We all deserve a coffee break and of course coffee does span many centuries and all sorts of contraptions have been invented to allow us to enjoy so today's blog I am going to celebrate coffee... though to be fair I don't even drink it (sends me loopy)... though I am an aficionado on the subject after running several coffee bars and taking part in barista competitions there is not much I don't know about the subject. Saying that Dr Dregs loves nothing more than a proper cup of coffee in the morning and his favourite coffee maker has to be the Cona Coffee maker which spans back to 1910. It is an all glass contraption and the designs have changed through the eras and look delightfully like a scientific experiment.
The coffee extraction process take part entirely within glass and employs a vacuum filtration to ensure the coffee blend is at the correct temperature. Using the two chambers and the gentle pressure of air and water vapour the coffee it produces is rich and crisp and oh so smooth. Due to it being made entirely in glass you get full extraction of all of the alkaloids and oils without the taint of plastic or metals... a true scientific approach to coffee making. We currently have one of these in our shop and it will be hitting our ebay store very soon...fully boxed and unused no less.
The most familiar espresso maker has to be the stove top espresso maker "Moka Pot"that is made entirely from stainless steel and uses the pressure method with the water in the bottom a chamber with tampered ground coffee in the middle, the water boils and the pressure of the vapour vacuum pushes through the coffee and gathers in the top chamber...simple yet effective. A little similar to the electric espresso makers but the pressure is a lot less around 1.5 bars rather than 9 bars.
Finally I come to the first espresso machine to be developed in 1905 by Luigi Bezzera who while trying to hurry along his workers during their coffee break came up with this glorious contraption which he patented for Pavoni. It is a vertical machine with a boiler kept at a constant pressure via a gas ring with side brewing groups supported by inside hooks and a filter for ground coffee. By opening a knob and letting water and then steam through the coffee filter...enabling the brewing of an espresso in one minute...hence the word espresso as in express. The invention of these machines kick started the European coffee bar culture which we so enjoy today.
Finally I come to what we drink them in of course a demitasse cup has to be the one to get the full aroma of the coffee and of course it needs to be served in style so you can see the smooth crema formed on the top. Back in the 50's a lot of pottery made its way into English homes but was never used, they were only for show. With trips to Europe becoming popular pottery was bought home but of course we English either drank tea or very bad instant coffee in mugs and such small cups would have been looked at as a novelty and not to actually use... good for our generation of vintage coffee lovers as now they are emerging out of the woodwork unused and ready to go and with most modern households now having either a vintage or modern espresso machine which gets used daily I have been selling lots of them, especially the mid century free form sets like the red and black Cmielow set above which I sold recently. Cmielow is a Polish Pottery co and they produced some fantastic designs around the 1950's. I also love this colourful set from Cmielow , they would most certainly brighten up your coffee break.
Not leaving out the British designers I love this Poole Pottery set with the mottled grey on the outside and pretty pink on the inside. The demitasse cups are perfect for serving up your morning espresso in style. I have this set in the shop ready to grace your very own vintage breakfast table.
So next time you take a coffee break do it with a little vintage finesse and style...don't follow the crowd and drink from paper cups at the local coffee store.. go get yourself a vintage machine and get back to basics and enjoy the coffee the you have actually made with your own fair hands... you can even experiment with different beans to find a truly good morning pick me up.
Sista Society x
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