A coffee cup is never just a coffee cup. The shape, the weight, how it feels in the hand, the way the rim feels on your lip, they all have an impact on the drinking experience. For well over a decade, notNeutral has been leaving an indelible mark on the coffee drinking experience with their various drinkware lines. (Remember what a game changer the Lino line was because it had an edgeless bowl that made for better latte art?) And with their latest line, the Los Angeles-based ceramics company is paying tribute to their home. The Pico series of cafeware “celebrates the rich heritage of California design from the Arts and Crafts movement to Midcentury Modernism.”
Designed in collaboration between RIOS—an “award-winning multidisciplinary design collective”—and the LA barista community, this latest collection is named after Pico Boulevard, “the iconic thoroughfare that runs from the Pacific Ocean to Main Street in downtown Los Angeles.” Featuring a matte glaze, the Pico features a muted color palette, coming in white, black, and natural, all juxtaposed against the earthy tan of the terracotta evoking “the clay soil of the Los Angeles landscape.” The series includes cups sizes for espresso, cappuccino, and latte (8oz and 12oz), saucers, and a custom-designed spoon that “nestles into the cup and saucer and rests intuitively in hand.”
As with much of notNeutral’s drinkware, even the smallest design details are well considered. The Pico collection includes the flat-topped ergonomic handle and curved bowl interior for which the brand is known. The cups also include touches like a glazed rim for its feel against the lip while sipping and a tulip shape for better heat retention, while the spoon is fully glazed “for durability,” contoured to fit in the cup and lock in place in the saucer, and features a subtly concave, smoothed handle reminiscent of a worry stone.
It’s the little touches that make a big difference and can elevate a drinking experience, even when the drinker isn’t looking for an elevated experience. And the Pico collection from notNeutral has them in spades.
The Pico series is currently available for $10 to $16, depending on the size (spoon and saucer sold separately). For more information, visit notNeutral’s official website.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
All media via notNeutral
