If you're offering your customers quality coffee, you need a suitably stylish cup in which to serve it. We've rounded up some of the more eye-catching designs.
A bit on the side
Giotto is a new collection of coffee cups from Italian producer of porcelain cups and tableware, Verona-based Ancap, available from sole UK distributor La Tazza. The contemporary Giotto design features a quirky offset saucer which places the cup to one side, handy if you serve a chocolate or other item with coffee. The cups are available in 8cl espresso and 19cl cappuccino size, in either plain white or a range of three contemporary designs: Come Scriviamo Giotto, featuring script; the Japanese-inspired Sayonara; and the striped Varianti. As with all Ancap cups from La Tazza, they can also be personalised with your own logo or design with no minimum quantity requirement.
Price: per cup and saucer - from £2.20 for plain white Giotto espresso and £3.45 for cappuccino
Available from: La Tazza 01527 67504, www.latazza.co.uk
White is right
New to the market this year, the Boreal 12cl coffee cup from Guy Degrenne is part of a complete collection of white tableware including round and oval plates, dishes, bowls, tea cups, tea bowls, milk jug, sugar bowl and coffee pot. Manufactured in pearl china for a refined finish, its distinctive styling and elegance is aimed at the fine-dining market.
Price: £5.29 for a coffee cup and saucer
Available from: Signature FSE 01908 235660, www.signature-fse.com
Luna landing
Steelite's O! Luna cups and saucers made their debut at Hospitality 2005. There's an 8cl espresso cup with 13cm saucer and an 18cl tea cup with 16cm saucer, manufactured from fine porcelain. The inspirational design is aimed at the higher end of the market where innovative presentation is a requirement.
Price: from £11.12 for an espresso cup and £2.95 for an espresso saucer
Available from: Steelite International 01782 829308, www.steelite.com
You're so Square
Available as an 8cl espresso cup, 19cl tea cup and 25cl breakfast cup is the T Range from Chomette. The unique square design of the cups is suitable for all sectors of the market and is matched by a range of porcelain tableware including teapots and milk jugs. The T Range is Chomette's first own-branded full tableware range, for which Royal Academy-trained Stoke-on-Trent designer William Edwards was specially commissioned to devise something innovative.
Price: from £1.63 for an espresso cup
Available from: Chomette Dornberger 020 8877 7000, www.chomette.co.uk
The London vibe
Launched in April by Churchill, Vibe is a range of six mugs in striking contemporary designs featuring coloured spots and stripes on a white background. Each design has its own name - Portobello, Carnaby, Brighton, Soho, Camden and Piccadilly. The super-vitrified ceramic body of the conical 12oz latte mugs provides excellent heat retention and a high alumina content gives them high durability and edge chip resistance. Designed to enhance presentation and create impact in cafs, bistros, hotels, restaurants and corporate environments, they will add a splash of colour to the table and mix well with plain whiteware. A square white caff latte saucer is also available.
Price: £3.50 each
Available from: Churchill Dining Out 01782 577566, www.churchillchina.com