When someone sends us a message “How much is a Coffee Set for 6 persons?” we already know they aren’t asking the right question. Herend is a more than 190 years old luxury brand, which had so many innovative ideas in fine china, that cannot be summarised as “a Tea Set for 6 persons”. You need to understand that every single item has lots of variants and you should choose the one you really love. In this article, I will give you some guidelines on how we do such a process. (TLDR)
The Parts of a Tea or Coffee Set
In the beginning, You decide what you really want to have – let’s say a Coffee set.
To help the decision-making, we pre-composed sets for 2 and for 6 persons, so it makes it a bit easier to pick one.
A set contains the following main components:
- Coffee Pot
- Coffee Cups (and Saucers of course)
- Sugar Basin / Sugar Bowl
- Milk Jug / Creamer
- Dessert Plates
- Platter / Tray / Cake Plate
Later, I’m going to explain all the tricks of each item, but before that, we need to make some basic decisions.
Which pattern or décor?
I am sure this is quite evident at the beginning already. Our Customers do fall in love with one or another pattern (e.g.: Rothschild, Apponyi, Chinese Bouquet, Queen Victoria, etc.) immediately.
Price is mainly designated by the decor, so this becomes an important point. Rich painted porcelain costs more, but less painting can also give a real elite look.
If you made up your mind, our next step is the main form variant.
Which porcelain form?
Theoretically, all the patterns can be painted on all the forms. But you need to consider that some forms go much better with some decors.
For example, the decor Hadik is a simple decor. We can paint it in all the four major forms:
- Osier – Basket relief at the edge of the items
- Rocaille – Shell relief
- Esterhazy – wavy edge and flat surface
- Lisse – flat edge and flat surface
To achieve a real Royal look, we offer it along with the Shell relief (Rocaille).
As for the Rothschild, Queen Victoria the Lisse form is not a good choice at all.
Sounds a bit complicated? No worries! We’ll help you along the way, and support the decision-making with photos and tips via e-mail.
For 2 or 6 Persons? Or something else?
Every Tea, Coffee, or Espresso Set has to contain the Herend fine china items below:
(Independently the number of persons)
– Tea Pot, Coffee Pot or Mocha Pot
– Sugar Basin, Sugar Bowl, or a nice Bonbonniere with lid,
– Creamer, Milk Jug,
– Tea Cup, Coffee Cup, Mocha Cup, and Saucer,
Recommended additional porcelains for each kind of set:
– Dessert Plate
– Cake Plate
– Tray
Of course, we show you all the options. Some of our Customers choose bigger items, others buy for example two milk jugs or creamers instead of one.
The reason is – they say – two tiny looks nicer than one big creamer. The final choice is yours.
How this all works in reality?
Usually, either the Customers come into our shop or they send us a message.
If you’re in our shop it makes it much easier. You can choose your favorites immediately. When you mail us we start to clear up all the questions. We send photos of the variants and step by step we build up together the desired set.
The next section is about the Coffee pot.
Coffee pot
When you choose a Coffee pot, you need to consider the followings:
- How many guests or coffee lovers do you need to count with?
- If you choose a set for two persons can you piece it out with two more cups?
- If you buy a set for two persons you may purchase additional items later as well.
Because buying two extra cups is really not an issue, but to buy a second Coffee pot.
Also, consider that Coffee pots are the most comfortable to use up to 8 dl (deciliter) (27 OZ). If you choose a larger one that will be too heavy to use.
For example, a Coffee pot with a volume of 1.2 liter (40 OZ) weighs 0.75 kg.
The weight of the filled Coffee pot is 0.75 kg (fine china) + 1.2 kg (coffee) = 1.95 kg.
This is maybe too much already to handle easily.
Here you have the options to choose by size from 2 dl (6.7 OZ) up to 1.2 liters (40 OZ).
Usually, we suggest:
- For two persons: a Coffee pot with a size between 4 dl (13.5 OZ) and 6 dl (20 OZ).
- For six persons: a Coffee pot with a size between 8 dl (27 OZ) and 1.2 liters (40 OZ).
Amount of painting (on the fine china)
As described in an earlier blog post, the bigger piece is not always more expensive than the smaller one. The price changes as the number of painting rises. The price of the item increases with the growth of the amount of painting on the fine china. Do not forget, that simple decors are also extremely aesthetic. Depending on the decor you choose, it may have rich painting or it rather is more simple. And also sometimes a simple, clean design with the perfect porcelain shape is more elegant than a rich painted colorful one.
Just a remark: Some of our Customers bought a bigger and a smaller Coffee pot or Teapot. They use the smaller one for breakfast and the bigger pot when guests are coming.
The next section is about the Coffee cups.
Coffee cup
Well, yes the Coffee cup is the most important part of the selection. Here we offer regularly the 706-0-00 and the 730-0-00 porcelain forms of Coffee cups. Both of them are 2 dl (6.7 OZ).
Here you can’t make a bad decision. Both are great forms. It is absolutely up to your personality which one you prefer.
I’m going to add some photos of the products to help you decide.
The small volume Mocha cup / Espresso cup offered is 709-0-00 and 711-0-00 porcelain forms. Both of them are 1 dl (3.3 OZ).
