2 years in progress, we're now ready to release the cup range all across our coffee shops, for wholesale partners, and through our webshop.

The design has been made by Casper and Klaus together with ACME designer Paddy and lots of inputs from our bar manager team. It’s taken several months of design, 3D prints, trials, and feedback to get the result right, but we’re super happy with the final result.

The line includes three different cups

Espresso holds 100 ml and is suited to present both a single and double espresso with headspace to capture the aromas and maintaining perfect texture when drinking. 

Small cappuccino cup of 150 ml, which we will also use for our hand-brewed servings. A delicate cup on cappuccino yields a perfect layer of foam and enhancing the richness of the mouthfeel. 

Large cappuccino of 290 ml for a double shot cap and also our new batch brew serving.

3 cups, 2 saucers, a handle that fits fingers, and a well-balanced cup

The design was made to be distinctive yet timeless. We wanted a modern shape that is distinctively unique while building on our past history of cups and the Pitchii glass server.

We gathered all our years of experience with different cups. From competition cups to classic Italian barware, the Illy range of cups, our previous Ancap cups, small handcrafted ceramics as well as experimental art cups. A handle here, a saucer there, noting down our favorite parts from each cup a picture started to form of what we think would be the ideal cup. 

From our initial hand drawings, Paddy at ACME was quick to grasp the concept and conceptualize it. After some initial computer renderings, we proceeded to 3D prints, which allowed us to both see and feel the cup in our hands and even to pour the first drinks and see if our ideas worked.

Choosing porcelain type was a task on its own, and thankfully ACME has great relationships with many producers, so we could get samples to test before settling on our preferred type. We think white porcelain is the most beautiful “canvas” for coffee, and this particular porcelain from a Chinese manufacturer has been chosen for its clean white hue and beautiful surface.

Shaping the cup itself was as challenging as it was fun. We wanted the bottom of the cups to be perfectly round, making sure the espresso is mixed well into milk or stirred together perfectly for a straight espresso. At the same time, we wanted the shape of the cup to be distinctive with some fine edges that would make them undoubtedly "ours".

The side walls have been given special attention. We wanted a thicker wall towards the bottom, so it holds heat well at that part and a thinner thickness at the top. It was super important for us that these cups had a nice lip feel. That first physical feeling of touching the cup with your lips sets the tone for what you expect to drink, and we wanted that feeling to be delicate. Therefore the rim of the cup gets finer towards the outside, without getting so thin that it breaks easily.

We also wanted to sidewalls of the cups to be more vertical, as that allows the foam layer to be thicker. Especially on the small cappuccino cup, we went all-in on finding the perfect balance between width and height. A single shot with 150 ml volume in total and a 1.5 cm layer of foam is just the perfect balance of milk and coffee for us.

The handle of the cups is also quite unique. The top part is flat, so your thumb can rest on it and it doesn’t slide out of your hand, and there’s good space for your finger to go through. We also designed the handle to look unique and was inspired by an old Danish mug that Casper has at home.

The saucers are made so you can easily pick them up. This might seem like a simple thing, but when you're working the bar picking up hundreds of cups every day, this is a key point to be aware of. There’s one size for the two large cups and another for espresso.

Our logo is imprinted in our signature green color on the side and our triangles engraved together with ACME on the bottom. We're thankful to Megan and Paddy for collaborating with us on this crazy project. Couldn't have asked for a better partner!

We're super happy to be able to release these cups just as Denmark opens up again for seated guests after the second Covid-19 lock-down period. From April 21st the Collective Cup range will be for sale online, in our coffee shops and via our international wholesale partners.

Small / Espresso cup

Medium / Single Cappuccino

Large / Double Cappuccino