which really helps with heat retention (not to mention strength).

Being that they are hand-made, and by a small company, it did take some time to get them. However, it was absolutely worth the cost and wait.

How about shot glasses,

http://www.amazon.com/Bormioli-Rocco-Ca ... detailpage

Maybe the Francis Francis cups would be good for you. They aren't big cups although they are really thick, but they do hold two ounces. I just got some a couple of months ago and I love them.
https://www.wholelattelove.com/products ... -lightblue