Why thick porcelain

Italian bar cups are heavy for a reason. A thick porcelain wall stores heat, so a preheated cup keeps a 30 ml espresso warm long enough to drink it slowly, and a cappuccino does not go lukewarm by the second sip. The shape matters too: a narrow, rounded base concentrates the crema on an espresso, while the wider cappuccino bowl gives the milk somewhere to settle and makes latte art easier to pour. Warm the cups on top of the Linea Mini before use; the cup tray is there for exactly this.

Espresso or cappuccino

The espresso cup is the right size for a single or double shot, a macchiato or a cortado. The cappuccino cup suits a cappuccino or a small flat white. If you mostly drink larger lattes, these will feel small; that is deliberate, since the classic drinks are built on short volumes with the milk texture doing the work. For a wider range of sizes in a more modern shape, the Loveramics Egg Series is the usual alternative.

Specifications

What’s in the box

• 1 × La Marzocco Linea Mini cup in the chosen size
• 1 × matching saucer

Video

La Marzocco Home on building the classic espresso drinks these cups are sized for: