Best Coffee Cups for your Espresso Drinks

- Apr 22, 2021
- 4 min read

Updated: Jan 7

Best Coffee Cups for your Espresso Drinks

Ever wonder how coffee was discovered? Well, it starts with a fascinating yet controversial story. Coffee was discovered by a farmer in Ethiopia named Kaldi when he found his goats eating berries and becoming energetic. After having the same reaction when he tried the berries himself, he reported his discovery to the local monastery. The monks started using the berries to help them stay up and pray all night. Eventually they created a drink out of the berries called “qahveh” which quickly spread across trade routes reaching the Red Sea in Mukha / Mohka / Mocha, a town located in the Southwestern of Yemen.

By 15th century, the beverage had expanded to the islamic world. Coffee houses became a haven for men to enjoy entertainment, discuss business, news and politics. The rulers of Mecca and Constantinople weren’t too happy about this and banned the beverage in order to curb political discussion. Even with the ban, people continued consuming the beverage in secret.

Coffee was first introduced to Europe through the port of Malta during the Great Siege of Malta by captured Turkish muslim slaves. The slaves would make money by preparing coffee for their captors. Shortly after, trading of African goods from the muslims of north Africa and Egypt introduced the beverage to wealthy people of Venice and it soon became the most popular beverage around! The clergy of Venice called it the “bitter intervention of Satan”. However, despite the controversy, coffee was approved by the Pope after trying the drink himself and declaring it safe.

As coffee spread across Europe, English cafes called “Penny Universities” replaced taverns as a space for individuals to debate about, guess what….business, news and politics! These cafes met resistance from a group of women who disliked coffee drinkers and came out with a propaganda against coffee. Historians are unclear whether it was actually written by a group of unhappy wives or as form of satire depicting how women feel about coffee houses:

Here is an excerpt from the petition:

“For can any woman of sense or spirit endure with patience, that when privileged by legal ceremonies, she approaches the nuptial bed, expecting a man that with sprightly embraces, should answer the vigor of her flames, she on the contrary should only meat a bedful of bones, and hug a meager useless corpse rendered as sapless as a Kixe, and dryer than a Pumice Stone, by the perpetual Fumes of Tobacco, and the bewitching effects of the pernituos coffee, where nature is enfeebled…”

Around 1965, history repeated itself when King Charles II decided to ban coffee in England for the fear of being overthrown by the townspeople. The ban only lasted for two days and was withdrawn for political reasons. Interestingly enough, the cafes or "penny universities " was where the idea of capitalism was first born. Lloyds of London and British East India Company are only a few examples of companies that started as a cafes.

As the demand for coffee grew, cultivation became competitive and plantations outside Arabia started emerging in other parts of the world. Africa, Haiti, Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Columbia, Vietnam, India, Japan, Philippines and Indonesia were amongst the first producers of coffee. Since then, Fair Trade organization were created to protect the farmers and help secure better pay for better lives.

Historically, Venetians were the largest coffee drinkers. They were the first to add sugar and milk to coffee calling it “kapuziner” after the color of the monk’s robes. This later became what we now know as the “cappuccino,” revolutionizing coffee. What follows are different ways to take your coffee, how it's made and what type of mug should you use. Let’s start with the basics.

ESPRESSO - achieved when you push hot water 200F through a compacted 7g ground beans. The pressure from the water and coffee oil creates a cream also known as crema. This is best consumed by slurping to taste the aroma. The mug is usually designed with narrow bottom that concentrates the flavor and an open rim to accentuate the cream for presentation. A single shot is about 1 oz. A double shot of shot of espresso is known as a doppio.

Espresso shot on Green Celadon demitasse

MACCHIATO - means “marked” in Italian. This drink consists of 2 shots of espresso and a dollop milk foam. Served in a demitasse cup or glass and it is usually 3 - 4 ounces.

Doppio Cup with Macchiato by Koffywood

CAPPUCCINO - 2 shots of espresso, 2-3 oz steamed milk and 20-40% milk foam. Total of 5 - 6 oz cup. Narrow bottom and wider rim at the top for foam presentation.

Cappuccino by Fig Tree

on our rustic white matte cappuccino cup

FLAT WHITE - crafted in Australia. It is usually stronger than a latte because it has less milk and a microfoam. 2 shots of espresso, 6 oz steamed milk and 10% foam. Similar mug to cappuccino.