Fancy a cuppa?
15th August 2018
Is there anything more British than an hour in the afternoon reserved for drinking tea and eating miniature foods? Yes – an entire week. An entire week dedicated to comically undersized sandwiches, scones smothered in fruit preserves and cream, and insisting your companion has the last slice of cake. However, as the ‘best china’ makes an all too rare appearance from the back of our cupboards and the tables are damasked with floral cloths, it’s important to be aware how this quintessentially British occasion can also brew some of Britain’s biggest debates; milk or tea first? Is it socially acceptable to dunk a biscuit? And don’t even get us started on the jam-cream or cream-jam scone debate!
To say we have the solution to these quandaries would be inaccurate – we have several different variations of ‘tea’ at any one time in our studio. However, our recent work with brands joining the third wave coffee movement has led us to believe that maybe a new beverage is the way forward. Whilst the third wave coffee movement has taken many beverage brands by storm, the desire to achieve great quality coffee has been the goal of Dualit for some time.
As manufacturers of catering equipment and kitchen appliances for over seventy years, their diversification into the coffee market back in the late ’90’s was a new venture for the company as well as a way ahead of what has now become a global trend. It was at that time they approached us to design a new range of press filter coffee makers to capitalise on this emerging trend. Dualit wanted something sharp; they needed a product that projected pure, quality coffee and was in keeping with their other product ranges.The tall, cylindrical stainless steel sleeve made a bold and refreshing statement against the competitors more cumbersome shapes that were prevalent at the time. The pierced slots in the body shadowed the iconic cooling vents that have been a hallmark of the classic Dualit toaster since it was originally created.
Drinking coffee at an Afternoon Tea may earn you a disapproving glance or two, however we predict it won’t be long before this British Tradition and the third wave coffee movement collide. This collision will bring a wealth of design opportunities from brands moving from quaint, elaborate designs towards something contemporary that better reflects today’s beverage trends. Needless to say, we look forward to working with these brands and discussing these projects over a brew of course – so long as we can all agree that it’s tea before milk!
As manufacturers of catering equipment and kitchen appliances for over seventy years, their diversification into the coffee market back in the late ’90’s was a new venture for the company as well as a way ahead of what has now become a global trend. It was at that time they approached us to design a new range of press filter coffee makers to capitalise on this emerging trend. Dualit wanted something sharp; they needed a product that projected pure, quality coffee and was in keeping with their other product ranges.The tall, cylindrical stainless steel sleeve made a bold and refreshing statement against the competitors more cumbersome shapes that were prevalent at the time. The pierced slots in the body shadowed the iconic cooling vents that have been a hallmark of the classic Dualit toaster since it was originally created.
Drinking coffee at an Afternoon Tea may earn you a disapproving glance or two, however we predict it won’t be long before this British Tradition and the third wave coffee movement collide. This collision will bring a wealth of design opportunities from brands moving from quaint, elaborate designs towards something contemporary that better reflects today’s beverage trends. Needless to say, we look forward to working with these brands and discussing these projects over a brew of course – so long as we can all agree that it’s tea before milk!
