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Coffee comes with nostalgia roasted in. From reblogging pictures of aesthetically shot Starbucks cups on Tumblr to sinking into weathered banquettes at our local suburban Costa branch, the sugary flavours of caramel frappés taste how coming of age feels.
On visits to my family home, fragrant, deeply rich coffee began to feel like a true comfort. My (Iranian) parents’ traditional dainty crockery, hand-painted pots and barista-level equipment became even more special than any experience a ‘£6 per flat white’ central London café could offer me. Even now, I savour homemade cups of joe on lazy weekend mornings, and it’s important to me that I can whip up the most special coffee experiences in the comfort of my own flat. This is my wish list to achieve that.
For the coffee-making beginner, Sage’s ‘Barista Touch Impress’ machine is a good place to start, thanks to its step-by-step guidance that has demystified the coffee-preparing process. A built-in grinder works wonders to streamline the process, as does the automatic dispenser that doles out just the right amount at the push of a button, and an integrated tamper to ensure a flat, polished puck with, miraculously, no mess. As someone who had previously spent months trying (and failing) to perfect the perfect steamed milk for my morning cappuccinos, the stand-out feature of this slick model is undoubtedly the hands-free milk frother that can be adjusted to various temperatures and textures for the ideal, silky microfoam. It comes in four different colourways, including a ‘sea salt white’ and ‘black stainless steel’, so you’d be bringing plenty of pizzazz to the café ‘Chez Vous’. All that’s left is for you to try your hand at playing barista.
Some of my greatest tableware finds have come from charity shops, car-boot sales and second-hand stores. Currently at the top of our wish list? This vintage coffee pot by Robert Picault. With slight imperfections and distinctive characteristics that add to its mid-20th-century charm, this vessel boasts geometric patterns in a palette of green, blue and brown. For maximum effect, present this to visitors alongside a mismatching mix of antique cups and saucers.
Alighieri’s molten-style jewellery oozes vintage, which fittingly led its founder, Rosh Mahtani, to launch selected drops of antiques she sourced on her travels. In the latest edit are these gilded cups and saucers, which are quite possibly the most luxurious way of sipping on your morning espresso. The cups flare towards the base, and they slot satisfyingly into the saucer.
Hermès’s equestrian heritage is celebrated in its ‘Cheval d’Orient’ collection, which takes inspiration from 15th- and 16th-century Persian miniatures, blending those styles with the classic shapes and dimensions of Western tableware. This sugar bowl has been crafted from porcelain; the designs are screen-printed and applied by hand using 24-carat gold thread. In Iran, we don’t usually pour sugar into our drinks. Instead, we drop a cube of the stuff into our mouth and keep it there as we race to finish our coffee before it dissolves.
My father is from Tabriz, a city in the northern Turkish-speaking region. When I saw these plates from L’Objet, I loved the way they reminded me of the local bazaars, and the colours and textures in my grandparents’ home. The collection comprises a tray, mugs and dessert plates – on the last, I’m imagining a mouthwatering selection of baklava.
With your collection of coffee equipment coming together beautifully, let’s not skimp on the finishing touches. This ‘Leaf’ sugar spoon by Osanna Visconti, produced using the lost-wax technique, is a total one-off and bound to become a topic of conversation. Choose between a bronze pink gold-plated or bronze silver-plated colourway – either way, it’s as sweet as it luxurious.
On a trip to New York last year, prompted to do as the native city dwellers do, I felt it was right to grab a coffee from a bodega. The drink was served to me in a distinctive paper cup (one that I’d recognised from shows like Mad Men and The Sopranos) in the colours of the Greek flag and adorned with the message ‘We Are Happy to Serve You’ in a suitably Hellenic font framed within a meander motif. This reusable ceramic iteration from Moma’s Design Store is as novel as it is practical – the perfect vessel for a hot brew.
