notNeutral | Pico Collection
At notNeutral, designing a beautiful cup is just the beginning. We drew from our team’s expertise in handmade ceramics, specialty coffee, and design technology to create a collection that looks striking on the table and performs beautifully in a professional coffee setting.
We design for professional baristas, design enthusiasts, and coffee obsessives-- we never compromise when it comes to the features that have made notNeutral a globally recognized brand in specialty coffee: ergonomics, fluid dynamics, heat retention, and the durability to last in a commercial environment.
We took these factors into consideration while designing Pico to ensure that the collection could meet the demands of specialty coffee today. Our signature ergonomic handle offers a confident grip, the glazed lip ensures a comfortable sip, and the tulip shape keeps beverage temperatures stable. The cups’ interiors are ideally shaped for pouring latte art and the spoon rests intuitively in hand and fits snuggly in the saucer. The saucer’s rim is slightly upturned to lift effortlessly off the table.
Pico offers an alternative to traditional cafeware through its novel use of ceramic material, glaze technique, and form. Each piece is made from terracotta rather than a more traditional porcelain or glass. The unglazed areas of each cup and saucer give the collection an unexpected tactile quality with the exposed terracotta evoking handmade ceramics. We gave the cups a tulip-style profile and chose three understated matte glazes —black, white, and natural— for the debut.
The Pico ceramic spoon is the first of its kind in specialty cafeware. Tactile experience was at the forefront of its design: its handle is subtly concave to evoke a polished worry stone. The full coverage ceramic glaze adds to the spoon’s durability and makes it smooth to the touch.
We named the collection after Pico Boulevard, the iconic thoroughfare from the Pacific Ocean to Main Street in downtown LA, which unites many of the city’s most culturally diverse neighborhoods. Pico celebrates the heritage of California design from the Arts and Crafts movement to Midcentury Modernism, inspired by our affinity for handmade craft and the natural landscape of our native Los Angeles. With feedback from professionals in our local barista community, we merged these inspirations with modern design technology to develop a high-performing collection to live beautifully in home and hospitality settings.
