The Perfect Coffee Cup

For me, nothing is better on a lazy weekend morning than a mug of hot coffee lightened with a heavy dose of equally warm milk. Let me correct myself: Make that a bowl of hot coffee.

A trip to Amsterdam about a decade ago got me hooked on serving coffee in footed bowls, European style, a method not seen much on this side of the Atlantic. So I picked up a vintage example at a flea market in the Netherlands and have been using it ever since. It’s incredibly comforting and makes me feel a bit like someone in a Vermeer painting: the thick white porcelain coffee bowl held in both hands, steam rising, my palms warmed by the radiating heat. Since it has no handle to grip, a coffee bowl requires a bit more attention than a mug, and using that bowl forces me to savor what I’m drinking rather than rushing it. (Likely this is so I don’t spill any coffee on myself.) But anything that makes a responsibility-free Sunday morning seem a little longer is fine by me.

I’ve decided to stock up on new coffee bowls in anticipation of summer guests. The best I’ve found are the standards manufactured by the French company Pillivuyt, which has been in business since 1818. The plain white coffee bowls from the Sancerre line hold 13 ounces and cost around $17 each. To find a distributor near you, go to Pillivuyt’s website.

Mitchell Owens
Editor at Large, ELLE DECOR