Sugar basin and Sugar bowl
You might think that choosing a Sugar bowl cannot be a real issue here. However, this is not the case. There are several options regarding size and forms.
The smallest option
The smallest Sugar bowl is shaped like a leaf and it is an open Sugar bowl. Customers mainly choose this for Mocha sets or two people’s sets – both coffee and tea.
Middle-sized Sugar basin
The middle-sized Sugar basin is usually covered with a lid.
You can choose among the following knobs:
- Butterfly knob
- Rose knob – invented by Herend!
- Bud knob
- Bird knob
- Twisted knob
- Strawberry knob
And there are fewer used knobs like:
- Cat knob
- Bunny knob
- Elephant knob
- Fish knob
- Dolphin knob
These are usually used on Bonbonnieres. If you like one of these, do not hesitate to send us a mail.
When you decide on the knob, it is strongly recommended to have the same knob on all the elements. This way your set will be aesthetic. Whether the pattern defines the knob or the other way around, you should pay attention to matching the two things together.
For example in the case of the Apponyi pattern you should not use the Bird knob.
Bird knob looks the best if the fine china is colorfully painted. Rothschild Bird pattern with green fish-scale (RO-ETV) or Hunter Trophies pattern (CHTM) goes well with the Bird knob.
Large size sugar basins
Some of our Customers choose Bonbonnieres instead of Sugar basins, allowing them to choose among a wide range of shapes and sizes. And, of course, they are nice, multi-purpose porcelain items.
With them, you can choose the knob (if there is a knob at all) and the form as well:
- Round shaped
- Oval shaped
- Heart-shaped
- Rectangular
(many other geometric forms are available as well)
As you can see, you have a wide variety of Sugar basins. No matter how you decide, all of them are actual artworks. This choice is much more about how you like your morning coffee – with lots of sugar or plain black.
Milk jug or Creamer
Milk jugs are for the Coffee and Mocha set. Just like Coffee pots, these Milk jugs have taller forms.
Conversely, creamers are going better with Tea sets as their shape is smaller and roundish. Just like a Teapot.
This is the easiest part. If you like to drink coffee with lots of milk, pick the bigger ones.
Milk jug size options are:
1 dl (3.3 OZ)
2 dl (6.7 OZ)
3 dl (10 OZ)
4 dl (13.5 OZ)
6 dl (20 OZ)
8 dl (27 OZ)
1.1 liter (37 OZ)
1.3 liter (44 OZ)
Lots of our Customers take the 1.1 liters (37 OZ) and 1.3 liters (44 OZ) Milk jugs for fruit juice.
Not a big fan of milk? No problem at all! Then take a small creamer!
Creamer sizes are the following:
0.5 dl (1.6 OZ)
1.2 dl (4 OZ)
2 dl (6.7 OZ)
2.5 dl (8.4 OZ)
5 dl (17 OZ)
Dessert plate
The dessert plate is one of the biggest surfaces in the set. Therefore, it can change the whole style of the set.
Here we need to decide the size and the pattern too:
Painting style / Decor
When the customer asks for a Dessert plate, we always show them the traditional ones, but also let them see the modern unicolor (monochrome) edge plates. These plates are refreshing, clean spots of the set which helps to bring more attention to the cups and to the coffee pot. Every pattern has the color variant that suits it the best.
(For example with Apponyi Turquoise Platinum we offer turquoise, for Royal Garden (EVICTP2) turquoise and the pink as options as well.)
In classical cases, the pattern of the Dessert plates was the same as the other porcelain items in the set.
Nowadays, it is more and more popular to choose a different simpler pattern than the main pattern or only painted it with a unicolor wide edge. These patterns differ from the main patterns, but these are simpler patterns and aesthetically fit. The unicolor plates have a special impression.
The sets with a more relaxed, less „tense impression” are very popular. They are using this solution increasingly for Dinner plates and Serving plates as well. The sets with a comfortable impression like this are available and purchasable at favorable prices.
Dessert plate size
Depending on your needs, you can buy the following Dessert plates:
12.5 cm (4.9″D)
15 cm (5.9″D)
16.5 cm (6.5″D)
19 cm (7.5″D)
21 cm (8.2″D)
23 cm (9″D)
Usually, we recommend the 16.5 cm (6.5″ D) and the 19 cm (7.5″D) variants as they can be used for breakfast sandwiches and afternoon cookies as well.
Our Customers are happier with this one, but in the end, you need to know which suits better your ideas.
Don’t forget, the smaller plates look nicer with tiny cookies and macaroons, the bigger ones are good for multiple doughnuts.
Platter
Earlier, we did not recommend the platter as a “must” for Tea and Coffee sets. However, all the Customers who see in real life on such a platter, ask for it immediately.
Here we offer 3 options:
- Small sized: Cake Plate 28 x 20 cm (11″L x 7.9″W)
- Middle-sized: Rococo Platter 39 x 29 cm (15″L x 11.4″W)
- Big sized: Rectangle Shaped Platter 46 x 30 cm (18″L x 11.8″W)
Learn more about Herend
Read our blog posts for a better understanding of Herend Porcelain.
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