Since the first kahvehane were established in Damascus and Constantinople, coffeehouses in the Mediterranean have traditionally served the drink as a single strong serving in a small porcelain cup. After the drink arrived in Europe, the cup acquired a handle and a saucer, the shape and surface of these offering opportunities for artistic expression. The vessel, however, tended to retain the traditional shape of an inverted, truncated cone.

Biji features the striking contrast of gold accents layered on the much subtler contrast of glossy black on matte black. Its voice is soft, but its words are daring. Its non-repeating surface design - and its black-on-black palette - are distinctly 21st-century, while its silhouette could pass for 16th-century. Its gold rims and handle attract the eye, while the shifting lustre of the two different blacks holds it. The designs that pop out, in the same mirror-smooth glossy glaze as the vessel’s inside surface, depict coffee in different stages of its journey from tree to cup, and the people who are responsible for getting it there.

Biji is the word for “bean” in Indonesian, one of the many languages spoken in places where coffee is planted, grown, and harvested. Biji has a capacity of 70 milliliters and is slipcast in hard feldsparic porcelain.

The material and basic shape of the traditional, Mediterranean-style coffee cup have been retained across the centuries. During the European Renaissance, these cups were frequently elaborately hand-painted or glazed in intricate patterns and motifs. 

These espresso cups pay homage to this classic style, using a traditional profile and material, while overhauling the surface decoration into something distinctly modern. They retain a gilded handle and a gilded rim on the cup and saucer, while the design on each piece is rendered in stark, glossy black, against a soft, matte black background. The artwork on the cups depicts scenes from the modern coffee production process: a worker operating a roasting machine, a farmer sorting freshly harvested coffee, and a hand dipped into a basket of coffee berries. The image of the hand is positioned in the center of the saucer, to be revealed when the cup is lifted.

Biji honors the tried-and-true, while leading it forward just enough to be truly exceptional.

Biji was designed in 2021 by Daniel Moynihan, and submitted to the Parmigiano Reggiano Design Challenge sponsored by Alessi and Kartell.