La tazzina

In Italian, the suffix “-ina” makes a word smaller—ragazza becomes ragazzina (little girl), mano becomes manino (little hand). It makes sense that the Italian word for cup, tazza, becomes tazzina when we’re talking about an espresso cup, as it is smaller, but I was surprised to learn the tazzina, is actually named after Luigi Tazzini, who refined its design in the early 20th century.

Before Tazzini, Italians drank coffee from handleless cups, inspired by the Arab style. Tazzini added a small handle to make it easier to hold the cup without burning your fingers. Though small, the tazzina is thoughtfully designed. It only holds about 25 ml of coffee, but every detail has been carefully considered to enhance the drinking experience.

The cup is made of porcelain, its shape is a perfect truncated cone, and the base is thicker, all to optimize heat retention. It is often white to contrast the rich, dark color of the coffee.

Like the tazzina, small steps may seem insignificant, but taking time to fill your cup each day can make a huge difference. Putting care and attention into these small acts can lift you and put you in the best position to do whatever it is only you can do to chip away at making this a better world for all.