Many years ago I worked for New York Life Insurance in New York City. The cafeteria served lunch complete with coffee cups and saucers, real utensils and tables with table cloths--imagine that!

I once read a novel about the antiques business where the main character always drank coffee from Limoges china and ate a particular French pasty on a Limoges plate. There was an elegance about it all. At the time I had never heard of Limoges but the description of the china and the small apricot pastry she generally ate along with it led me to try and recreate that scene over and over again. It was about how it made me feel. I guess I am an advertiser’s dream.

But it seems that drinking coffee from a cup with a saucer is from days gone by. What a shame. For me coffee, like many things I love, is part of an experience. I not only want my coffee, I want it served with great presentation. But in this day and age, I’d better serve it myself.

We have become a disposable world so there is nothing fine in our dining or coffee drinking experience on a daily basis. Today most people drink their coffee from a paper cup and although Starbucks does provide you with a fine one, it’s still paper and not a saucer in sight.

The second most popular way to drink coffee today is from a mug. I personally am not fond of thick mugs; however, I often do come across some very lovely china mugs.

But alas I still long to be served coffee in a delicate cup complete with saucer and a real spoon. I guess I’ll have to bring my own.

Here are a few great sites for coffee ware on the web:

Aabree Coffee
https://www.aabreecoffee.com/espresso_cups.cfm

This is a great find. They have a wonderful assortment of interesting specialty coffee cups and mugs.


EBay
https://www.ebay.com

They have everything from the used to the unusual including rare antiques with new items added everyday. You will have to bid on most items, but some are offered for sale at a flat rate as well.


Crate and Barrel
https://www.crateandbarrel.com/coffee-mugs/kitchen-accessories/1

Always a great place to look.


Fine Tea China
https://www.he-and-she.com/mug-china.html

Tea or Coffee Mugs in fine bone china. Lovely and classic.


This Next
https://www.thisnext.com/item/FA94841D/The-Ultimate-Coffee-Cup-by

Lots of interesting modern art pieces. Check out The Ultimate Coffee Cup by David Pier for something new and quite unusual.