Oaxacan Clay Espresso Cup

These espresso cups are a welcome addition to any kitchen, handmade in Oaxaca, Mexico.

The unusual firing technique used to make these terracotta americano cups result in a spectrum of colours that range from beige to peach and soft grey. Handmade in Oaxaca, Mexico, the local clay is soaked for 20 days to remove impurities before being soaked and burnished with a quartz crystal. The cups are then wood fired underground and oxidised, leaving the pieces with their varied colours.

The black clay espresso cups are made using local traditional artisanal technique called barro negro. After soaking clay is filtered for 20 days to filter impurities, the clay is smoked to create the black colour and burnished by polishing the surface with a quartz crystal. This gives the cups its warm glossy finish. To finish, the pieces are wood-fired in underground pits or kilns.

Complement the set with the designer’s contrasting plates and bowls in black or terracotta.

This set is from the designer’s The Oaxacan Loving Collection where the same natural material (a clay local to Oaxaca) yet finished in two different ways to create contrasting colours – one black and the other pale terracotta. Two styles as different as night from day.