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DEMITASSE: Function, Beauty, and Collectible
One sure way to enjoy The Perfect Espresso is to sip it from a small cup, most commonly known as the demitasse "half cup." The word demitasse is used not only to describe the small cup mostly commonly used to serve a shot or two of Italian-style espresso, it is also used to describe café noir, a drink of strong black coffee. The word is French with root words traced to both Persian and Arabic for small basin.
The small size is part of the charm of espresso service, and the primary reason it is such a hot collectible is that the colors and styles are nearly endless! You can opt for traditional patterns to match your favorite china pattern, buy selections of stark white cups decorated with whimsical designs from modern artists, find solidly functional if ordinary ones from the local kitchen supply store, or hunt thrift shops for a personal collection of cups each different to match the personalities of your friends. You'll soon discover that demitasse cups can be elegant, outrageous, ordinary, or totally gorgeous.
Styles vary enormously from straight-sided to curved to bulbous, with handles ornate, to thinly smooth or thick and sturdy. Certainly the most traditional style is the reddish brown egg-shaped espresso cups with white interiors to show off the intense brown/black color of the espresso. Made of vitrified porcelain, these strong, thick (3/8") cups are particularly helpful in retaining the heat of your espresso. Although some demitasse cups are made from fragile porcelain that inspires many collectors, espresso lovers fully understand that retaining the heat is as important as expressing the bean-to-water ratio in perfect harmony for the best flavor.
The typical size of a demitasse cup is 2 1/2" in diameter, about 2 3/8" high with a small handle. The smaller size is used so as not to lose the flavor or aroma in a large cup and to intensify the pleasures of taste and fragrance. A fun addition to the cups are the spoons, called demitasse spoons because they are about half the size of a teaspoon and proportioned to "fit" the demitasse cup.
The following is a great recipe for surj, the intense, espresso-like coffee favored by Armenians from Moscow to Paris to Los Angeles. Best of all, it can be made in any saucepan on the stove, so it's ideal if you're caught in a kitchen without your home espresso machine or an Armenian-style brewer. Pour hot water into the cups, then empty them of the water to help retain the heat of the coffee.
INGREDIENTS:
* 5 teaspoons of Original blend, pulverized to a powder
* 5 demitasse cups of water
* 3 teaspoons sugar, or more to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Combine the ingredients in a one-quart saucepan. Stir well and place over medium heat. Bring the coffee to a boil three times, taking care to remove the pan from the heat each time to avoid having the liquid overflow. Pour the foam only equally among the demitasse cups then pour in the coffee. Allow the grounds to settle then serve.
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