Sterling silver coffee pots and cafe au lait

Before the invention of the dripolator, percolator and the expresso machine, the roasted and ground coffee beans were placed in a pot, and hot water was added, to infuse the water with the coffee. After the coffee had brewed it was ready for pouring, a similar process to that used to make tea now. It was not until the invention of the percolator in the late 19th century, that use of the coffee pot began to decline. From the early 18th century to the end of the 19th century, coffee pots were produced in silver, silver plate and by most of the major ceramics producers who produced dinnerware, including Wedgwood, Royal Worcester and Belleek.